


All This And Heaven Too

by MissYunie



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Canon, Alternate Ending, Canon Compliant, Comrades, Courtship, Dreams, Episode Ignis, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fate & Destiny, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Love Bites, Oral Sex, Prophecy, Romance, Rough Sex, Sex, Sex Dreams, Slow Burn, Smut, Unrequited Love, Vaginal Sex, Visions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-02-17 08:43:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 469,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13073280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissYunie/pseuds/MissYunie
Summary: *Spoiler Alert* Episode Ignis Verse 2 Route - Post Game - Do not read if you haven't played this yet, as this episode heavily feeds into new possibilities for the world of FFXV by presenting an alternate future!You had lost everything and had to rebuild your world from the ground up. Finding the strength within yourself, you embrace the darkness and fight with all you have to bring back the light to Eos. But during all this time, it was he who was on your mind, and he who you hoped to someday meet. And when you do meet, the truth of what he's done to save the world will change you forever. And together, you'll face the world that was more than worth fighting for.*Summaries and introductions to chapters will be updated as more chapters are added. Expect there to be edits to previous chapters as the story evolves.-Chapters 1-8 updated (As of 8/7/18)-Chapter 10- Conversation with Iris updated. Dream sequence with Ignis updated.-Chapter 18 - Conversation about Shiva's corpse updated (12/12/18)





	1. Wish You Were Here

**Author's Note:**

> Episode Ignis completely rocked my world in so many ways that I can't even begin to convey, and with the new "Possibilities" concept presented through Verse 2, I felt this route opened up many new tangible possibilities for writers on delving into the world of Final Fantasy XV. I will always appreciate and love the original ending of this gorgeous game for the bittersweet tragedy that it presents and the beauty of its narrative, yet to me there was something so utterly compelling about Verse 2 that just left me breathless. Regardless of whether or not you see personally this alternative ending as possibly canon or not, either way, I wanted to indulge a bit in this fantasy idea that came into mind. However, what started out as one simple idea from beating the episode I soon turned into a grand adventure all on its own.
> 
> I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies or idiosyncrasies that are presented in this story. As much as I am a huge fan of the game, I'm certainly not an expert on the world of Eos like many of you out there. Despite the idea of this verse route not being canon, nonetheless I have done a ton of research by using various wikis, the bestiary, recipe book, as well as studying the map of Eos to refer to locations to present an as accurate and canon narrative as possible! 
> 
> If you're here for the smut, be patient. While you will be presented with smaller bits of pieces of it throughout the story, the real stuff will await later on within the story. I promise the slow burn will be worth it!
> 
> This is in honor of Mr. Ignis Scienita, who deserves everything good in the world for everything he does. Please be kind and enjoy! :)
> 
> *P.S. - All the chapters (Even including the title of this work) are titles to Florence and the Machine songs. I highly recommend listening to each song before you read the chapter to help set the tone of what you will read. Please support Florence and her amazing work! My god, is she inspirational and fits the FFXV world's themes so well!
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_And I never minded being on my own_

_Then something broke in me and I wanted to go home_

_To be where you are_

_But even closer to you, you seem so very far_

_And now I'm reaching out with every note I sing_

_And I hope it gets to you on some pacific wind_

_Wraps itself around you and whispers in your ear_

_Tells you that I miss you and I wish that you were here_

_\- Florence and the Machine - “Wish You Were Here”_

You had battled many a fearsome Bandersnatch, laid waste to the fearful wraiths, wreaked havoc upon hordes of Hecteyes, and toppled many a terrible Tarantula, but nothing, absolutely _nothing_ , could help you prepare for the presage and apprehension coursing through your bloodstream right now.

You shut your eyes, trembled, wrung your hands together, and took the deepest breath of your entire life.

_Oh King of Kings, help me get through this…_

“Oh come on, Y/N, what are you so nervous about? I knowwww how much you’ve actually been looking forward to this!”

Your eyes snapped open to the sound of your friend’s voice as you turned to gaze upon her radiant face. Iris Amicitia stood close by your side, the realization that you were standing just mere feet away from the grandiose and palatial doorway to the grand hall of the Citadel causing you to halt in your steps. Taking a moment to process what was just said to you, you found yourself shaking in your silver high-heels and a thin sheen of sweat lightly encasing your body that made your royal blue gown cling uncomfortably to your body. Iris eyed you over as she took note of your status, sighed deeply, and grabbed your hand.

“Look, I know that this is your first official time inside the Citadel and that you have a lot of heavy thoughts and feelings running through you. Trust me. I do too.” She paused for a moment, widely smiling at you and giving your hand a squeeze. “But this is the absolute moment to celebrate. Just think. We’ve been waiting ten years for this. Everything that we’ve lost. Everything we’ve fought for. All our struggles. All of it! All of it’s been worth it. And now it’s time to celebrate for everything that we’ve done.”

You looked intently at Iris and took her words into heart. Yes. She was absolutely right. Ten years of cold and dreaded darkness, waiting patiently for the day that the sun would rise over Lucis once more. It had all seemed like a mocking hallucination the first morning that the sun rose through the window of your tiny Lestallum apartment. You recall rubbing your eyes heavily, shaking your head several times and wondering if what you were seeing was actually truth or not. But when you hastily left your quarters and rushed out into the crowed, refugee-filled streets of the city to be surrounded by the cheering cries and jubilations of your fellow, friends, hunters, and citizens, you had realized that it had happened. No. This hadn’t been a dream. Light had been restored to Eos once more.

Inhaling with as much strength as your lung would allow, you smiled warmly back at your dearest friend. Your heart augmented just looking at her, recalling the very first time you had met her. She had only been a fifteen-year old girl at the time, so young and pure and yet hardened by hardships that you had yet to learn about her over the course of your friendship. But through your shared and painful adversities, the strongest bond of friendship you had ever shared with anyone had been forged. Over the years Iris had guided you. Aided you. Was the rock beneath your shaky foundation. Gave you the love you needed when you had none in the world. In all, she had become your baby sister. You gazed at her now, seeing how the youthful and idyllic girl blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Her once short bob of a haircut was now cascading down over her shoulders in brunette waves. Her once sweet and round baby face had shaped itself into refinement, and her once quirky and playful attire of her plaid skirt and printed vest were now replaced by an elegant burgundy gown that swished upon the tiled floor. Yet, despite the passage of ten years, there remained within her amber eyes a radiance of passion and strength that could never be replaced or diminished. Yes, this would be worth it. Nodding to her and squeezing her hand in return, you together reached for the ornate handles of the door, pulled with all your strength, and entered into the realm of tonight’s unknown destiny.

*********************************

Yes, how fast those ten years seemed to transpire. How quickly those calamitous memories and fears had flitted by. Yes. The trials had all been worth it, all to get to this point of pure bliss and peace.

It had all started back in Altissia almost ten years ago. As a blissfully naïve and youthful resident of only eighteen, you were more than excited to hear of the news that Lady Lunafreya would be making her way into the city and that you would get to witness her presence. You had always heard of her generosity and benevolence and heard accounts of her healing miracles, and in your eyes she had always been the hero that you wish you could be for someone else one day. Having your parents join you, you attended her address to the citizens of Altissia in hopes of perhaps getting to meet her personally, yet you were more than apprehensive to see the outcome of her rite with the Tidemother, the Astrals having been known to be more than unpredictable in their deliverances of fate. You had no doubts or lack of faith in Lunafreya’s abilities, but beckoning forth an Astral was more of a feat than your young brain could comprehend in its complexity at the time.

However, tragedy had befallen the Oracle, your beloved city, and your livelihood in less than an hour. Attempting to escape the city as the Archean battled a fleet of Niflheim dreadnoughts, you and your family made a mad dash through the now crumbling streets of the once picturesque and dignified city. Scurrying as fast as you could, you had made your way to the nearest docks, but all was for naught. Attempting to talk his family’s way into safety, your father’s bravery did not benefit him at this moment and sadly he and your mother perished in a scuffle with a band of notorious Niflheim soldiers. As for you? It was all a haze on how you managed to escape the onslaught of innocents alive. You wept bitter tears as you felt yourself being pulled away from the corpses of your beloved parents by the Altissian guards and soldiers who came to their defense too late, and soon you were no more than shoved onto a boat which soon made its way over the seas to the mainland of Lucis. Your heart grieved in pure agony over knowing that you would never be able to lay your parents to rest in the way that they deserved….

It had all been but a beclouded miasma of pandemonium as you found your boat of fellow refuges now docked at Galdin Quay. Tears streaming down your cheeks, you had simply no idea what you were to do with yourself, but knowing that you needed to be proactive in order to survive on your own, you managed to find some locals who were on their way to Lestallum and hitched a ride to make your way to the city. Having left behind all materials but the cash in your pockets and the emergency credit card on hand, you could only begin to wonder just how you could make it on your own as you walked through the booming meteor-laden town that now ran rampant with the sudden shocking news of the attack on your home via the radios that littered street vendor stands. Immediately seeking work in the unfamiliar city, you soon enough met the kind and hardworking Holy Tuelle who was more than happy to give you a job working for EXINERIS. Picking up the trade rather quickly as though born to perform the art of manipulating meteorshards, you became immersed in your work as it distracted you from the loss of your beloved family and the contented life you once lived.

However, that too, all soon changed. Within a month or so as you began to settle in to the routine of your new hardworking life, it had happened: The world had slowly began to plummet into the darkness that you had noticed had slowly been creeping up upon the world during the course of the weeks. You had heard talks throughout the town of daemons being the cause of it all and that the plague of the Starscourge had officially descended, but nothing would have prepared you for the reality of experiencing no sun, no warmth, and the lack of light that brought you peace of mind in your already darkened and godsforsaken world.

More and more refugees began to show up as time went on during the next few months, and it was with utter fear and horror when you truly realized the depths of what was actually happening to the world dismay of Lestallum.

And the daemons? They too had begun to become a reality that you only thought was the stuff of nightmares. It had a been on a rather quiet evening after you ended your shift at the power plant when you heard a wave of screams coming from the lower streets facing the town’s outlook. As though called forth by the Astrals themselves and channeling the mettle of the late idol you had so admired, you rushed through the crowded streets to see a horde of Skeletons slowly creeping their way through the thoroughfares.

 _I can’t just sit back like this and let this happen_ , you remember saying to yourself all those years ago. To this day still you do not know how you gathered the valor to fight, but finding a chunk of metal piping that had been haphazardly discarded on a trash heap, you found yourself assaulting the daemons with ferocity and force that you did not know you possessed. Growling and screaming at the top of your lungs, you struck the daemons with such vigor, enough to take out a two of them on your own until a band of hunters showed up and assisted you in terminating the rest.

“Shit, I’ve seen grown men that cower in fear over those Skeletons,” one of these hunters said to you, astonishment apparent on his face as he congratulated you. “As a girl who had nothing to really defend herself with, I gotta give you credit. Ever think of doing this for a living?”

And so you did. With what time you could spare from the EXINERIS plant, you had joined the hunters in various expeditions outside of the city. It was a shaky start for you, and after your first hunt of demolishing a cluster of Galvanades, you were more than certain of yourself that you were way in over your head with this hunting business. But the support of your comrades and the thought of your late parents on your mind, you knew that you had to keep fighting foward.

And fight you did, and you never gave up.

It was during this time that more refugees arrived at Lestallum, many of which you were not anticipating. When the first wave of Kingsglaive made their way into the city, you were more than shocked at this revelation, having heard in the reports and papers on the fall of the Crown City years ago that this band of fighters had perished while defending with their all. And yet many remained, ready as ever to fight and help the local hunters combat the daemons that were threatening the well-being of humanity. They assisted you and the hunters in securing various power stations over the land of Lucis that had lost connection due to daemon attacks, and it was with their aid that you truly believed in your heart that by working together, the land would be ready and running to go once the light came back to the world.

It was also during this time that you befriended Iris, and she too, when she was not running her garment stand in the market square of the hunter section of the city, would assist you out on the battlefield. At first you were very hesitant to have her come with you; after all, her petit size and fragile looking frame were enough to make you feel that a simple draught of wind would knock her off her feet, but she quickly proved you wrong when she showed you how adept she was at handling swords.

“Where on earth did you learn to do that?” You remember saying to her after you finished clearing out a throng of daemon-plagued Mesmenirs.

She had flashed a wide and toothy grin at you. “Well, I guess you could say that it runs in the family. My brother is Gladiolus Amicitia after all.”

The stupefaction of such a reveal was enough to knock you off your feet. You had heard much about the Shield through your learned knowledge of Prince Noctis, but never would you believe that you were actually talking to his closest blood relative. Through Iris, you learned much about her brother’s adventures with the Prince of the befallen Insomnia and the royal retinue of Prompto Argentum and Ignis Scientia, and you were dying to ask her about every little detail about them. _Would that seem too forward though_? You had asked yourself. Something just didn’t feel right in asking as to where they were in this time of darkness. But perhaps one day you would learn soon enough the answers to the enquiries you had been seeking.

A small sliver of time had passed when you finally got the chance to meet the hulking Shield yourself, and you couldn’t believe how unbelievably different he and his sister were from each other. Iris, ever so sweet and humble; Gladiolus, ever so self-assure and dauntless. But that Amicitia fighting spirit was just the same, and you admired them to the core for that. Unfortunately, Gladio’s stay in town was always short-lived as he claimed to have “business to attend to,” so any questions that you had in the back of your mind would have to wait to be potentially answered.

Many months passed when Gladiolus made one of his rare appearances in town when you finally mustered the courage to ask him the sold question that had festered your mind for months. Upon finding him and Iris sitting on the steps of a backstreet conversing casually in heated discussion, you took a deep breath and you joined them.

“Gladio,” you began hesitantly, using his nickname as a sign of your developing friendship. You tapped your fingers on your knees anxiously, almost afraid to ask him something of such a delicate nature. “I know that this might…. seem a bit personal. Or perhaps maybe a bit too forward.” You paused your words as he and Iris looked at you questioningly. “Please, if I’m prying too much, you don’t have to answer. I’ve been wanting to ask Iris, but I thought maybe it’d be better to ask you, since you after all are so close to him. Just…just what happened to Noctis? The news of his disappearance…none of us commoners have heard a word about it. Just…why aren’t all of you guys together right now?”

Silence overcame the Amicitia siblings like a blackened overcast as they looked to each other, their brows furrowed. Immediately you regretted asking your question and opened your mouth to apologize. “Look, I’m sorry, it’s just that - .”

“No, it’s ok,” Gladiolus said, and despite the initial stain on his handsomely scarred face, a surprisingly warm smile soon spread across his lips. He paused, mulling his thoughts over in his mind. “I can only tell you so much right now, because honestly, there is a lot we have yet to search for and we all want to make sure that we get our sources right before we jump to conclusions.” He paused his words as he looked at Iris, and she nodded to him. “Us not being together as a group is only _temporary_. We’re each doing our own thing at the moment because ….”

You covered your mouth aghast and your eyes widened with marvel as you listened to the Amicitias tell the story of Prince Noctis and his fate. How he was destined to rid the world of the Starscourge. How he was destined to restore the light to Eos. How he was destined to sacrifice himself for the posterity of the world. And how those that loved him dearest were determined to save him from this forlorn fate while still saving the world from its misery.

You were utterly shocked. You rubbed your temples together as you tried to comprehend all of this information that was just handed to you. “And so….you guys honestly think that there is a way to save him?” Both Iris and Gladio nodded, pure determination written on both of their faces.

“Yep!” Iris said cheerfully. “If our source is correct, there might be a way around this. We know how harshly the death of Lady Lunafreya affected the world (your heart ached as she said this). We can’t let the same thing happen to Noct. And so that’s why we’ve requested the aid of the hunters and our friends to help us search for the answers all across the land of Lucis. And so that by the time Noct wakes up, we hope to have a plan of attack against Ardyn and so we can get rid of him once and for all.”

You shook your head, not able to believe the complexity of any of this. “But…this Ardyn guy…if he is so powerful...if he is the real cause of all of this darkness upon the world…Just how can we defeat him?”

Gladio’s smile widened. “Again, a little bit of information I can’t reveal quite yet. It’s really not my place to be saying such, but he’s already in a weakened state because of the power of the Ring. Hopefully he won’t be able to do too much more damage by controlling the daemons more than he already is. But I think we’ve got him at bay right now. You’ll just have to ask Iggy about that.”

You tilted your head. “Ignis? Why would I ask him? What does he know that you guys can’t tell me?”

The Amicitias looked at each other once again and grinned. “Again, not my place to say,” Gladio said again, clapping a hand on your shoulder. “Iggy is a pretty humble guy and I’m not one to be bragging about his accomplishments. You’ll just have to wait and ask him yourself.”

And waited patiently you did. It was out during a hunt that your newfound friend and buddy of the Prince Prompto would quell your desires to meet Ignis by recounting stories about the tactician. You learned everything about him from his regimented and stately duties to Noctis, his exemplary skills with a polearm, his quick-witted sense of humor and use of quips, and even his impeccable fashion sense and grace.

“And he can cook?” You asked incredulously as you made your way back to the caravan from hunting a herd of Duplicorns.

“Hands down the best cooking you’ll ever eat!” Prompto said cheerfully as he scratched at the stubble of an appearing goatee on his chin, and he sighed deeply as if recalling a bittersweet memory from long ago. “You name it and he can make it. He’s really quite something else. I swear, I never met someone who would literally kill something and then instantly come up with a way to cook it! And even funnier yet, he’d always announce it to us each time he came up with a recipe.” You couldn’t help but laugh at this bit of information, and Prompto grinned at you as you both jumped into the van and made your way back to Lestallum. “Iggy’s certainly a character, unlike any other guy I know. He’s…he’s something else…” Prompto paused, and an almost somber smile appeared on his face. “The guy would literally do anything for someone he’d care about… You’ll see for yourself when you get to meet him.”

But unfortunately, you never had the chance to do so. As the years went on, whenever you had left for a hunt or went out to venture across Lucis to investigate some answers on Ardyn and the Starscourge, yours and Ignis’s paths never to crossed directly. You would hear notice that he was in town, but by the time he returned he had always had seemed to vanish like the light of the sun itself. Or, in even worse occurrences, you would see him from afar from across town, but by the time you made your way over to his presumed location, he was gone. _It’s such a small world now_ …you thought sadly to yourself one night, day dreaming of all the wonders you’ve heard about this man as you lay alone in your apartment, bruised and sore from a hefty fight against a small throng of Snagas. _Just once…allow our paths to cross as life will allow it so I can see for just once what he is all about_ …Perhaps it was cruel fate delivered by the Astrals themselves, puppeteering you on delicate threads that dangled you over the pits of your internal hell. Or even perhaps this was merely a mocking and intricate game of cat and mouse to drive you to the brink of your decaying sanity.

You did everything in your power to prevent yourself from becoming discouraged and distracted from your work at the plant and on hunts, knowing that despite how much you wished to meet this man, it would be less than appropriate to let your girlish curiosities distract the focus of your craft as you fought back against the darkness. _Perhaps this isn’t just meant to be right now...I have a duty to fulfill and that needs to be seen through first_ , you remembered saying to yourself. As time went on, you and your companions ventured though royal tombs, combed the deepest depths of the caverns of Lucis, and slowly found yourself piecing together the scattered fragments of the puzzle that needed assembling. Each day, closer and closer to the truth. Each day closer to salvation.

And then that day came. It was not all for naught. Every life lost in the fall of Insomnia. Every life lost in the wars waged with Niflheim. Every life lost in Altissia and every life lost to the claws of the daemons and the night. The reality of it all came to fruition when you beheld and embraced the warmth of that first sunrise since the beginning of the darkness.

Fallen was Ardyn Lucis Caelum. Arisen was the new King, Noctis Lucis Caelum. The world had been restored. It had all been worth it.


	2. Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The two waltzes mentioned in this chapter are none other than "Sunset Waltz" and "Valse di Fantastica" from the XV soundtrack. I absolutely love these pieces and I thought they of course would capture the mood of the scene perfectly.
> 
> Speaking of, describing dance is extremely challenging. Search videos on waltzing on YouTube and you will understand why I kept my description of the waltzes so simplistic.
> 
> Again, please enjoy!
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_I've fallen out of favour_

_And I've fallen from grace_

_F_ a _llen out of trees_

_And I've fallen on my face_

_Fallen out of taxis_

_Out of windows too_

_Fell in your opinion_

_When I fell in love with you_

_\- Florence and the Machine - “Falling”_

Many a month had ebbed since the vanquishment of Ardyn and the rectifying and renovation of the world had been but an arduous and burdensome process. While the population had vastly diminished during the duration of the world of ruin, the populace still was able to maintain a decent percentage of adults in the working class and children who would grow to see the light of the world. Thanks to the hunters, the Glaives, and the preserving ladies at EXINERIS, power had ever so slowly been reestablished to the land and faculties were slowly reconstructed by the hardworking and dedicated inhabitants of Lucis. Barriers that had once stood as palisades around the outposts had been taken down for civilian use once more, several of the Crow’s Nest diners were remodeled and were up and running for service, and especially much to your delight, Wiz’s Chocobo Post that had once been dismantled was rebuilt to home a new and healthy batch of baby Chocobos for future generations to enjoy.

The largest undertaking of all however was the painfully slow transformation of the city of Insomnia. The attack of the Niflheim fleets of the Empire as well as the destruction caused by the Lucian kings of the Old Wall over ten years ago had left the majority of the metropolitan in utter disarray. After these many long months had passed only a small portion of the destructed areas of the city was up and running again to its former grandeur. However, people from across Eos flocked to Insomnia to provide aid in its repair efforts. Blessing the city with their grace and omnipresence, soon enough the Archaen, the Fulgarian, and the Draconian aided in the reconstruction of the city of the King of Insomnia, wielding their god-like prowess in the most magnificent away as proof of the wreckage slowly dissipated by their hands. And while it would take many years to fully rebuild the city to its original splendor, Insomnia could now at least be home to its people once more.

And now, as you and Iris pressed your way through the ligneous gateway into the grand ballroom of the home of Noctis Lucis Caelum and a quivering flutter of breath passed through your lips, you now fully knew in your heart that the hardships you and the people of Eos endured had been worth it, and this moment in time was the opportunity to finally celebrate it.

The melodious modulation of a stringed orchestra filled your ears as you gazed down the sprawling steps into the crowded hall. From corner to corner of the room were guests and attendees from all over Lucis, each dressed finely in the most stately, modish, and suave of evening attire. Ladies all about were adorned in the most glamorous and sumptuous ball gowns that swept the floor with their delicate fabrics and long trains, and men were bedecked in the most finely tailored suits imaginable. A wide grinned spread across your face as you scanned the antechamber, ingesting the sights of couples gracefully and devotedly dancing to the euphonious tunes of the orchestra, and the chorus of conversation and laughter filled the air. From the now repaired ceiling of the once marred Citadel were streamed dainty strings of silver crystals and black and silver silk drapery, and antiquated lanterns seemed to light even the darkest of corners in the sprawling and tall untouchable ceilings. Various tables were aligned around the outer edges of the room in which guests sat and talked while being served by the waiters and waitresses provided by the staff of Galdin Quay. All the while you felt your stomach rumble with excitement to the aroma of braised meats, steamed vegetables, and scrumptious baked pastries filling your nostrils. You took a deep breath, now realizing that you were trembling.

Iris who seemed to be bouncing on the balls of her feet from elation looked to you now and grinned, playfully poking you in the arm in the most youthful of mannerisms. “See, this isn’t so bad after all, isn’t it, Y/N? Betcha you’re just dying to get out there and dance!”

A light blush creeped up through your cheeks and you poked her back. You almost laughed breathlessly to yourself as you cleared your throat. “Twenty-eight years old and I still get super anxious around big crowds,” you said to her in response. “When am I ever going to get used to this?”

Iris grabbed your hand gently as she began to hastily but carefully lead the two of you down the sprawling steps into the ballroom. “Well, ya better get over that for tonight. It’s been way too long for us to not have a moment to enjoy ourselves, make merry, and party! And just think of all the people you’re gonna meet…” Her words trailed off as she gave you a smirk, and you found yourself blushing deeply at who she was implying.

“I…I mean you think I will? He’ll be here, right?” Even though you already knew the answer to your own fatuous rhetorical question, it was almost as if you needed your inquiry answered for your own sense of lucidity.

“Oh of couuuuurse! What kind of question is that?” Iris said merrily as she suddenly stopped with you in her tracks, her eyes seeming to scan across the room in search of someone. “Really, just think about it for a moment, Y/N: Do you honestly think that Ignis would miss one of the most important addresses in the history of Lucis? He could never ever miss such a celebration for the world. If it wasn’t for him we all wouldn’t be here right now! Just you wait…Oh Gladio! Prompto!”

Iris began to wave her arm frantically and darted across the room, and you attempted your best to keep up with her pace in your high heels. From across the chamber, you too now spotted the location of Gladiolus Amicitia and Prompto Argentum who were both elegantly adorned in devilishly polished and tailored matching suits, presumably the formal attire for the King’s Crownsguard. Each suit was made of the darkest and luxurious black wool and was bedecked with the finest silver pin striping, and you had to prevent yourself starting at the sight of how truly pulchritudinous and handsome they both were. Finally catching up to Iris at her side, you joined her and the royal retainers for company.

As you approached, Prompto let out a loud whistle and grinned, immediately causing you to blush a scarlet ruby. “Wew, Y/N! Never have I seen you like this and I gotta say that you clean up pretty nice! You look beautiful!” Prompto reached out and gave you the biggest hug imaginable, and you had to do everything in your power to not faint at the strength of his embrace, finding his public affection at such a stately matter affair rather endearing. Letting go of him, you blushed at his words and shyly tucked a strand of hair behind your year. Yes, this was true. In fact, the last time you had ever dressed in anything this nice had been your last formal dance in high school.

It was the Shield who now eyed you up and down and grinned, the impression of his amber gaze upon you giving you sudden jitters. “I’m gonna have to agree with Prompto on this: If I wasn’t already attached, I’d gladly have to ask you out.”

Iris playfully punched her brother in the shoulder, and you almost had to hold back laughing at such unrefined behavior of your friend of all times and places. “You better not let your girlfriend hear you say that!” She bantered, scowling up at her much larger older brother. “Just wait until she gets here and I’ll make sure she knows that you’re being a heathen!”

You and Prompto laughed at the exchange of the Amiticia siblings; however, before you knew it you suddenly found yourself tuning out the conversation of your cohorts as your eyes perused across the room. It seemed that literally everyone in the entirety of Lucis was attending the fete hosted by King Noctis. Standing slightly on the tippy-toes of your heels, you gazed frantically around the room, feeling dizzied by the clamor of revelry and music. As your brows knit together with perplexity, one solitary question came to mind: Where was the King? And even more importantly so to you, where was his advisor?

You sighed deeply as you pulled yourself out of your thoughts. Turning back to your companions, you noticed a serious look upon her your best friend’s face. “Iris, come get a drink with me?” You asked.

“S-sure!” She said, and now it was you taking her by the hand and leading her over to the refreshments station.

Politely pressing your way through the sea of patrons, you reached your destination and enquired the server for a glass of sweet red wine. As you sipped your drink, attempting your best to not shatter the delicate glass with your clutched hand, Iris drank from her own as she studied your face. “Y/N? Are you alright?” She implored, the once playfulness in her demeanor now gone.

Turning to look at her, you smiled gently, and yet you felt your face falter. “Y-yeah, I’m ok. Just…a little overwhelmed is all. I mean, this is reality, right? This all isn’t just some fantasy that I’m imagining, am I? I’m not gonna wake up and have it be permanently dark again, am I?”

Iris took your free hand, squeezed it, and smiled softly. “Is that what you’re so worried about? Believe me, you’re not dreaming at all. This is all real. This night here? Everything we’ve worked for came to this moment right now.” She paused for a moment, and being the exceptionally perceptive friend that she was, epiphany washed over her as she realized just exactly what was getting you all worked up. “Don’t worryyyyyyy. Ignis will be here soon. I know how nervous you are to finally meet him. But promise. Promise me this.” And now, she looked at you more firmly than ever. “That man is busy as hell; that’s not an understatement. Ever since we were all little Iggy never gave himself a day to relax, especially with overseeing Noctis as his right-hand man. Even to this day, you know just how Noct can be, even though he’s our King now finally. And now that the kingdom is up and running again? Ignis is set on doing his job to see Noctis’s reign lived through with peace and that nothing will ever happen to him again.” Iris paused, her brows furrowing together as she studied your face. “I’m just… worried about you. I know you’ve been alone for _so_ long, and you shouldn’t have to feel that way anymore. I’m worried that you’ll miss your chance for a while again to talk to him if you don’t introduce yourself tonight…”

You laughed weakly as you chugged the remainder of your wine a little bit faster than you intended. Although Iris was absolutely right, part of you believed she couldn’t truly comprehend the depth to which this man that you truly never met in person but seemed to know everything about moved you to your very core. While to them it may have appeared to be like an unrequited schoolgirl crush, to you it was something so much more than that. Through Prompto’s, Gladio’s, and Iris’s stories of the tactician, it felt as though you had known this man personally in your heart for years and that everything Ignis endured reminded you of how you found your own beginnings as a hunter after losing your parents. But even more importantly so, listening to the stories of Ignis’s triumphs and exploits in doing everything he could to save to his king and the people he cared about warmed your heart so much to the point where it ached. And so, your esteem for this man became so strong that you had almost psyched yourself out into believing all these years that he was merely a figment of your heart’s deepest desires and fabrications.

“But Iris, I’m not beaming with confidence like you are,” you said nervously, and pausing for a moment you now slyly smiled at her. “Besides, I don’t think you’re one to talk so hypocritically when you yourself crushed over a very certain king…how long have you felt this way about him now?”

Iris blushed deeply as she realized her own ammunition came back to fire at her, but regardless a playful laugh left her. “Yeah...I suppose you’re right. I guess I’ve just been too scared myself to finally just open up to him. I know that Lady Lunafreya has been gone for over ten years now, but it’s just…I don’t know. Something just doesn’t feel right. I don’t want to make Noctis uncomfortable is all…I feel like I need to wait for the right moment to really say what I’ve felt.”

Her words trailed off as you now poked her lightly in the arm. “Which is all the more reason why YOU just need to be brave too. Because who knows whenever that ‘right’ moment will come.” You thought for a moment, handing your wine glass back to the server and asking him kindly for a glass of water in return level out your oncoming wooziness from drinking too fast. “I’ll tell ya what: if you can at least gather the courage to ask Noctis for a dance, I’ll muster up some nerve to introduce myself to Ignis. Fair enough?”

Iris smirked and shook your hand. “It’s a deal! And speak of the Astrals….”

Iris’s voice trailed off as you turned your head to look in the direction in which she was facing. You felt your eyes go wide as your gaze was now fixated to the entrance to the hall where now standing as stately and elegant as ever was King Noctis himself and his royal chamberlain.

_Oh Astrals above…_

You seemed to hold your breath for what felt like an eternity as you watched Noctis Lucis Caelum and Ignis Scientia make their way down the stairs and into the main hall. It had felt like eons since you last saw the king, the previous instance being when the light first returned to the land. Now, more monarchial than ever, he was donned in the most stately and resplendent attire of his kingly raiment, his cape as sable as night swishing to the floor as he ambled with distinction. His face was freshly shaven and a smile was beamed across his handsome face like the moonlight itself. He shook hands of each individual that he passed as he finally made his way to the ground level of the ballroom and continued to stride his way across the floor.

And trailing behind him with as much acumen and distinction conceivable was Ignis himself, dressed finely in his Crownsguard attire of black and silver. Your eyes expanded at the sight of him, now truly seeing him this close in person for the first time, and a sense of faintness washed over you at the realization that he truly was not merely the subject of your imaginations all these years. His green eyes flashed luminously behind the lens of his glasses and his sandy hair was swept back into a neatly combed pompadour. With his chest was held high in the most austere of posture, you couldn’t help but notice a small smile that tugged at the corner of of his lips.

_Six, please tell me that this isn’t a dream…_

As if all your thoughts whirled together, before you knew it he and Noctis found Gladiolus and Prompto, motioned for the two of them to follow, and the four of them made their way over to a small stage with a podium. Everyone within the hall talked feverishly and began to stir about, waiting anxiously to hear what was about to be said. Beside you, Iris seemed to dance on her tippy toes and you couldn’t help but grin at her excitement.

“Here it is!” She said to herself. “I’ve been waiting to hear this speech for ten years now!”

Noct now ascended the steps of the stage with Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis following suit, and each man stood in a line behind the king as Noctis raised himself tall from behind the podium. Everyone within the great hall now had their eyes locked on him, all guests hushed and the playing of the orchestra ceased with the room now cast in a reverent silence. Nodding to his retinue of friends behind him, Noctis finally spoke:

“It’s hard to convey the emotions that I feel within this room right now,” he began shakily with a smile. “It’s hard to convey a lot to you all, most simply for the fact that well, in my whole life, I never really had the duty of addressing such a large crowd. Maybe you can say I was spoiled,” he paused as he turned to look at the men behind him who were grinning. “Spoiled I may have been, I was blessed. Blessed growing up to have the support in my life that would give me the strength to fight and to carry on my fate. Not a lot of people can say that, but I can.” He paused to look around the room, and even from far away, you could tell by the lighting cast down upon him that his eyes began to glisten over with tears. “I have been lucky to have known love. I have been lucky to know adventure. And I have been lucky to have known friendship. And these are all things that I feel that very few are blessed with in life. But as you can all see, standing behind me right now, I know that for a fact that without the strength of my brothers who have guided me and supported me all my life, we would not all be here right now. And so in the esteem of tonight’s ceremony, I would like to honor my most loyal Crownsguard and friends, Prompto Argentum, Gladiolus Amicitia, and last but not certainly least, Ignis Scientia. May we all give a toast to them!”

Everyone within the room applauded as they raised their glasses, and soon the room fell into an impregnated silence once more as Noctis continued his discourse:

“And to each of you standing within this room right now: my guests, my companions, my subjects, my friends...whatever you choose to call yourself, I thank you as well. A king is only as good as the people he serves, and I know that without your support and hard work in the ten years of my absence, we would not be able to be enjoying these festivities tonight. Your pain, your suffering, and your dedication to bringing hope back to our future generations will never be forgotten. For everything you have all done, I promise you that I will not let you down. Not today. Not tomorrow. Never. And so, to you as well I salute a toast, because every single one of you in this room deserves it.”

Another harmonious ovation pealed through the room as the patrons once more elevated their glasses with contentment and smiles upon their faces. Iris had grabbed your hand tightly and you looked over to her to see tears of joy running down her face. Swallowing hard, you attempted to combat your own.

Noctis continued his speech once more. “But now, to each and everyone in this room, I leave you with this: No matter what fate may befall Insomnia in the future, no matter what hardships we have yet to face in our lives, we will all do it together, but we will do it with pride, honor, strength, and hope. In the words of my late father and our former King Regis, I leave you all with his words that he left me with: Walk tall. Walk tall, everyone. Walk tall, my friends. And walk tall together.”

The chamber erupted into loud applauses of jubilations and bliss, and the orchestra once more began to produce their joyous and exultant music. As you turned to look back at your friend you saw that Iris was wiping tears from her face as she looked back to you and smiled. “I’ll be right back,” she said shakily as she sniffled. “I feel the sudden urge to go give my brother a hug!”

You laughed at this and you watched Iris frantically vanish into the crowd of Lucians. Sitting your water glass down now along the table behind you, you folded your hands over your stomach and began to observe the exhibitions around the room. Once again you felt yourself having to hold back a sob of joy as you observed the interactions of the guests.

Everyone was just _so_ happy, and this was all that you could have ever wished for once the world was rid of shadows and crepuscule. Your mind once more coursed with musings of all that had ensued in the last ten years, but now once again, truly allowing your mind to see that everything that had been lost had not been in vain, you couldn’t help but fight back joyous tears. As your gaze skimmed across the floor, you made notice of all the friends and acquaintances that you made over the course of the decade. Your eyes first spotted Cindy Aurum, the beautiful Hammerhead mechanic that you had the pleasure of working with over various missions as a hunter, now all cleaned and dolled up and wearing the most elegant canary-yellow gown. You marked her grandfather Cid Sophiar who had always been so exceptionally helpful in assisting you with weapon repairs after gruesome fights with daemons. Even he too surprised you by dressing in a simple navy suit, although you couldn’t help but smile at the fact that he still wore his Hammerhead baseball cap. Dino Ghiranze, the man who supplied with you with useful protective accessories as well has helping you and the Glaives locate the late King Regis’s old ship, stood on the opposite side of the ballroom, presumably flirting with various female guests. You shook your head as you then discerned Areanea Highwind, the tough as nails commodore who let down her hair for the evening and was sporting a deep blood red dress that plunged in the front and back and swept to the floor. But the sight that made your heart flutter with the most frolic of all was that of Ravus Nox Fleuret, the intrepid and valiant king of Tenebrae who was now standing next to a beautiful brunette woman whom you had learned to be his wife and queen. As a follower of the Fleuret household since your youth, it had pained your heart beyond measure of grief of how Ravus suffered for so many years at the loss of his sister. But now, seeing him standing across the room, embracing his wife as he conversed with guests made your heart swell with pure happiness beyond compare and a tear to feather its way down your face.

_Mom…Dad…I hope that you are proud of all that we have done…_

“I do hopefully presume that your tears are shed for the vindications of gaiety and not sorrow. It would be such a detestation to see that one of our guests were not enjoying herself on such a fine evening,” said a soothing, crisp, and quiescent voice a few feet away from you.

You were snapped out of your contemplations, your eyes now going wide and your spine suddenly burning as you slowly turned to look in the direction of the person who had addressed you. There, standing beside you in all of his refinement, exquisiteness, and splendor, was none other than Ignis Scientia himself.

_Oh… Oh gods, play it cool, Y/N. Just take a deep breath…._

You smiled timidly as you subconsciously tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, the room in which you stood now suddenly becoming several degrees hotter. Brushing away a stray tear from the corner of your eye and realizing your posture needed slight adjustment, you stood straighter as you felt your hands suddenly fumbling with the fabrics of your dress. As if your brain had suddenly short-circuited, very much like the powerlines you had become so adept at repairing and replacing in your expertise of work, you took a deep breath as you congregated your best reply as to not embarrass yourself.

“Oh no, not tears of sadness. Tears of joy indeed,” you said, looking at him. “I’m just quite moved by how beautifully the orchestra is playing tonight. It’s been a very long time since I’ve heard something so lovely.”

“Ah, indeed,” Ignis replied smoothly, placing both hands behind his back in a relaxed stance, and this gave you but a brief chance to appreciate the advisor’s stature and poise. As if life was breathed into him by the Six themselves, crafted with exceptional care from head to toe, you suddenly found yourself rather breathless at the epiphany that such a man was truly real in the flesh.  Now that you were seeing him this close in person for the first time, you relished each second given to you to examine every single one of his features in detail. Even in your heels, you noticed how much incredibly taller the man was compared to you, towering over your height by at least a head and a half. His broad and solid shoulders were superbly and sinfully fine in his tailored Crownsguard suite, and his black leather shoes shined glossily in the light of the ballroom. As your eyes fell to the solitary tress of his sandy blonde hair that had loosened itself from his sleek pompadour and brushed delicately over his forehead, it was within this moment you were finally able to discern just how _extraordinarily_ handsome the man was. Defined cheek bones angled their way down towards his sumptuous mouth, and your heart flittered endearingly at the sight of distinct bump of his perfectly structured nose. His stunning green eyes glimmered behind a set of silver-lined spectacles and his stout lips and sturdy jawline were currently curved into a tender smile.

But holding back breath in attempt to not rudely stare in consternation and astonishment, it were the scars that festooned the features of his face that made you utterly breathless. His right eyebrow was gashed, his left even fairing worse as the marking trailed its way down to his lower eyelid. The bridge of his nose was also slashed, and as your eyes fell to this cut that coursed through his lower lip, a sole inquiry procured itself in your mind.

_What in the name of the Astrals has happened to this man?_

Suddenly you began to tussle with your thoughts on everything that you had ever learned about Ignis, attempting in just seconds to piece together what was lost of a puzzle. Before you could divulge too much into your ponderings, you were pulled out of your head when Ignis continued to speak as you both observed the partygoers that littered the dance floor with grace. “It certainly has indeed been far too long since we were blessed with such revelries. I do take it that you are enjoying yourself though, yes?”

You smiled warmly at him, finding yourself giddy at the sound of his articulated accent. “Why yes. Yes I am.” You paused for a moment, and taking the deepest mental breath of your entire life, you decided to bravely plunge forth. “Ignis. Ignis Scientia. I’ve heard so much about you. I’m so glad that I finally have the opportunity to get a chance to talk to you.”

Ignis smiled gently back at you, and now turning to face you, he held out his hand. Praying to the Astrals he did not notice your trembling hand, you extended your own which he gladly took. His leather gloved hand’s grasp was firm but temperate, and you found your body heating up at the now sudden contact, his long digits encasing your tiny ones. Raising your hand, he bowed slightly to you, and you couldn’t help but feel a flush creeping up through your face at his gesture. “Well it perhaps turns out that I have heard much about yourself as well. Y/N, correct?”

Your heart jumped slightly out of your chest. “W-Why yes,” you stammered, noticing that he was still holding your hand. _But how did he…_

Ignis continued to speak, slowly letting go of your hand and turning to face out towards the ballroom again. “Ah yes. I have heard many a great memoir about you from your dearest friend Miss Amicitia. She has shared with me much about your endeavors over the last many years, from start to finish.” He paused to motion his hand towards the opposite side of the room, and from afar, you spotted her as well as Gladio and Prompto now all waving at you and grinning mischievously. You held back your blush, trying to hide your discomfiture.

_That cheeky little Iris_ , you thought to yourself but now shaking your head. _She…told him about me? But she never once said a word about that…_

Ignis continued to speak again. “I must say, Y/N. Words cannot express my sincerest indebtedness for all you have done to help us, the King especially. It has been a very long road and the contention to get to this point has certainly been an undertaking. Much has been lost. And yet? Much was gained.” He paused for a moment, seeming to think. “I…I was told how your arduous journey began. About your parents. I am most sorry for the pain you have endured at their loss, and part of me believes that I am partially to blame for that. My sincerest apologies.”

Your eyes widened at his unexpected statement, failing to understand this random confession of sorts. But despite the initial shock of hearing him mention the loss of your family and taking note that this right now perhaps was not the best time to press the issue further, instead a small but sad smile placed itself across your lips. “I…I appreciate your words, Ignis. Thank you. But what happened to them is something that you nor anyone else can blame themselves for. I don’t think anything could have prepared us all for that day, but I really do assure you that it’s all ok now. I promise. So please, don’t blame yourself for something that was completely out of your control…”

Ignis bowed his head slightly, pushing up his glasses as they slid down on the bridge of his nose. Seaming to accept your words, he cleared his throat and continued. “Needless to say, I am grateful for tonight’s circumstances to finally get a chance to speak with you after all these years of hearing of your undertakings. As you know more than anyone, we’ve all been most employed in preparing for the light to return, and so I only wish to apologize to you once more that I had not made more of an effort sooner to extend my gratitude and thanks. But…I was so fearful of what would happen to Noctis that I lost myself in my pursuits and my… own personal toils and enterprises...”

Excitement began to course throughout your bloodstream, wanting more than anything to hear from this man personally what he experienced, but you knew right now as the patrons of Lucis chattered around you that this was not the time to ask. “And I think we could say that what you’ve done has all been worth it,” you said in response, your voice now trailing off as the orchestra began to perform a slow waltz, one that you remember hearing fondly from your childhood back in Altissia.

Ignis seemed to take notice of your sudden change and cleared his throat. “You know,” he began, his words lingering slightly in his voice. “This is in fact a royal ball, after all. The first of its kind to be hosted in Lucis in over a decade. It would be a dear shame to see the guests not enjoying it for its full intended purposes…” You turned to look at him, your eyes widening slightly as you he shifted closer to you and bowed to you once more. “Would you care to share a dance?”

_Oh…Oh Astrals above…_

Blushing deeply you cursed yourself internally for the manner in which your eyelashes batted themselves instinctually and shyly at him in response. Despite your feet being frozen in place and the feel of a coating of sweat now sending a chill down your spine, gods would you be damned to hell for eternity if you were to say no.

“Why yes, Ignis. I would absolutely love that.”

Ignis smiled broadly, the sudden sight of perfectly straightened and flashing white teeth sending heat jolting down your spine, and the royal advisor extended his gloved hand to you once more. Taking his hand gently, Ignis lead you out onto the dance floor where you soon found him taking your right hand in his and placing his other on the lower curvature of your back. As if the Astrals themselves guided you with each and every step and motion of your hands and feet, instinctively you placed your free hand upon his shoulder, and you immediately took note of how incredibly solid his frame actually was underneath his suit. You blushing immensely at such a thought, Ignis now pressed you gently up against him and began to set the rhythm of the dance by leading you across the tiles in pliant and rhythmic motions. Nibbling your lower lip ever so lightly to help ground yourself from the lush feelings that coursed through your veins at the contact of his solid frame against yours, you couldn’t help but feel breathless over an immense heat that radiated off of his body.

Were there any other moment in your life that had suddenly left you feeling so utterly breathless? Perhaps not.

With trepidation in each step of your heels as the Hand of the King lead you through the illustrious sounds of violins, cellos, and harps, a small smile tugged at the corner of your lips as you swallowed hard and gained the courage to speak, a curious inquiry coming to mind

A small laugh escaped your lips and Ignis raised an eyebrow in response. “You know,” you began, looking away from his eyes shyly as you glanced at a skull pendant that dangled over the sharply defined bones of his clavicle. “I can’t help but feel impressed right now. I’d really love to know how you learned to dance so well and keep good at it, because I really can’t imagine you doing this back on all those road trips you took with Noct and the boys, let alone practicing during the darkness.”

Ignis chuckled in response as the two of you continued to move across the floor, and it was with the sudden pressing of his hand on your lower back that made your spine burn once more. “While I certainly can say that I didn’t ask my fellow retinue to be a test subject of my practices, I can assure you that my muscle memory has never failed me. After all, I cannot fail to remark that part of the royal protocol back in the old days at the Citadel insisted that all members of the royal guard be practiced in the art of dance for states of affairs and intended moments such as these.”

Angling your own upwards, you looked at his face once more, realizing just how close in contact the two of you were, lips parted and but a mere half a foot away from one other. Feeling as though the muscles in your thighs and calves began to transform into the essence of a Flan, you held onto him closely, taking best care not to wrinkle his suit coat with your fumbling fingers. Your heart tightening in your chest, you once again examined the depth of the scars that lined his eyebrows, his nose, and his lower lip, and a sudden pang of misery twinged in your chest. _Just what happened to you, Ignis Scientia_? You thought to yourself as you felt yourself getting loss in green fields of his eyes. _When will I learn about the mysteries of who you are?_

Unexpectedly, the tempo of the waltz picked up and you now felt your body being ushered graciously across the ballroom, your heels clicking upon the marble floor and your gown rustling and twirling with each step that Ignis lead you through. You lost your breath at the refinement of his mobility and the rhythm of the orchestra, and as your eyelids fluttered shut for but a moment, it was as if the world around you had fragmented into nothing, you and the royal chamberlain now sharing this rare and solitary moment in the presence of one another. You? You of all people. This sliver of time could have been shared with anyone else, anyone more important, anyone less of a lowly commoner than you, and yet it was you that shared with him the embrace of a dancer’s union. As another twinge of pain convulsed within your chest, you had feared more than anything at this instant that the sensations of your body soaring ecstatically high as you were lifted into the air by stalwart hands upon your tiny waist would dissipate within a breath, and gods did it take you every ounce of your métier to open your eyes back to reality. Nothing. No, nothing else could compare to this strange yet so natural and comforting feel of being held within the arms of Ignis Scientia as you danced. But as soon as it began, as soon as his request to share this moment with you had been introduced, the strings of the orchestra now began to slow into a soothing tempo. With his strong leathered hand holding onto your back tightly and pressing you to his chest for one last measure, Ignis dipped you towards the tiles, his eyes gazing into yours for just a single fragment of time, lifted you up slowly, and the symphony had come to its conclusion.

The ballroom erupted into cheers and claps and the musicians of the orchestra stood up and took their bows as they began to disperse for their break. As guests began to shift about the anteroom to socialize and indulge in Galdin’s culinary delights, you found that your chest was rising heavily and you were still holding onto Ignis tightly. As if giving himself a moment to compose himself, Ignis smiled warmly at you, his face flushed slightly from his leading of you in the dance

Feelings perhaps a bit overwhelmed at his sudden stare, you blushed deeply and released your hands from upon his chest.

“I…I enjoyed that very much,” you said breathlessly, beaming up at him, and yet once again you couldn’t help but notice the dull throb of your heart.

Ignis smiled in return. “I did as well, my dear. As previously stated just moments ago, it has been far too long for all of us to partake in something so impeccable and pleasing.” To your surprise he took your hand once more and bowed. “However, much to my own dismay, duty does in fact call, as the King and the Guard requires my attendance to stately affairs. I do hope you can forgive me for cutting our exchange so abruptly.”

The fleeting and blissful girl within your heart was naturally disappointed with his words, but the responsible grown woman you were knew that above all else that his affairs came first. Becoming suddenly more aware that he still held your hand within his grasp, his palms pressing firmly around yours, you swallowed hard as you attempted to refrain from blushing. “Of course, Ignis. I understand.” And feeling just for a second a tiny ounce of valor emerge within your soul, you uttered what you had wished to say all along after all this time. “I…I want to thank you. I’m glad I finally got to meet you. And thank you for the dance…”

“And I of you, dear,” Ignis replied. Slowly letting go of your hand and bowing deeply one final time, Ignis turned away from you, passed through the crowds of Lucian guests, and was gone within the blink of an eye.

_‘Dear’…he…he called me ‘dear’…_

Suddenly Feeling painfully and utterly alone as you stood surrounded within a sea of patrons, your lip quivering, your mind whirling, and the pulse of your heart pounding within the depths of your ears, you had to pinch yourself to help you resolve whether or not this wistful fleeting moment had all been but a dream.

But reality or dream, there was only one thing that was more certain and absolute than the current throbbing within your heart.

Tonight, you had fallen head over heels in love with Ignis Scientia.


	3. Howl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and simple: welcome to this adorable chapter and welcome to the first taste of smut. More is certainly to come.
> 
> Enjoy everyone! Feedback is much appreciated!
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_If you could only see the beast you've made of me_

_I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free_

_Screaming in the dark, I howl when we're apart_

_Drag_ _my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart_

_-Florence and the Machine - “Howl”_

_Several weeks later…_

_Oh Astrals, give me mercy…give me release…_

Expert hands traced achingly languidly down the exposed flesh of your body that was pressed heatedly and firmly to the mattress of your bed. Your breath hitching at his caressing palpations, you moaned gently as you arched your back in response to the kisses of his fingertips, your body now blanketed by the man’s muscular and lithe form over yours.

By gods would the Infernian himself be put to shame by these flaming touches that lapped and licked at your skin and scorched your very being down to your loins.

“Y/N…” he murmured, his vivid green eyes boring into yours as he pressed his mouth to the tender flesh of your neck and trailed his teeth over the curve of your clavicle. You gasped in response as your body began squirming beneath him from his ministrations, your core tightening and twisting in anticipation to what he would do to you next. Pinning your hands above your head, he nudged your head up slightly with his own, his mouth continuing to skim, nip, and bite at every part of your upper body. He trailed his tongue over the curve of your jaw and ghosted his lips over yours, his breathing profound and sultry as he stared deeply into your eyes with concupiscence. As you stared up at him, pinned beneath him in the prison of his passions, you felt yourself losing breath alone at the sight of his usually neat hair pompadour now tousled over his forehead. Squirming within his grasp, you whimpered as the tendrils of his loosened hair tickled your face and breastbone while his lips playfully nipped your collar bone and breasts.

You whimpered beneath him, gasping for air at how incredibly proficient he was with his mouth, and just to think that he hardly even begun to use his hands. “Please…please let me touch you,” you pleaded with him as you trembled with your arms pinioned above your head.

A sly smile graced his beautifully scarred lip. “Certainly…” he said huskily, letting go of his restraint of your hands. But before you could respond to reach up and touch his face, you found yourself flipped over onto your stomach as his lean body shifted itself over yours. Your saturated loins tightened and twitched as his girthy manhood pressed against the mounds of your buttocks. You gasped and moaned emphatically as he assaulted the back of your neck with love bites and dug at your hips with his powerfully ample hands. You were at his mercy. You were his offering to the altar, and gods did you love every single moment that you surrendered yourself to him.

“Oh yes,” you whimpered. “Please…please…I want you,” you begged, gasping for air and bucking your behind into his length to encourage him further.

You heard him chuckle above you, the rumble of his voice sending jolts of delight to your core, and removing himself away from your body, he clasped firmly at your hips and pulled you upright upon all fours. Your hands desperately clutched at the bedsheets, now all tossed about from your explorations of each other. Your eyes forward as you patiently awaited his next move, from behind you he gently caressed your lower back with his exposed fingertips; taking two fingers, he grazed your dripping entrance and pressed inside you briefly, testing you for your readiness, and this was all you could do to toss back your head as a mangled moan tore up through your throat. Your exaltations only seeming to spur him on, you heard his breathing hitch, and turning your head around to look at him, he gazed at you with heavy lidded and lustful eyes, his chest rising and falling in a rhythmic pattern and his bangs sweepingly messily across his beautiful features. Grasping one hand upon your hip and the other wrapping around his shaft, he breathed in deeply with raging lasciviousness apparent upon his face. And ever so slowly, ever so tortuously, a lopsided smile tugged at his lips as he opened his mouth to speak, his body shifting closer to yours.

“Are you ready for me, my _dear_?”

_Yes…yes…_

Jolting upright, you found yourself gulping and choking for air as your eyes darted to the surroundings around your bedroom. Your one hand clutching at your breast while the other brushed away the sweat dripping down your face, it was as you sat beneath sweat-soaked covers and trembled erratically that your thoughts slowly began to simmer and your palpitations within your chest softened.

_Oh gods… gods, this is getting intense._

Your entire body numb and prickling and the muscles of your groin pulsating like the viscous form of a Crème Brule, you slowly lowered your hands to your sides to steady yourself upright. Shakily reaching over to the nightstand by your bed, you picked up your phone with enervated fingers to check the time. _5:23…another hour before I even have to get up for work_. Sitting down your phone, you pushed back the sticky covers and swung your legs over to hang over the edge of the bed, running your hands through your tangled hair as your mind revolved. _I guess there is no way I’m going back to sleep after that…_

It had been more weeks than you could count by now. Many torturous weeks that you had all but lost track time of. Every single night since you met him, every single night since he held you within his arms as you danced together at the royal ball you dreamed of Ignis Scientia. Each and every night you would delve into the world of dreams, blissful and naïve as to where the fabrications of your mind would take you next. And as each evening passed, as each moment pressed itself forward that began with him extending his hand to yours with a smile upon his lips, you were only lead farther and farther into the depths of your nightly trysts. What began as simple shared conversations of life stories in your slumber slowly transmogrified into walks together, dates, and ever evolving intimacy over the passing of each twilight, and as you fell asleep to each eventide you could only ponder where your reveries would take you next.

But this dream? This night it had led you the farthest and gods did it make you wonder where he would lead you to next…

_Oh Astrals, have mercy on me._

As you stood up unsteadily and made your way into the bathroom, you flicked on the lights to gaze at your reflection in the bathroom mirror. Your hair was heavily disheveled and your skin was flushed deeply, but goodness did you look like you were glowing like the crystal blooms of Shiva herself. Noticing your own radiance and the pink blush masking your normally pastel skin, you sighed deeply as you picked up the comb from the bathroom counter and began to detangle your waves of hair.

The muscles of your heart panged agonizingly and you swore lightly at the tugging of teeth of your comb in your hair, but it wasn’t the pain of your strands being pulled that hurt you the most. It was Ignis himself and the time that had transpired since you had shared that brief but lasting moment together. As your daily life had resumed immediately after the stately affair and your cyclic schedule at EXINERIS recommenced, it was always Ignis who randomly made his way into your thoughts as you scaled powerlines and handled hazardous wires while on the job. You hated more than anything how much you missed the man and longed to see him once again, but as the lovesick girl in your heart battled fearsomely with the logical woman in your mind, you knew without a doubt that the vastness of his duty resided above all else in his life and that it was silly to even think that you would ever cross his mind, let alone him have time to deliberate about your existence.

_He’s a member of the Crownsguard. The King’s advisor. The royal chamberlain. A strategist._ _He possesses one of the most important jobs of anyone in this world and that comes above all else …I should know better than anyone else what it’s like to have your goals set through._ As you lowered your comb from your hair and peered into the mirror at your reflection, you sighed deeply as you as least now looked a little bit more human with your tresses smoothed out neatly. _And besides, Y/N, just what the hell would he see in me anyways? Me over anyone else in this whole world? A commoner? Just a simple power-worker? What the hell is there to brag about that? And I’m sure given his stature and prominence at the Citadel he probably has lines of women there just chomping at the bit to get close to him._ Biting your lip you forced a sad smile at your reflection in the mirror and exhaled deeply. But just as you reached to turn on the faucet, out of nowhere, a upsurge of grief rolled over you, crashing into your heart, and you found yourself placing your hands on your face to fight back tears.

“Why do I feel this way?” You said out loud to yourself, holding back a sob as you bit your lower lip again. “Am I going mad?” And truth be told, you really were puzzling if that was the case. Ten years of shadows. Ten years all alone and combating the most atrocious of daemons and evils to bring back the light. Ten years of providing strength and hope to those not strong enough to defend themselves.

_That_? That had all been easy, compared to this. Nothing you had experienced in the ten years had shaken you and rocked your world like this, and the more you thought about it, the harder it was for you to comprehend how to handle it. In the entirety of your existence you had never felt this way about _anyone_ else before. What was it about the Hand of the King, a man that you had only met once and would likely never meet again, that allured you so damn much that none could ever else compare?

Gods were you willing to fight again once more to seek out that truth, even if it killed you. But deep in your mind, the sensible part of you attempted to convince yourself that this was most likely to be nothing more than but a pipe dream, and one that you should realistically let go of before you cast yourself down a path of lunacy.

Your dream flashed through your mind once more and your body rippled with rapture at the thoughts of having your body petted and caressed by this man that you longed for so much in many ways. Sighing deeply, you did your best to clear your mind of your reflections.

_But I can’t…I’m afraid to let go, because the other half of me is telling me I should not…_

And so, after washing up and applying some basic makeup to your face to make yourself look more presentable for public display, you flicked off the bathroom light, headed back to your bedroom, stripped off your pajamas, and put on your work attire. Leaving your apartment, you headed out to work, wondering what the day would bring you.

_Today will surely be an interesting day._

********************************************

During the world of ruin, Lestallum had not only become the core safe haven for refuges all across Lucis but was also the main headquarters for the hunters and Glaives. Lestallum had always been a charming town prior to the eternal night, but due to it being one of the last harbors of safety in the world, the city had taken a toll and lost much of its beauty and grandeur due to the daemon attacks and construction of protective and defensive palisades around the city. Once a thriving town of the arts and culinary discoveries, the majority of its flare had vanished and was replaced with constant reminders of war and strife.

But now, now that the light had been restored and many of month had waxed and waned, Lestallum was once again flourishing to its almost original prestige, but some things still needed repair. In fact, now that the daemons were gone from the world, it had been decided unanimously that Lestallum would focus on not only repairing what had been damaged in the last decade but would also be expanding its borders up, around, and down the Meteor to house future residents. This thrilled many citizens across Lucis, as one of the most appealing factors of Lestallum was that it always remained much warmer than any other part of the continent due to the constant ever burning of the Meteor itself.

And your current set of jobs at EXERNIS? As the city expanded with more structures and homes being erected, part of your main goal was to ensure that the power lines across town functioned properly before residents could move into their new homes and business owners could begin commerce at their newly acquired establishments.

“Ugh! You son of a bitch!”

Today being exceptionally hot,you found yourself wiping your head free of sweat as you stared angrily at a particularly frustrating steam valve. You were working on the pipes that lead into a building that was intended for use as a new spa and salon (Lestallum had such a huge population of women and the ladies agreed that they were all overdue for some good old-fashioned rest and relaxation every now and then). This particular set of pipes would not only provide a water source for the indoor hot tubs and private baths but would also provide the heat for the water as well as the steam for the saunas. But this valve in particular? You had always took pride in how strong you had become from wielding weapons and training your body over the last decade, but not matter how hard attempted, you could not just seem to get this leaky valve to budge a single inch.

“Oh come on!” You said, irritably, gritting your teeth together as you picked up your crow bar and used it as leverage to help you jar the handle to the valve. It also did not help your situation that you were standing on shaky scaffolding almost twelve feet in the air and that sweat was accumulating and pooling inside your boots and gloves, making your grasp and stance rather tottering. You planted your feet firmly onto the flooring and used your body weight as a counterweight, yet to no avail, you could not get the valve to turn.

“Are you freakin’ serious? Really?” You breathed heavily, sitting down the crowbar and yanking off your gloves in disgruntlement. You wiped your forehead once more, shutting your eyes and swearing to yourself. Although you had been more than accustomed to the climate of Lestallum by now, your boots and overalls felt particularly hot and sticky today as you struggled to accomplish your task. “Holly certainly isn’t going to be very happy about this,” you said to yourself out loud with frown. “And to think that she wanted this job done by noon today...”

“Would you perhaps like some assistance up there, Y/N?” said a smooth voice that made you almost jump out of your boots.

As if your breathing accelerated from zero to one hundred miles per hour within a second, you felt your heart tremor at the realization of whose beautifully articulated voice it was that just spoke to you. Taking a deep breath and slowly turning around to look over the railing of the scaffolding, you gasped in utter disbelief as you peered down to see none other than Ignis Scientia standing below, looking up at you with concern and amusement.

_Holy Six…this is unreal. Surely I’m imagining this because of dehydration?_

“I-Ignis! What are you doing here?” You asked breathlessly, amazed that your brain suddenly allowed you to function like a proper human being. You leaned over the railing to look at him, and as you raised an eyebrow you couldn’t help but feel aghast over the fact that not only was he truly standing here before you in the flesh but he was also fully dressed in the classic Insomnian Crownsguard attire of full-on leather _. How is he not boiling in that right now_? However, as you stood there pondering this inquiry, you suddenly become overtly aware of how you were dressed. Traditionally, EXERNIS work attire on hot days left little to the imagination, your cropped tank top exposing the majority of your torso and your denim shorts riding up uncomfortably underneath the curves of your buttocks. Thank the gods you at least had your overalls and boots to cover the curves and musculature of your thighs and calves. A sheen of sweat had developed between your breasts and you noticed just how much it was reflecting the sunlight off your breast bone. In this instant you became extremely indebted to the fact that it was so hot outside, otherwise the deep blush upon your face and neck would be overly obvious. _Oh of course he has to see me this way, after all this time…_

Ignis folded his arms over his chest, titled his head, and smiled up at you. “Noctis has proposed a new memoranda of sorts in the last few weeks. He has become exceedingly apprehensive over the prospects of having power failure issues across Lucis due to potential or unforeseen anomalies. After all, many localities across the land are still a work in progress and so he has requested that each town and outpost be personally checked and advised by one of his court’s consultants. That way any disputes can be reported back to him and the problem can thus find its resolution. So for myself? I was one of the few he requested personally to check with the town’s examinations. Lestallum, but of course, is my current agenda.”

You rested your forearms on the railing, your initial apprehension of his sudden appearance diminishing as you took in every syllable of words that left his mouth. “And what have you found so far?” You asked. “Does everything seem to be running ok so far? Has the power been reaching everyone?”

Ignis nodded. “For the most part, yes, although we noticed we have been experiencing some minor issues with the Balouve Mines. We’ve been attempting to get the facility up and running once more to bring in commerce within the industry, but we’ve noticed some troublesome matters with the connection of power to the lower lifts. We wanted to ensure everything was in proper order here first, as this of course is where the initial line of power emits itself from.”

You felt yourself blushing, now worried that perhaps you had messed up somewhere along your line of work and that this problem was partly your fault. But before you could open your mouth to express a potential apology, it was almost as if Ignis was naturally perceptive of the changes in human behavior and was quick to respond to your reaction. “I can assure you though, that I do not mean to place fault upon you for this. We are just taking precautionary measures and checking our steps twice and thrice.” He smiled and now took a few steps closer to the scaffolding, placing his hand along the lower rails. “Now what may implore are you currently working on?”

Sighing deeply, you turned to look at the valve directly behind you and grimaced. “We’re trying to get this new health spa up and running for our residents but also incoming tourists. Everything structurally seems to be working except this one single valve, which of course is what happens to be the source of the hot water and steam needed to ruin the facility.” You crossed your arms and shook your head. “I’m usually really pretty good about troubleshooting these issues, but this? This value is pretty damn stubborn and won’t budge a bit. If I don’t get it fixed soon, I’m going to be way behind my schedule for the day.”

Ignis titled his head as he looked up at you. “Would you perhaps like some assistance? Not that I doubt your abilities of course, but I know from personal experience that an extra set of hands is always helpful when in times of need.”

For a brief millisecond the perverse part of your brain glitched and mistook his offer as something else, feeling your loins coil as but a solitary frame from your dream last night blipped into your mind. Thank the gods though that the EXINERIS professional in you won this battle of focus, and now you smiled down at him, feeling rather bashful and embarrassed over your predicament. “I mean, I’d hate to ask you to do someone else’s job….”

“But,” he said, politely interrupting you and smiling once more, “I’m not one to turn down someone who is humbly in need.”

Before you could reply he began gracefully scaling the scaffolding with the swiftness of a feline, and before you knew it you found yourself breathless at the proximity of him now standing directly beside you. Pulling his sleeves out of his leather jacket, you had to prevent yourself from gawking at his nimble movements as he placed his coat upon the ground. His stance shifting beside you, you quickly took note of him wearing an exquisitely tailored black button-down shirt that had the top two buttons undone, likely due to the scorching heat today. Nibbling your lower lip, you found yourself flushing deeply as you quickly made glance at a faint hint of his toned chest, but you hastily looked away before he would notice you staring. Whether or not he was aware of you watching him, Ignis took each finger and cracked his own knuckles, then crossed his arms as if ready for anything. “Now what appears to be the precise problem with its movability?” He asked as you moved closer to the valve, expecting it more closely with his bespectacled eyes.

It took you a moment to register that he had actually asked you a question. “Oh! Um, well that’s the thing. I don’t know what exactly is the issue. I’ve worked with what seems like thousands of these over the course of my time but I just can’t seem to figure out why this one won’t move.” You paused for a moment, scratching your head and wiping your brow once more. “It’s almost like someone took cement and just soldered it shut! I even tried a crowbar and it won’t budge. I’m afraid that I’ll break it if I keep pushing too hard, and I know that would make Holly _kinda_ mad if that happened. We literally just installed these pipes a week ago.”

“Let me see if I can assist,” Ignis said turning to you. “But we will try this together. Here, stand here and grasp on tightly.” He motioned for you to position yourself directly in the front of the meddlesome valve. Nodding at his direction, you placed your hands firmly a complete one-eighty opposite of each other. But as you stared at the valve, ready to tackle the problems it presented you once and for all, you were more than completely caught off guard as Ignis assumed his position directly behind you, his body pressing right up against yours and his lithe and elongated arms reaching around to place his hands on the valve adjacent to yours.

It was as though the mortals of the past had ensued the wrath of the Fulgarian, for as the tactician placed himself directly against you, a ripple of thunder boomed through your delicate frame and the crackle of lightning tingled each and every cell in your body. You feeling set ablaze as he leaned around you, his chest was pressed gently to your back and his feet braced themselves on either side of yours from behind you. With the feel of his hips flushed in sync right from behind you, your heart started slamming in your chest as your face flushed deeply, and gods was it all you could do to not stare at the way the tendons in his wrists shifted under his skin as his forearms brushed against yours.

Once more, thoughts of last night’s dream flooded your head and your brain skittered to thoughts of how it would feel if those hands of his that you were staring at now were placed firmly upon your hips and grasping you tightly against him…

You gulped as you turned to look at him, his face directly over your shoulder but his focus on the spigot. _Oh gods, keep your brain in check, Y/N! He’s just helping. He’s just helping you. This doesn’t mean anything at all. Just keep it together and stay focused!_

Ignis noticed your expression and smiled. “Alright. Let’s try this, shall we? On my count, we will both rotate the valve to the right. Hopefully with the additional enforcement, we will be able to get it to move, alright?”

Nodding to him, you turned your distracted attention back to the enemy in from of you, planted your feet firmly, and felt your hips brush parallel with Ignis’s. Biting your lip and attempting to keep your focus, you took a deep breath, readying yourself.

“Alright, Y/N. On my count. Three. Two. One!”

What you had felt at this exact instance you had no idea how to process or describe, for as when you and Ignis pushed as one, the most insurmountable amount of energy ever plausible surged through the air, the magnetism that coursed through each minuscule molecule of the atmosphere something you had never experienced or witnessed in your entire life. It was like a wave of electricity cast forth by Ramuh coursed through his arms and into his focal point of the valve, and you had almost felt that you didn’t even have to contribute an ounce of energy or forte to the task at hand. Seeing that your hair stood on end and your spine tingled with astonishment, with one forceful solitary turn, the valve squeaked loudly and finally moved with ease.

Breathless. You were utterly breathless and you felt as though years had passed since you were able to formulate your next words.

“How…how did you do that?” You asked with bated breath. No. That wasn’t normal. That simply wasn’t normal. Something just didn’t seem right. Something didn’t seem human about any of what you just sensed.

Ignis stood up straight now, brushing his hands free of the grit from the valve. He smiled gently as you turned to face him, your mouth hanging open slightly. “Just a bit of practice and strength training,” he said humbly, but part of you felt that he was bullshitting. “One must never let their fortitude falter, after all..”

“But…but…” Your mind began to race. No. Nothing was abnormal about fixing a stupid valve. But that energy…that strength. What the hell was it that you just felt? Quickly recovering from your thoughts, you realized just how utterly impolite and brusque you must be sounding. “W-what I mean to say is thank you,” you said quickly, now smiling up at him and playing with your hands. “You didn’t really have to do that. But, I’m glad you did, because now I don’t have to worry about running behind schedule and having to stay a bit later tonight.”

Ignis smiled softly back at you, taking his glasses off momentarily to wipe away at a drop of sweat that had accumulated on his nose. You had to hold back a gasp as you were able to for just a second examine how truly stunning his eyes were behind the silver frames of his spectacles, and what you would have given to have just a little while longer to appreciate them. Your eyes quickly scanned his face and you couldn’t help but feel your heart warm at that stray lock of hair that fell down over his forehead from his pompadour.

Even more so, as if frantic to take in all of his features and memorize them to heart before this moment was lost forever, you quickly studied the scars that ornamented the planes of his handsomely crafted face.

_Oh Ignis…Ignis, just how in all of Eos did you get those marks?_

“It was my pleasure, dear,” he said to you, placing his glasses back onto his face, and your spine tingled that choice of word. “Let’s say we get down from here so we can walk you to your next destination, shall we?”

Blushing faintly and nodding to him, you watched as he put back on his coat and then ascended the scaffolding first. As you carefully maneuvered yourself down, he assisted you with the final handholds as you reached the pavement of the streets, and such a gentlemanly gesture left your spine tingling with delight. Sighing deeply as you brushed off your hands, you once again became overly aware of your sullied and sweaty attire. Hoping he wouldn’t take notice of your embarrassment, you cleared your throat and spoke as you shifted anxiously on your feet. “Holly wanted me to report back to the plant once I finished with this job here. I’ll be there awhile and then I have to head over to the opposite side of town where we are inspecting the piping for a new restaurant.”

Ignis nodded. “So then I shall walk with you until we get there. I was requested to speak with Jeanne Labriegh about a new procedure we were considering using back at the Citadel with the meteorshards. I know she is quite knowledgeable on the subject matter of their functions.”

“Oh, she definitely knows her stuff,” you replied as you two made your way through the streets. “Hopefully she can give you some information that you need!”

The next few minutes carried on in silence, but it was the peaceful kind experienced when being within the company of those one appreciates. You noticed Ignis looking at you and you turned to smile at him. “Again, thank you for your help today,” you murmured. “You really truly didn’t have to do that.

“Anything at all,” he replied, “but I must disagree with you and say that it was my own obligation to do so.” Before you knew it, you had found yourselves back at the power plant where you saw several of the EXERINIS ladies gathered before the bridge to report back to Holly. “And so here we are…” The tactician said, somewhat quietly.

You tried to hold back the overwhelming sadness expanding within your chest. _And so we part again… but this was all to be expected…_ you thought to yourself despondently. “Thank you again, Ignis.” Bowing towards him in respect (as he had done to you several weeks ago), you turned to go in hopes you could escape his presence before you found yourself in tears when he spoke and stopped you in your tracks.

“What time are you done with your shift tonight, Y/N?”

Turning to face him again, you raised an eyebrow at him. “Hmm? Errr, six. I’ll be done at six tonight. Why do you ask?”

Ignis crossed his arms and titled his head to look at you. “One of our hopeful future projects that Noctis has interest in instilling is establishing a new outpost out past the Steyliff Grove. As you likely already know, as an advocate and observer of aquatic specimens, Noctis thinks it would be in the interest of others who share his passion to provide other hopefuls with lodging and other resources for the intent of camping and fishing as a retreat. I was asked to venture there on my rounds today and attempt to come up with a plan of attack for establishing a ‘resort’ of sorts. I will be gone for several hours today but I certainly will be fancying a dish for supper from the Partellum Market square upon my return here tonight. I was inquiring if you would be interested in joining me when I return?”

You fought with the muscles in your mouth to prevent your jaw from dropping at his request. Fighting back a deep blush and fumbling with your hands, a somewhat bashful smile spread across your lips. “O-Of course!” You said breathlessly. “I would really love that a lot, actually.”

“Good,” Ignis replied, seeming to beam now. “Then I shall look forward to this when I return. Until later,” he said, now turning to leave towards the main office of EXINERIS. But before he could make many steps further, he stopped in his place and turned to look back at you with a serious expression upon his countenance. “And Y/N, thank you as well.”

But before your brain could assimilate what he implied by his thanks, he had disappeared around the corner of the EXINERIS facility and was out of sight.

_Oh…oh my…_

And now your heart thrashing and fluttering within your chest, your thoughts began to spin in a maelstrom of mysteries at what had transpired today and what was to come this evening. His kindness towards you? His uncanny power and strength that came out of nowhere that mystified the hell out of you? Where the hell did that come from? And now he wanted to see you again later? Wringing your hands together as you bounced on the balls of your feet with a girlish giddiness, at least now you had something to motivate you to push through the remainder of this hot and scorching day.

And now too, perhaps more blazing fuel would be added to the fire of what was to come in tonight’s fantasy…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of headcanon here: I'm convinced that the Ring of the Lucii *must* have had some after affects on Ignis. How the hell could Ignis's body prevail so much power given to him by the Lucii and not have it do something do it to him physically afterwards? With this in mind, I'm convinced he became stronger as a result. Magic certainly does mysterious things.


	4. Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually quite pleased with how this chapter turned. While it took longer to write than anticipated, I think it's quite sweet and helps set up a lot of the anguish that Ignis will eventually expose to our leading lady.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! :)
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_All these couples are kissing_

_And I can't stand the heat_

_I lost my shoes and left the party_

_I wander in the street_

_I put my feet into the fountain_

_The statues' all asleep_

_No use wishing on the water_

_It grants you no relief_

_\- Florence and the Machine – “Mother”_

_Minutes seemed to tick by painfully slowly liking the creeping of a Tonberry on its unfortunate victim as you continuously glanced down at your watch every few minutes. _10:54…11:13…11:32…11:47…11:55_ …At this point your lunch break would start in approximately five minutes and you knew more than anything desperately you were in need of making an emergency phone call._

_Oh gods, what am I going to do about tonight? What should I wear? What should I say to him? Oh Six, please don’t let me mess this up!_ Your hands were fumbling with a wrench as the sweat pooling in your gloves slickened your grip, your botheration more apparent than ever as you desperately tried to tighten a valve near the market square. _Oh come on, Y/N! Get a hold of yourself!_

Abruptly the alarm on your watch agitatedly started to beep. 12:00. Shoving the wrench in the back pocket of your overalls and yanking off your soaked gloves, you put them in your front pockets and quickly pulled out your cellphone in their stead. With quivering and trembling hands you dialed the number of your dearest friend , making your way away from Partellum Market to escape the clamor of the busy shoppers. With each second ticking by you felt your heart sink anxiously with each ring on the other line.

_Oh come on Iris, please hurry up and answer!_

You attempted to reason with yourself as you began pacing frantically like a rabid Bloodhorn. Like the rest of your Insomnian companions, Iris Amicitia herself was also employed in the matters of regality and it would be more than asinine to assume that she would respond to you in the middle of her own hectic work schedule. Sighing deeply as you brushed away a droplet of sweat from your nose, feeling the defeat reminiscent of a lost sparring match, you were about to hit the ‘end call’ button on your screen when the cheerful and effervescent voice of your best friend light up on the other end of the line.

“Hey there, Y/N! How are you?” She asked you cheerfully as if she didn’t have a single care in the world. “You caught me at the perfect time. I just got out of a meeting with human resources and was just head out to lunch. What’s up?”

“Oh gods Iris! I need your help! I don’t know what to do!” You blurted out as if you hadn’t heard a word she just said, the hysteria in your voice rather apparent.

You could almost envision your friend’s expression transition to perplexity on the other end. “Woah, Y/N. What’s going on? Are you ok?”

“Y-yeah, I’m more than ok,” you said breathlessly. “I…I…You wouldn’t believe it, but Ignis. He…he came by today to do some inspections and such and he saw me and we started talking and he helped me and he did some amazing stuff and now he asked me to go to dinner with him tonight when he gets back from looking at swamps and I’m just freaking out about it!” You promptly realized how crazy of a love-sick school girl you must have sounded like as you failed to regain your breath, your hands clenching on your cellphone to ground yourself.

“Woah woah woah, Y/N! Hold on! Ignis? I’m not imagining what you just said, am I? You said Ignis asked you out to dinner? Like a date?” Even without seeing her in the present you could picture her face lighting up at this sudden exposé of news.

“W-Well I…I wouldn’t say it’s a date,” you said, trying to sound reasonable with yourself. Ignis in fact never mentioned anything what so ever about his request for your company while he dined being a date. However, in true retrospect, wasn’t his proposal to you basically one anyways? What else would you call it when you ask someone to accompany you for a meal? “He had a job to do all the way out at the Vesperpool today and he asked me to join him for a meal when he returned later. He said he’d meet me once I was done with my shift tonight.”

“Oh. My. Gods.” Iris said breathlessly.

“What? What is it Iris?” You asked her intently, waited restlessly for her to continue.

“Oh, Y/N! I’m so excited for you!” She shrieked. “You have no idea how big of a deal this is! At least _I_ think it is!”

“What do you mean it’s a big deal?” You asked, your thumping in your chest with trepidation, and gods by now did it feel like you were drowning in your own perspiration.

“It’s just that…oh man,” she began, pondering for a second as if she could hardly formulate her words properly. “Y/N, you know exactly how this is: Ignis is just always so busy. Like really _really_ busy. Since the dawn of time that poor man has never rested, and now that Noctis is back for good, it’s almost like he’s more determined than ever to make sure nothing goes wrong ever again. And I’m serious when I say that I never see that man relax. Even when I was younger I don’t recall ever seeing or hearing of many instances where Ignis would do something for himself. Gods only knows what he would do in his free time when given the chance to step away from Noctis...And back here at the Citadel now? Holy crap. You need to see it, Y/N. He’s always on the go as if he isn’t even human or his blood runs Ebony to keep him fueled.” She paused once again, and you could hear the smile that was in her voice. “But this? Him asking you about dinner? He’s taking the time for _himself_ tonight,” she finally said. “And the fact that he’s asking _you_ to join him in one of his solitary and rare moments of peace? That’s a freaking huge deal.”

You felt as every blood vessel within your heart burst, your chest heaving at the implication of Iris’s words. Surely Iris would never lie about such? You had known the woman for ten years and she had always been utterly honest with you about all that she had seen and experienced. And so now, the revelation of what she just acknowledged bore the heaviest and most joyful weight upon the chambers of your heart.

But out of nowhere, another wave of panic washed over you as began to tremble. “Oh gods, but Iris! I’m not prepared for any of this! I just feel that at any moment I’m going to wake up from some cruel dream like this is just some kind of joke! What do I wear tonight that would be remotely acceptable? What am I going to talk about with him? He’s so much smarter than I will ever be.”

Iris laughed heartily. “Oh come on, Y/N. Relaaaaaax. You don’t even need to worry about anything like that. Believe me. You don’t give yourself enough credit on how great you are. Granted Ignis can be a bit too formal and harsh at times, but he’s not one to judge someone too unfairly in any way. Trust me. He doesn’t bite.”

You forced yourself to forestall a groan from escaping your lips as your mind quickly flashed back to your dream from last night, and you felt yourself blushing and heat beginning to pool in your loins as you envisioned Ignis’s lips upon your throat and his teeth grazing over your fragile skin. _Y-Yeah…s-sure, he doesn’t bite at all_ , you thought, swallowing hard. Nevertheless, you took a deep breath as you tried to process your response. “Okay okay, you’re absolutely right. I need to calm down. But still. Who knows if I’ll ever see him again after this, let alone him ever WANTING to see me again. I just don’t want to make mountains out of molehills or anything like that or get my hopes up high...”

Iris sighed gently. “It’s going to be just fine, Y/N. Trust me. I’ve known Ignis my whole life. He values his time and is not the type to just spend what little he has of it around people not to his choosing. Believe me on that.” Your heart fluttered a little bit more to this, and now you were nibbling your lower lip with nervous anticipation. Iris continued. “Now, for what to wear? Dress what you think is you. Be comfortable. Just don’t look like you’re trying too hard. And what to talk about? Again, just be you! I know that I’ve always loved listening to your stories and I’m sure Ignis will gladly like to know about your hunting escapades for the last ten years. Or talk about your love of art or something like that. Tell him what it was like growing up in Altissia. He’s really a great listener.”

You took a deep breath and sighed, the tension in your muscles slackening slightly. “You’re right, Iris. I’m sorry for panicking so much to you over this. Like I said, I just…I don’t want to scare him away by doing or saying something stupid.”

“Trust me,” Iris replied quickly with assurance. “I don’t think you could do or say anything to scare him away. Ignis has faced far worse daemons in his life than you. I think he could handle you.” Iris laughed at her own remark, and you couldn’t help but feel a nervous smile spread across your lips. “And besides, you’re an adorable dork and you’re a genuine person. I feel like you would be exactly his type to help him loosen up a bit. Now is he coming to pick you up at your place or are you meeting him directly at the market?”

As your brain began to process her question, a sense of dismay washed over you, and immediately your heart sunk and you covered your mouth at the realization of a very grave error. “Oh….oh gods! Iris! I didn’t even think to ask him that before he left! I don’t even know when he’s going to be back in town! He only asked me when my shift ended! Oh no, what am I going to do now?”

Iris giggled. “Oh, you’re fine, Y/N. Mistakes like that happen. Don’t worry. I’ll help you take care of that for you. Now, why don’t you eat your lunch already so you don’t faint from starvation? We don’t need you blacking out and hitting your head or face off those hot streets.”

“O-Okay,” you said, now realizing you were still pacing like a ravenous Sabertusk. “That’s…That’s probably a really good idea.” Somehow, despite your anxiety, you were finally able to bring a smile to your face. “Iris, thanks a lot for saving me again. I can always count on you. I always have…”

You could almost the warmth of a smile spread across her face, her knowing just exactly what you meant by your words. “Not a problem! Now you relax for a bit and let me get going to eating my own lunch. And then you can tell me aaaaallll about your night later on tonight, okay?”

You nodded to yourself reassuringly. “Of course, Iris. Thanks again as always.”

“No problem!” she said cheerfully, and within an instant she had hung up.

You put your phone in your pocket and took a deep breath. _Yeah….food and drink is a must_ , you said to yourself, and as you swayed upon your feet you realized just how utterly faint your conversation had left you, not to mention how lightheaded you had become from the scorching heat of the sun beating down upon your bare shoulders and chest. Mustering the strength to actually move your feet and tread to your destination, you had only coursed perhaps a good twenty feet towards the market when you felt and heard the distinct buzz and jingle of your cellphone in your front pocket.

“Huh?” You said out loud. Taking out your cellular once more, you saw that you received a message from an unknown number. Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, you opened the message.

**I always prefer the formalities of conversing directly voice to voice with my confidants, but I did not want to intrude directly in the middle of your dining. At least that is what Iris suggested.**

_Oh…oh my gods…_

Biting your lip, your heart soared out of your chest as you immediately realized just exactly who this message was from, the distinct use of vocabulary and structure of words one you could never forget since they had graced your ears just weeks ago with actual sound. Even more so, you were in utter shock over the premise that despite him telling you of his harried engagements today, he had been so quick to reach out to you after your distress call to Iris. Feeling more than fretful now, you took a deep breath and gathered what courage you could find in order to type a reply. And so smiling to yourself, you decided to play along innocently as you texted back:

**Oh, I don’t mind being interrupted at all! But again, it depends on who’s doing the interrupting! And I was just about to order some seafood paella too. :)**

You waited briefly for a reply when your phone jingled once more.

**Oh goodness, my apologizes. Although I must say that you have impeccable taste in cuisine, as paella happens to be one of my favorite dishes. But again, my sincerest apologizes, Y/N. This is Ignis, by the way.**

The tension in your body finally melting away, you rolled your eyes and laughed.

**I would have never guessed with such formalities. :P But hello Ignis. How are you making out with your adventure today so far?**

You felt your heart racing, still unable to believe that he was texting you while _he_ was on the job.

**Quite well, in fact. I will gladly disclose more to you about all later tonight upon my return. I do not wish to hold up your dining any further, but I fathomed the error of my ways from earlier and failed to specify a specific time and location for our gathering. If you would ever so like, I can meet you at your residence and we can walk to our destination from there. The forecast for tonight calls for the allowance of a lovely stroll this evening.**

You felt yourself blushing and you shook your head in somewhat disbelief. While you had known just how much of a gentleman Ignis could be, you still couldn’t comprehend how overly generous and gracious he was to you, you still rather much a stranger in his life.

**That would be really lovely. I hate to be such a girl but I’ll need a chance to wash up after my shift at the plant tonight. I feel bad that I might keep you waiting but I don’t want to be an embarrassment by looking like a complete gritty mess in public.**

He quickly replied back.

**You could never be an embarrassment. I have no hurries tonight. For once Noct does not have as much of a tight leash upon me and so I am in no haste to return to the Citadel at any given time this evening. Do take what time you need and I can always do some light reading while I wait for you.**

And so you replied:

**Is quarter after seven ok?**

And his:

**But of course. May I have your address so I can know where to meet you?**

You sent him the location of your apartment complex and he replied.

**Excellent. I must be returning to my duties now, but I shall see you at your residence then. Until then, dear.**

_‘Dear…”_

Your throat tightened and your stomach twisted into little knots, the epiphany that your arrangements for later actually came to fruition. _Oh my gosh. I can’t believe this is happening. This is really real._ With your blood painfully pulsating through your veins and your heart constricting within your breast, you hurriedly made your way to the market to finally eat a quick lunch in the few minutes you had left. And with your thoughts whirling in anticipation as you scarfed down that plate of paella that would forever now remind you of the man who currently flooded your thoughts, you only knew that there was one thing for certain.

_7:15 can’t come soon enough…._

_********************************************_

You had settled on something a little more casual yet moderately modest, donning a simple yet feminine black tank top with ruffles on the edging of where sleeves should be. This was tucked into your nicest pair or dark washed denim jeans that were complimented well by a pair of cute black leather sandals (your usual leather combat boots simply wouldn’t cut it tonight). For the icing to your cake, you finalized your vestment with a pair of dainty silver skull stud earrings that Iris gave you as a symbol of friendship from many years ago that also served as a reminder of your connection and friendship to the Caelum household and its accomplices.

_I look like a true Insomnian…_

Despite how much better you were feeling about yourself now that you didn’t look like a grubby and squalid daemon, you felt a little bit more contented as you examined yourself in the mirror. The gentle waves of your hair cascaded over your shoulders and down your back, and your face despite being sheened in a light layer of sweat from nerves was still beautifully vibrant and glowing, your cheeks rosy and your eyes wide with childlike wonderful. You twiddled your thumbs and bit your lower lip, taking care not to ruin the light layer of blush-tinted lipstick. Inhaling deeply, you picked up your phone from the edge of your bed and saw that the time read 7:00 exactly on the hour.

_Oh gods. I can’t believe that this is about to happen…_

You bit your lip once more and swallowed hard. “Well, I suppose that there is no point in me sitting around here working myself up,” you said anxiously to yourself as you looked down to see your hands shaking slightly. “Come on now, Y/N. You just have to be yourself. What other choice do you have?”

And so taking the deepest breath of your life, you cast one last final glance in the mirror, grabbed a small clutch that would carry your essentials and valuables for the evening, and exited your apartment. With each bated breath as you walked down, you carefully descended the steps into the main hallway, opened up the front door to the complex, and stepped out into the sultry air of another quixotic Lestallum evening.

You froze and almost choked upon your breath, for standing there causally across the walk, leaning up against the wall, reading a pamphlet, and fashionably earlier than you were anticipating was Ignis himself.

Instantly your heart began to flutter and float at the sight of him. He too had seemed to have taken the time to freshen up, as he was now wearing a completely different ensemble than earlier. The leather Crownsguard jacket in which he traditionally wore had been disregarded for the night. Instead, he donned a dark grey button-down shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves and was once again unbuttoned just enough to show off his clavicle. His shirt was tucked into a pair of tight leather pants and his gleaming shoes appeared to have been recently polished. Swallowing hard, you took note that he was not wearing his typical gloves which allowed you to look at his rather large bare hands. Instead of the pair of silver framed spectacles that he had worn from earlier and at the ball, he chose to wear a pair of sleek and stylish visors that complimented the bone structure of his face. Feeling your cheeks flush, your eyes fell to the sight of the tendril of hair that had fallen down onto his forehead, and you would have given in that very second to touch and course it between your fingers.

_Oh gods, is he beautiful…_

Sensing a pair of eyes upon him, Ignis looked up from his reading and appeared to have stopped breathing for just a moment as his eyes fell upon you. Straightening himself up and placing the pamphlet in his back pocket, he now walked towards you with a genial smile upon his handsomely crafted lips, his strides full with purpose as he walked with a swag in his hips.

_Astrals, give me strength right now._

“I’m glad I decided to be a little bit earlier tonight too, otherwise I would have been making you wait,” you said, smiling back at him, and you instantly could not get over the initial shock of how confident you sounded. Ignis stopped just mere feet in front of you and you felt yourself dizzying just looking up at how much taller he was than you, and you felt your Adam’s apple shift uncomfortably in your throat. _Just take a deep breath, Y/N. You can do this. Just be yourself._

“It would have been no contention at all, my dear,” he said in response, and your spine tingled once more at the use of the rather endearing word. “I’ve always prided myself with being prompt with my engagements. What kind of man would I be to leave a lady waiting?” He paused for a moment, tilting his head slightly as if to study you. “You look enchanting, by the way.”

_Astrals…_

Your stomach tied itself in little knots as you attempted to hide your blush by tucking a strand your hair behind your ear. “T-thank you,” you said breathlessly. “I do have to say that you aren’t so bad yourself either.”

Ignis chuckled and smiled warmly in response as he gestured with his hand towards the end of the street. “Shall we be off? I am sure that you most hungry after the tiresome day that you have endured in this heat. I know that I myself am quite ravenous right now.”

Although you knew he meant the word in the most innocent way, you still had to hold back a blush as your dream from last evening popped into your head, causing your loins to coil. Ignis leading the way, you followed him down your remote city street towards the more bustling inner-city sections, and as your feet padded quietly by his side, you felt you were in this moment strolling through another beautifully blissful dream. The evening air was just the right temperature with the suitable level of humidity, and up above in the sky, the full moon combatted with the sun for its place while the thousands of stars coating the heavens began to make their twinkling presence. The chatter of pedestrians and the chords from live bands began to grace your ears. But the most breathtaking sight of all was Ignis himself beside you, and as you walked you felt so fearful in the moment that you would be waking up into reality.

Ignis was the first to break the silence by addressing you. “So, Y/N. How did the remainder of your shift transpire today? I am hoping that it went much more uncomplicatedly than when I encountered you earlier.”

You laughed gently in response, taking special care to not stumble over your feet as you looked to him. “It did, thank goodness, and somehow I managed to keep my tasks on schedule before my shift was up. I even managed to get slightly ahead on my first assignment tomorrow, so I certainly can’t complain about that. I would have to say though, and please don’t tell Holly I said this, but after dealing with that valve today, I feel like I could take a vacation for a week just to recover from the pain in my shoulders of trying to budge it.” You paused for a moment, once again realizing how unbelievably you felt indebted to him for that. “I…want to thank you again for that. You really didn’t have to help me with that earlier. I know how much you already had going on with your own schedule.”

Ignis smiled warmly back at you as he pushed the frames of his visor back up upon his nose. “It was certainly not a problem at all. I take pleasure in the assistance of others, and to reiterate once more, what man could I call myself if I walked away from your distress? If I had only been there sooner to have helped I would have.”

You looked away for just a moment to hide the bashful smile that crept to the corner of your lips. Why you realistically believed the intent of this actions was to simply be a good Samaritan, still, it was something about his act of aid that hours later still made you feel rather girlish . As the two of you continued to walk towards the market, you suddenly became overly alert on just how warm you were feeling, but as you passed through the pipe-laden streets you realized your temperateness had little to do with steam and more to do with the intense heat that was radiating off of Ignis’s body next to you. Swallowing hard, you felt butterflies float in your stomach as you attempted to not stare at the way he walked with purpose in his steps, his hips swaggering in the most masculine of ways as his hands brushed along his sides. Trying to distract your attention elsewhere, you began to observe just how crowded the streets had become. But as you took note of the populace around you, desire began to course its way through your bloodstream.

Whether it was the inveiglement and romance of the architecture and nightlife of the city in general, or perhaps there was an unseen magic and mystique radiating from the meteor, but Lestallum had always been a city of couples who had no shame in hiding their public displays of affection. As you walked on, you noticed various young lovers clinging to one another in the most enticing of ways. Lovely ladies leaned up again the walls as their male counterparts towered over them in suggestive stances, while others were locked in the vices of each other’s embrace as if no one else existed in the world. Why at this very moment you became so overly aware of this, you did not know, having never truly paid much attention to this observation before now, but it was a likely conjecture to think it had everything to do with your dashing companion strutting by your side. Swallowing hard and trying your best to not blunder over your feet, you diverted your eyes away from these lovers as you and Ignis continued your way through the streets.

The seemingly perceptive Ignis appeared to take notice of your behavior and cleared his throat. “It is certainly comforting to see other people about,” he said, breaking the silence that loomed between you two. “I must say that now that I am back in town for purposes other than managing the ordeals of the Starscourge, I am experiencing a sense of reprieve as well as nostalgia. It’s been a while since I have been able to relish in the joys of this quaint little city without strife on my mind.”

“O-Oh yeah?” you said with curiosity, and you quickly diverted your attention away from a particular couple kissing a little too aggressively not so discreetly near a food stand. “Did you come to Lestallum quite often before the fall?”

“Quite indeed,” Ignis said, and now as you rounded another corner, the sounds of the approaching market amplified in your ears. “Back in the day, Noctis, Gladio, Prompto and I had many an exploit in this charming little municipality.”

You were now in full view of the Partellum Marketplace, and no matter how many times you came here and no matter what time of day you came, you could never get tired of the wonders and smells around you. You breathed in deeply the aromas of rich meets and steamed vegetables, and you always admired the little crafts and goods that various artisans were selling.

The two of you made your way through the stands as Ignis began to intently look over the assortments of fresh, raw ingredients. You smiled while he wasn’t looking at you as you watched him, remembering from the boys’ and Iris’s stories just how much this type of thing was right up his alley; while Ignis became mastered in the culinary arts with the sole purpose of ensuring the current King maintained a healthy diet as he aged, Ignis apparently had grown fond of the craft on his own, knowing how much joy his meals brought to his companions.

“Iris told me about a couple of the things you boys used to do when you were here, but I’d certainly love to hear it from the actual storyteller firsthand,” you said smiling widely as you picked up a fresh tomato from the stand in front of you.

Ignis quickly took note of the vegetable in your palms and picked one up himself, admiring it. “Ahhh…breaded cutlet with tomato,” he said, almost losing himself in his words. “One of my personal favorite recipes.” He turned to look at you again with a grin on his face, the sight of his lips pulled back warming your heart. “But yes, you could certainly say that we went on many a voyage. This stand in particular for Furloch Farms? Several times we had to retrieve stranded perishables for their business due to daemon assaults. One rescue in particular I’m sure is what truly caused Noctis to loathe beans even to this day.”

You laughed, sitting down the tomato as you continued to look about the market. “Really? Oh do tell. I bet that is going to be a good story.”

Ignis sat his own tomato back down, now trailing behind you. “Oh but of course, and I do revel in being able to share it with you. Let’s say we select our meal and perhaps make our way to the Leville courtyard. That way we can dine in solitude and can share our chronicles in peace. I equally am intrigued to hear from your firsthand accounts of your time here in Lestallum.”

You blushed deeply and felt your spine tingle at the notion that he wanted to share with you his meal away from prying eyes, and tucking your hair nervously behind your ear you nodded to him. Initially having difficulty choosing your meal due to your enthusiasm and nerves over having a moment alone to open up to the strategist about your own past, you eventually settled on ordering what Ignis chose, a dish of wild rice with a peppery Daggerquill breast. Kindly paying the merchant and taking both of your meals in take-out containers, you strolled your way to the Leville and sat down on the edge of the stone fountain, the mist from its calming spray of watering helping cool down your heated frame. Taking your shoes off, you rolled up your pant legs and dipped your feet into the cool and soothing liquid as you two began to share your meal and your parables and sagas.

And sharing the tales of your triumphs and past endeavors you did. As Ignis recounted his life as a member of the Crownsguard retinue, you could have easily gotten lost for hours in listening to his exploits with the boys that seemed like eons ago. With each adventure, you felt your heart undulating with bittersweet delectation at the thought that despite the strife and privations these men endured, they came out it all alive and walking tall together side by side. Ignis’s apologues had you gasping, laughing, and even shrieking with joy and ferment as you learned more about the deep brotherhood these men shared with each other during the duration of their lives.

Ignis told you of the various hunts that he and the boys accomplished as favors for the local merchants. Although he and the guys had never preferred to kill the local wildlife out of respect for nature, it was a matter of “kill or be killed” and many of these animals were causing harm to the locals as well as committing acts of destruction to habitat. And so, Noctis and the companions would accept these various pursuits to land themselves a pretty gil earned…at least the majority of the time. One challenging hunt in particular was a horde of Killer Bees. You were gasping as Ignis explained how the venom to their stings got the better of him and his comrades and it almost took them a half an hour to ward off the insects due to their individual cases of confusion cast by the creepy critters. Another tale in particular that had you gaping in astonishment was when the retinue retrieved a batch of cargo for Veenon’s Trading Post. A mighty Griffon had swooped down and began a perilous assault on the boys, due to the fact that the creature had set up nest upon a rundown shed nearby. But the story that had you rolling with laughter and fear and almost falling into the fountain was a case where Noctis decided to break out his fishing pole in the midst of a hunt, only to have him in the boys being bombarded and chased by a flock of scaly Albinogins. Prompto and Noctis had been so startled by the creatures that they had fallen into the lake while Gladio and Ignis warded off the creatures with their blades.

“Oh my goodness!” You said gasping between giggles. “And I take it that’s why you relish in your alone time when you have it?”

“ _If_ and when I have it indeed,” he said with a lopsided grin as he pushed up his shades once more. “It’s been over ten years, but I am gratified and pleased to say that although the four of us have grown older, our spirits have not. Even if I lose a little bit of dormancy from keeping an eye on them all, I am forever truly grateful to stand by their sides. At the end of the day, perhaps I could say that the expenditure is worth it…”

You had to hold back a little sob as he said this, and as he seemed to be lost in a sudden moment of self-reminisce , you once more felt yourself lost as you studied the features of his handsome face. Looking into his eyes, you could not help but notice a little bit of melancholy in their depths of his eyes, and soon enough you found your own faltering as you studied the scaring around his emerald orbs.

There was more to his story and you were beyond steadfast in finding the truth. But as the advisor sat there for a moment, lost in his own silent musings, you knew better that this was not the time nor place to ask him what you’ve been dying to know for weeks. Realizing your feet were starting to get chilly from the cooling water of the fountain, you swung your legs around to face Ignis directly. Clearing your throat to draw his attention back to you, you tucked your hair behind your ear and gathered your own words. “You’re very lucky, Ignis. You truly are. And I’m sure that the boys are more than glad they have you in their lives as well. It’s not very often that you get to stay friends with someone for so long and have that relationship going strong.” You paused for a moment as if your own sense of nostalgia washed over you.” You know, your stories make me think back to when I was little. I’ve since parted ways with many of my friends many many years ago at this point, but I remember how when I was little, my one best friend and I would always take stuff from around the house and run into the streets with it and pretend to attack monsters. We were always so care free back then. And my mom would always run outside, looking to where her favorite pan would go and she’d yell at how we weren’t being lady-like. ‘Hunting those hideous creatures is dangerous business!’ she’d yell to us all the time, as if she thought we were being serious.” You paused again, your heart clenching as you held back a tear. “My dad would always support our play though, saying it was good to grow up to be tough. Who would have thought that I would have ironically become a hunter. I…I wonder what they would think if they saw me now…”

How could so much time have passed by now? Ten years since the day of the attack. Ten years since you traversed the streets of Altissia. Ten years since you’ve smelled the salt in the air. Over ten years without them, the parents who gave you love and life. Had it really been that long? As you sat there in the ever-growing quiet of the night, you began to wonder what they would really think of all you and all you had done since they parted ways with you in this life. _Oh Mom…Dad….I’m so sorry…._

Before a sob could escape your mouth, a sharp jolt of electric energy startled you as the warmth of large hands engulfed yours gently. With your eyes fluttering upwards, you looked to see Ignis gazing at you attentively, his brows drawn together and his countenance aggrieved. You were trembling now and your skin began to prickle and tingle at his touch, the feel of his palms pressed to yours sending your head spinning and your stomach tumbling within the confines of your torso.

His touch. That simple touch of his fingertips grazing yours. Gods, what did you deserve to be given such a moment?

_Oh…Oh Astrals…Ignis…?_

“I am sorry,” he said almost inaudibly, his voice sounding strangled and tormented. “I am sorry for the loss that you have endured. But I do know that, Astrals above, you parents are looking down upon you and are more than proud and honored by everything you have accomplished on your own. I assure it.” He stopped again, looking down at his hands upon yours, his grasp on tightening slightly. “If…if you wish, and that is only if your heart finds the strength to do so, we can make arrangements for you to see Altissia once more and pay the respects to your parents that I know you’ve been wanting to give them.”

Your throat tightened at his suggestion and a stray tear fell down the side of your cheek. What was it that you were sensing in this moment by the very way his hand touched yours? Why did this man seem to blame himself for the pain you suffered, for something that wasn’t even his fault? _Why, Ignis Scientia? What did you do? What happened to make you think this way_? But ignoring the thought for now and managing to somehow smile gently at him, you still were more so in disbelief at the kindness of his proposition. “You’d...really help me do that? But…but….the costs and everything...” Even with the ferries up and running again, the charge of overseas transportation was at the moment still lavish and costly due to the damage of the surrounding ports in Accordo. You had known for years now that it was implausible for you to comfortably afford a ticket unless you didn’t eat for months straight as well as worked double shifts at the plant.

Ignis sat up straighter now, squeezing your hand gently. “Yes. It would be my honor, and I would think nothing of the price. I too do know that Noctis, Gladiolus, and Prompto would gladly come escort you, as I know they too have felt indebted to help you for what you’ve done.”

But what Ignis meant by this, you really weren’t sure, but nonetheless, you nodded in agreement as you subconsciously squeezed his hand back. “Yes. I’d like to do that, someday soon.”

*****************************************************

With the clouds of the somberness of your tête-à-tête dissipating, the air around you two became lighthearted eventually as you resumed your chronicles of happier times. However, neither of you had noticed just how fast time transpired, the hours of the night fully upon you as the moon was fully lustrously beaming up above. Both of you knowing duty would call for each of you in the early hours of the morning and that sleep was recommended, with reluctance it was decided for you two to call it a night. Ever the gentleman that he was already proving himself to be, Ignis walked you back through the quieting streets (although the lovebirds were still out and about in this late hours) to your apartment. Now, standing outside the door to the building of your residence, you placed your hands behind your back and curtsied ever so slightly at Ignis.

“I...I had a really nice time tonight,” you said to Ignis, smiling warmly at him, and you could only wonder if he could see the blush in your cheeks from the moonlight shining down upon your face. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve been able to enjoy these lovely nights with some company in such a way.”

Ignis titled his head and smiled at you in return. “It was my pleasure, Y/N. I must say so that I share the sentiment. One can only take so much delving into talk of diplomacy and congressional frets on any given day.” He paused, his expression softening in the moonlight, and you had to find all the strength within your two legs to keep yourself upright over the gentleness emanated from his eyes as he looked at you. “Now please, do not let negative thoughts spurred upon by our confabulation plague your dreams, and do get some rest tonight.”

You blushed at his words, knowing very well that according to your recent nightly patterns, bad thoughts would be anything that would plague your mind. But nevertheless, you cleared your throat as you smiled again.

“I promise I’ll be good, Ignis,” you said. “Are you sure you’ll be awake enough to drive all the way back to Insomnia tonight? You must be so tired from having such a long day.” A devilish part of you wanted to suggest something to him, _stay the night please? Stay with me in case I_ do _happen to have those bad dreams,_ but you shook your mind from your impure and improper thoughts, remaining chaste.

“I’ll be quite fine,” he said, brushing the fallen strand of his pompadour away from his forehead. “Quite frankly I’m feeling most rejuvenated now after this evening’s repartee, and these long rides at night always provide me with room to contemplate. I can assure you, I’ll be quite alright...”

But before you could open your mouth to reply Ignis took one broad step forward and took your hand gently within his once again, and he bowed to you in the upmost sense of reverence. “Do sleep well, dear. And goodnight.”

_Dear…_

Ignis letting go of your hand and turning to go, you watched as he walked away and headed down the darkening alleyway towards the main streets of Lestallum. With the warmth of his hand still lingering upon yours and finding yourself trembling as you bounced upon the balls of your feet, you could not contain the words that liberated themselves from behind your lips.

“W-Will I see you again soon?”

Stopping in his tracks, Ignis turned back around to look at you, and once more that simple charming smiling lit up like the moon in the sky of your night.

“Yes, my dear. Yes you will.”


	5. Conductor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am super thrilled with how this chapter turned out. This work has been an evolving story that has taken a life on its own. The idea for this interaction between the leading lady and Iggy popped randomly into my mind and I had a ton of fun writing it. In fact, it's probably my favorite chapter our journey.
> 
> I highly suggest (if you haven't been doing so already for each chapter) listening to this chapter's title song "Conductor." I had not heard this song before as the track was a Target exclusive for Florence's "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful" album, so I missed out on hearing this previously. MY GOD IS IT GORGEOUS. I think it really sets the tone for this chapter. In fact, I never really like putting lyrics from singer's songs directly into stories, but in this chapter, the song worked so well that I just had to do it in this case.
> 
> Please enjoy, and comments are always much appreciated! :D
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_The only thing that's certain Is your indecision_

_I _guess it must be working__

__Cause you hit me with such precision_ _

__Now the strings are breaking_ _

__T _ _heir fingers run with blood___ _

____But they keep on playing_ _ _ _

____The cycle never stops_ _ _ _

 

____Who's in control?_ _ _ _

____W _ _ _ _ho's playing who?_____ _ _ _

 

________S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _he wants to be amongst them_________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Conducting them too_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _he knows the song won't save her_________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________But what else can she do?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________She weeps just like a willow_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________She's playing for you_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________She's fragile and she's ferocious_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________As the current flows through_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_\- Florence and the Machine – “Conductor_

Several weeks had once again passed by, but unfortunately due to circumstances that he could not disclose (it was regal and classified business, he explained), it was virtually impossible for Ignis to grace you with his physical presence in Lestallum. Despite your heartache on how much you missed seeing him, anticipating the day in which you’d get to see Ignis again seemed to spur you on and inspire you to work harder at the plant each day. What seemed to tickle your fancy even more were the surprise texts you would receive from him randomly throughout the days as the weeks passed on, and you always felt your face blushing deeply when you would go to check your phone on your lunch break or even before you went to bed that evening.

**Was checking the forecast for Cleigne today to see that the temperature in Lestallum is to be rather sultry. Do take care and stay hydrated.**

**Just watched Noctis eat his lunch that discretely contained riced cauliflower and he enjoyed it. I think I can finally die a happy man seeing him eating a vegetable. Hoping to be able to have you try this recipe as well.**

Another message in particular that surprised you greatly and had you squealing with joy included a picture that had your heart melting in adoration. The message that was sent contained a photo of a newly hatched black baby Chocobo, an extreme rarity and anomaly found in nature especially after a large percentage of the Chocobo species had been wiped out during the years of darkness.

**Prompto had business with Wiz Forlane this afternoon and sent me this photograph he took with his cellular. I thought that you would equally appreciate it and would brighten your day.**

And brighten your day it did. You felt your grin widening at particular messages such as these and while anyone else may read these exchanges and think nothing of their words, you on the other hand would feel your heart swelling at their implications. To think that despite his intense responsibilities he was currently engaged in back in Insomnia, seeing his concern for you as well as your wellbeing made you feel extra appreciated and cared for.

_Me, of all people…Surely I am dreaming this, aren’t I?_

Iris had been nothing but tickled pink over the interactions you and the tactician shared, and when she had come to visit you on your current weekend off, her enthusiasm for your exchanges was more than apparent on her face. “I’m soooooo happy for you, Y/N. You seriously have no idea how much of a great thing this is.”

Your heart soared into the air like a mighty Zu, but part of you couldn’t help but smile sadly. “I’m happy too, Iris. It’s just…I don’t know? I guess I’m just really nervous that I’m making more out of this than it actually is. I totally understand how busy he is. It’d be really stupid of me to expect anything otherwise from him, being Noctis’s chamberlain and all. It’s…It’s not even the heartache of having not seen him in weeks. But, I guess what really just has me puzzled is, well…why me? I feel silly thinking that I’m something special. I’m just some lowly plant worker and I feel sometimes I don’t have anything to really offer him. What if he’s just being nice to me?”

Iris frowned at you, and quite reminiscent of the ferocity of her older brother, she punched you directly in the shoulder.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?” You quipped in response, rubbing your now tender flesh and grimacing.

Iris crossed her arms and looked at you, displeasure plastered on her dainty face. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this before it sinks into that silly head of yours,” she said firmly, but soon enough, her frustration receded and she went back to smiling at you. “Trust me. I’ve known Iggy for my entire life since I was a little girl. For how many years I’ve witnessed what that man has done every day and it seems like he doesn’t have a moment to spare for himself. Gods only really knows what he would do for himself in all of his private moments alone.” Why this point made you blush anxiously you had no idea, but nonetheless, you pushed back your inquiring thoughts and continued to listen to her tirade. “But regardless of that mystery I can tell you one thing for certain: I’ve noticed something different in him in the last month or so and I wholeheartedly believe that I think it has everything to do with you. There are times that I will catch him checking his phone between meetings and he’ll smile like I’ve never seen before. He’s _never_ done that before. Ever. Not since I’ve known him.” She paused, thinking deeply and then grinning to herself. “And _believe_ me when I say this: there are a TON of really gorgeous women that work at the Citadel.” You frowned and felt your heart sink but Iris quickly continued her rant as she looked at your face. “From back in the day to even now, a lot of these women would try to flirt with Iggy, but him being him, he just seems to either ignore it, or kindly brushes it off in obliviousness or disinterest. When I really think about it, he’s never mentioned a word to me or the guys about a hint of attraction towards someone. His whole life, his love life remained this mystery to all of us and Astrals even knows if he thought about women at all with how he behaved. But _you_? _You_? He’ll always make sure to ask me how you are, even though he can reach out to you easily on his own. I mention your name in passing and he perks up like a hungry Coeurl. Trust me. He’s got something going for you; I can just feel it. He’s just very private with the way he feels. He’s always been reserved with this type of stuff, and I think that for you, given how you too are also very reserved? I think this is a good thing. You just have to be patient with him. Trust me. It will all be worth it. I just know it.”

***************************************

A mangled cry scrambled its way up through your throat and out of your lips as your body was pressed forcefully against the wall, heat instantly surging through your core and your face blushing deeply as a pair of virile and starved lips began to bite and nip mercilessly at your neck. Throwing your head back against the wall to allow better access to the hunter’s vicious attack, you ground your hips against those of your pursuer in utter exigency. Opening your heavily lidded eyes to look up at your aggressor, your loins coiled and slickened with moisture as you looked upon the lust-ridden face of the man you wanted so much.

“Oh Ignis…” You whispered breathlessly, your chest rising and sinking heavily as you clawed at his slightly unbuttoned shirt. His hair was as utter mess and his bangs were tousled all around his forehead as though he was caught in the Fulgarian’s storm, and a smirk that sent heat surging through your veins now graced his lips. His glasses had been discarded upon the table near the bed and the licentious look in his stunning emerald eyes pulled all strength from your trembling form.

“Yes?” He said huskily, pressing his body more firmly against yours as you lifted your leg and wrapped it around his taut hip. Your skirt was ridden up around your waist, and your eyes widened at the feel of his hardened shaft now aching to escape from the confines of his pants, his groin pressing against the gossamer layer of your panties that sheltered your dripping heat. Squirming against him as you latched onto him for support, your eyes pleaded with his in anticipation of wanting him to take you to the point of no return.

“I want you so badly,” you whispered hoarsely, your hands snaking underneath the buttons of his shirt, and your hands trembled as you struggled to remove him of the raiment. “Please. I need you now.”

His hips pressing themselves more forcefully against yours, one hand grabbed desperately at the curvature of your waist while the other snaked its way around the base of your throat. The roughness of his warrior hands caused you to gasp loudly as his practiced lips crashed down upon yours, kissing you desperately with fervor. Ignis groaned and gnarled as he grinded hips into yours, ever so pleading for friction between your heats, and the sound of his agony only spurred you on more as you grasped the sides of his face to hold his lips tightly to yours. He nipped at your lips with his teeth, causing you to whimper and open your eyes in response. His gaze upon devilishly roguish, before your brain could process his intentions, you felt yourself being lifted into the air, slammed down upon the bed and rotated upon all fours. He yanked you closer to the edge of the bed, your body trembling with as he grabbed at your ankles, and from behind you heard the distinct clinking of a belt buckle and the unzipping of metallic teeth. You squirming your hips with submission, Ignis’s hands snaked their way under your panties, and with a swift motion of his deft and nimble hands tore them from your hips, ripping the fabric in two and throwing the destroyed garment to the floor. Your hips stung painfully at the sensation, but the exhilaration of being taken by your lover made the sting all worth it. With one of his hands clawing to your bare waist, you clutched and clawed at the bedsheets as you turned your head around to face the man who made you howl with rapture, night after night, his expression plastered with lust and his eyes blazing with the glow of a raging purple flame.

_….w-what?_

You gasped harshly as your phone on the bedside tabled tintinnabulated in your ears, and you jolted upright in bed and quivered as you pathetically attempted to pick up the device and answer it. Your eyes cloudy from being pulled from your abysmal and lovely slumber, you could barely make out the caller ID on the screen and as you shakily hit ‘answer.’

“H-hello?” You croaked, your words hoarse in your throat as you attempted to catch your breath.

“Y/N! Sorry to wake you up much earlier before you have to get up. You know I hate doing that to you!” Slowly your brain began to register that it was Holly who was speaking to you as you struggled immensely to focus on her words.

“It’s ok, Holly! Duty always comes first,” you said unevenly, brushing your tangled hair away from your face that was covered in a cold layer of sweat.

“You ok, Y/N? You’re not feelin’ sick, are ya?” Your boss asked you, her voice laced with concern as she took note of your tone.

“N-no, I’m ok,” you answered reassuringly. “You just woke up from a pretty deep dream is all. What’s going on?”

Holy sighed almost apologetically on the other line . “Good. I’m glad you’re ok, because today for work I need you to pack your bags and gear up. I’ve got a serious job for you today and I want you to be prepared. I’ll give you specifics when you arrive today at the office. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Holly hanging up on you before you could respond, slowly you sat your phone back down on the night stand and plopped back down onto your back on the bed. Putting a hand on your forehead, a deep sigh escaped your lips as your heart pounded cripplingly within your breast, the remnants of your dream tryst still lingering in your groin.

 _Dear Astrals, just give me release just this once_ , you thought, once more having your dream conclude before your earth was rumbled like the fiery volcanoes of the Rock of Ravatough.

It had been a while since Holly requested you to complete a particularly challenging job, as it was you and only you at the plant who had the skillset that she was in need of to accomplish specific assignments. Knowing from past experience of these requests that you needed to have every ounce of your fortitude ready to take on these special ops, you inhaled deeply, wondering what it could possibly be that Holly was requesting of you and how demanding your task would be.

 _Looks like I’m bringing out the blades today_ , you mused to yourself. Shivering from the visages that once more invaded your mind, your spine tingled and your loins constricted further more as you envisioned those broad hands grabbing at your waist…

_Gods, let me just stay in bed a little bit longer…please…_

But as you slowly began to become more aware of what your brain had fabricated in its sleep, you harshly held your breath as attempted to wrap your mind around one particular detail that you had never dreamt of before.

_His eyes…purple, flaming eyes…_

Sitting up in bed, you rested your forehead in your hands, trying to comprehend what it was that your dreams concocted.

_I know it’s just a dream, but why in all of Eos did I see that?…what could it mean? Ignis…Oh Ignis…_

Taking a deep breath and realizing that time was of the essence as you glanced down at clock on your phone, with reluctance you forced yourself bed, snapped on the bedroom lights, opened up your wardrobe, and laid eyes upon the sword that had become one of your closest companions during the world of ruin.

Today was bound to be a pretty interesting day.

***********************************************************

Despite your exhaustion and current regrets over losing an hour of sleep, even still, on this particular morning you could not help but appreciate the beauty of the Lestallum dawn. The sun had just begun to rise when you had neared EXINERIS, the sky casting a pale pinkish luminescence over the horizon. Perhaps waking up so early hadn’t been such a bad thing; as you inhaled the crisp morning air you at least were able to enjoy the coolness in the atmosphere before the usual onslaught of humidity arrived. As you approached the main office, slung over one shoulder was your bag of extra clothes, toiletries, potions, and other basic essentials for travel days, and on your other was your work paraphernalia and tools and favorite katana currently sheathed in its protective shelter. Instead of your usual plant overalls, today you donned a black tank top, cargo jeans, combat boots, and your favorite jacket.

Hunter’s garb.

You took a deep breath as you sat your belongings down outside of Holly Tuelle’s office in attempt to psyche yourself up. You knew that whatever it was and wherever she was sending you out to, you had to be more than primed and prepped for absolutely any task. Hesitantly raising your hand, you knocked upon her door.

“Come in!” Answered your boss’s voice, way too cheerily for this early in the morning.

Shaking your head and smiling as you turned the knob, you pushed open the door and stepped into the office trailer. Your gaze quickly fell upon Holly who was sitting at her desk who was intently scanning the screen of her computer and jotting down notes on a pad of paper. She glanced up to see you before her, a warm smile upon her face. Yet reminding herself of the reason for her calling you in, her countenance shifted to one of business.

“Good morning, Y/N. Thanks for getting here so much earlier today. I feel kinda bad for making you drag yourself out of bed like this.” She paused to grin at you rather sheepishly. “I really do appreciate it though. I know that I can always count on you. You know that I always have, even after all this time.” She paused her words for a moment, tilting her head and seeming to suddenly get lost in thought.

Your heart clamped tightly at her words. Despite her being your boss of over ten years, the woman had almost become like a mother to you, especially considering that the one you had been born to had been lost to the world. When all your hope seemed lost as you had arrived to Lestallum on that fateful day, Holly had taken you in and helped give you a life to start anew, and even though fatigue was currently present upon your face, part of you appreciated more than ever at this moment the opportunities your job presented for you thanks to her.

You smiled back at her now, a warmth pulsing through your heart. “I know Holly. Thank you…”

Her focus fully shifting to business, she put her hands upon the desk as she inspected the computer screen once more. Her brows knitting together as her eyes read down lines of script, she sighed deeply and spoke again.

“So you’re probably wondering what I’m gonna have you do today. You know the issues that we were having with the Balouve Mines?”

You raised your eyebrows, your interest suddenly piqued. “Y-yeah,” you said. “We were having issues getting the power lines reestablished to the facility and everything up and running again. We finally managed to get the problem taken care of...Why do you ask though? Is something the matter?”

Holly messaged her temple and exhaled aggravatedly. “Yes. Something IS the matter. Everything had been working just fine and the hired miners were going to head down to begin work once more after the mine’s hiatus for over twenty years, but something happened to the lines unexpectedly and once again we’ve lost power. But the thing is, all the lines on the outside are working properly. They were just inspected recently, as you know.” She hesitated, her mien now becoming much more meditative. “The problem though? Something has gone wrong wayyyy down on the inside, and that’s where we are going to need YOU to go and check on it.”

Your eyes expanded as you came to grasp Holly’s intents, but she was quick to pick up on your reaction. “Look. You know that I hate to do this to you. You haven’t had to do a hunting job in a really long time. But...” She paused again, her expression relaxing. “Quite frankly you know that you’re the only one who can do this job for us. You’re the only one of my girls with the experience and knowledge. Something is down in those mines that could be the cause of the problem, and I know you have the skill to take it out.”

Your heart began to pound within your chest as adrenaline coursed through your veins. Despite the apprehension synthesizing within you, the repressed and battle-driven warrior within was just waiting to emerge onto the battlefield once again. Yes. It had been what felt like eons since you last took on a job that required combating treacherous and malignant monsters, but the pugilist in you could not be readier for a skirmish. Smiling to Holly, you nodded to her, accepting the task at hand. “Don’t worry, Holly. I can do this. I’ll be just fine. Honestly? I’m kinda excited now. After all, I can’t let myself get rusty for too long.”

Holly leaned back in her chair and smiled, seeming relieved at your acceptance. “Fortunately for you,” she began, “you’re not going to be going into this alone.” You raised an eyebrow again, now more inquisitive. “Because I can’t be risking the life of one of my best girls, we hired the help of a hunter who was more than willing to assist you on the job. They’ve got quite the experience with solving particularly difficult problems as well as dealing with some pretty nasty beasts. I have a feeling you two are going to work pretty well together.”

 _Now you really have my interest_ , you thought to yourself, but knowing it to be uncouth to question your boss, you nodded, waiting for her to continue.

“Your backup will pick you up at the Pelgar Outlook in about 20 minutes. By the time you walk there they’ll be ready to go and you two can head out. I’m not sure how long it will take you two to take care of the job today, so we rented out some rooms at The Three Zs Motel in Longwythe just in case it becomes a day job. After all, the ride back is pretty long and I’m sure you’re going to want to rest up whenever you’re finished. Any questions?”

Of course you did, but you decided to politely keep them to yourself. Shaking your head, you smiled. “No, I think I’m good. I’m suddenly getting a pretty good feeling about today...” What it was, you couldn’t quite discern, and yet something, _something_ deep within the very core of your heart was telling you all would be well. You thought for a moment, your lips quirking up into a grin. “Any last words you’d like to offer me?” You said jokingly, and suddenly you began to reminisce about your exchanges in the past with Holly just before you went out to hunt perilous daemons.

“Just don’t get yourself killed. You’re too valuable to me,” she said with a wink.

Departing Holly’s office, you picked up your properties and began your trek through the municipal. As you walked with anticipatory steps to your destination as minute by minute Lestallum blossomed to life, you could not help but feel but a sense of sprightliness rush through your veins. No matter how many times you tried to deny it, the deepest part of you had always looked forward to potential hunts; not only did it help you remain steadfast and strong of body but it also made you ruminate about the childhood play sessions you shared with your friends back in Altissia.

 _“Just be careful you don’t lose an eye with that thing!”_ Your mother always used to say with distress as you and your companions swung around old broom handles and various objects that you pretended to be weapons. Your father in his stead would laugh with joy at watching his daughter impersonate a warrior, his wife scolding him in turn for letting you to do such unladylike schticks.

You sighed deeply at the thought of such bittersweet memories, but suddenly you recollected Ignis’s words to you from several weeks ago. “ _If…if you wish, and that is only if your heart finds the strength to do so, we can make arrangements for you to see Altissia once more and pay the respects to your parents that I know you’ve been wanting to give them.”_ Feeling your heart clench as you attempted to take breath, you smiled sadly now just thinking of such a possibility. _Yes, soon, Mom and Dad. I’ll be back soon. I promise, even if I don’t get the help to come back. I really do miss you.Just… wish me luck today. I’m going to try to make you proud._

Having been lost in your own thoughts of the past, you realized you were now approaching the Pelgar Outlook, and finding yourself utterly breathless, your mind somewhat faltered as you gazed upon the remarkable and illustrious sight before you. The sun was now just grazing the vista and the once gentle pink firmament was painted with various hues of fuchsias, reds, yellows, and oranges, and the crystalline crag of the Meteor in the distance glimmered more brilliantly than ever . Yes, no matter how many times your sight with blessed with such an image, the sunrises in Lestallum never ceased to take your breath away. Carefully descending the set of stone steps down towards the lookout, you came to a bench, sat your bags down upon a ground, and walked over to the railing, now leaning over to look out over the cliffs and ravines before you.

 _I suppose that getting to get up this early isn’t half bad after all,_ you thought to yourself with a grin as a gentled gale ghosted through your hair. _This world truly is a beautiful place_ _and I suppose that I am lucky enough to be alive to see this. I still can’t believe we made it this far after what this world has been through. I really can’t believe we did it. All for this. All to enjoy just one more sunrise..._ You rested your chin in your hands and placed your elbows upon the stone as you sighed deeply, took a deep breath, and closed your eyes as you lost yourself in thought. _And Astrals, just give me the strength and courage to face this day so I can experience just one more sunset…_

With your eyes shut softly, you began to take in the resonances of the awakening city around the outskirts, and each sound brought much delight to your ears. The sizzle of a grill of a nearby food stand beginning to prepare breakfast for early birds. The slapping of sneakers upon the pavement of an earlier morning jogger. The raucous thud of a car door slamming somewhere close. Perhaps as a child such sounds would be nuisances to your peace of mind. Now they were parts of your emotional sanctuary.

“How many years have gone by and this spectacle too never ceases to enchant me…”

_Oh…oh Six…is that…?_

Your eyes snapped open wide and your body jolted upright as you slowly spun around to face the direction of the voice that just spoke. Whether who you saw before you was just a mere extension of your mind in the form of a daydream or perhaps an all-too real reality that had come to fruition, your mind failed to discern in this instant. But nevertheless you attempted to catch breath as your body began to flush and tremble with excitement, for there, now descending down the steps from the parking lot was none other than Ignis Scientia with an attentive smile upon his face.

_Oh Astrals, is this…is this what I think it is?_

“I-Ignis!” You breathed, and as he approached, by the sound of his footsteps you soon processed that this was no in fact a daydream at all. “G-Goodness! What you are doing here?”

Tilting his head, he paced over to you to join you by your side. “Did Holly not inform you?” He said inquisitively. “It is I whom she hired to assist you on your case today.”

You tried your best to prevent your jaw from dropping to the ground as this sudden revelation of news, and so instead, you swallowed hard as you felt your toes wiggling within the confines of your heavy boots, this presence of this man suddenly all too overwhelming in the most wonderful of ways. “N-No, she didn’t tell me at all,” you began as your heart fluttered in your chest. “All she said was that she hired an ‘experienced hunter’ who knew how to handle some pretty scary beasts.” You paused your words, now remembering that it was in fact Ignis who weeks ago was the one who initially informed you of the occurrence at the mines, and as you stood here logically thinking about Holly’s choice, it made total sense that it would be Ignis who would be working the case with you. Somehow mustering the confidence to continue your speech, you found yourself laughing at an abrupt thought. “It’s hard for me to remember,” you said with a smile, “but I always forget that you and the boys use to have your fair share in the hunting business all those years ago.”

Ignis smiled warmly, now leaning upon the balustrade next to you, and his sudden relaxed stance made your throat tighten. Trying your best to not gawk at him like he was some rare piece in an art exhibit like the ones you would attend back in Altissia, you realized that today he certainly looked more than ready to perform the role of a hunter. Instead of his usual Crownsguard dress attire, he sported a black t-shirt tailored to accentuate his limber form and wore dark washed jeans instead of his usual leather pants. He too also wore black combat boots upon his feet and had solid black leather gloves upon his hands. Gods, you could not remember the last time you had seen anything so wonderful to the eyes, and the more you began to examine him discreetly out of the corner of your eyes, you couldn’t help but feel your mouth go dry at how incredibly debonair and daring he looked in this unusual getup.   However, what surprised you the most that caused you to almost gasp with shock was the light scaring that you saw upon his defined and sculpted arms.

 _…how did I not notice this before?_ You asked yourself as you swallowed harshly once more. Perhaps you had focused so much of your attention upon Ignis’s face in your last few encounters with him that you did not have the chance to take note of his other features; but observing him now in this close of proximity, you saw that his flesh was surfaced and marred in a few random patches with markings of an encounter that you couldn’t quite discern. The flesh a little darker than his usual complexion, it took your brain a moment to figure just exactly what these marks reminded you of.

_Burns…_

_Fire…that fire…_

Your throat tightened as you towed yourself from your wandering thoughts. _No…this isn’t the time to question this. Not now…_ However, it was Ignis’s voice that pulled you back to attention as he replied to your remark. “Why yes. And we made a pretty gil off it as well, although much against our discretion sometimes. Have you ever heard of an Adamantoise before?”

Your eyes widened, your interest fully engaged in another story he was about to share with you. “Y-Yeah. You mean that giant turtle creature the size of a mountain? The very stuff of legends?”

Ignis smirked, and his sudden smug expression make you overly giddy. “Precisely. Years ago Noct was so set on proving himself to us that he steered us to Longwythe and lead us right to the beast.”

Your jaw dropped. “You’re shitting me! That’s insane! And you guys managed to take it down?”

“Not without an overly exhausting and grueling skirmish,” Ignis said, pressing his visors up on the bridge of his nose. “But needless to say, we made it out alive and mostly unscathed. Goodness though, did we not hear the end of it from Noct for weeks upon end. Thank the Astrals he now makes less rash decisions than he used to in his youth.” Ignis turned to face you directly now, tipping his head as though to examine to. “And speaking of Longwythe, I do say that we shall have our own fair share of adventure in that vicinity.”

Feeling yourself blush at the way he looked at you, you began to twiddle your thumbs, suddenly remembering the purpose of what your meeting here was actually for. “Y-Yes. Yes we do. And hopefully we’ll be just as successful as you guys were all those years ago.”

Ignis chuckled, the sound of his joy rumbling in his throat sending delightful shivers down your spine. “We shall indeed. Perhaps we should depart to our destination and see how we fair in such a manner, shall we?”

Nodding to him, you ambled back over to the bench where you had sat your stuff down, but before you could reach down to grab your bags, Ignis swung them over his broad shoulders and carried them for you. “T-thank you,” you said, hiding your blush.

 _Ever the gentleman, isn’t he?_ You thought blissfully.

“My pleasure,” he responded, smiling kindly to you. As you began to tread after him like a newborn duckling chasing its mother, Ignis lead you back up the sprawling steps and to the parking lot. As you neared the vehicle in which apparently belonged to him, you halted dead in your tracks, gasping in veneration. Noticing you following slightly behind him, Ignis turned around and upturned an eyebrow. “What is it, Y/N?”

Almost as if you hadn’t heard Ignis speak, you rushed up to the car and placed your hands gently upon this most luxurious and elegant vehicle that you had ever laid eyes upon. “No…no way…” You said breathlessly, delicately tracing your fingertips over the glossy and classic black Insomnian pant of its exquisite exterior. “This…this can’t possibly be…” You were not one to go crazy over car models, (although you did learn to appreciate such from Cindy’s enthusiasm over her job at Hammerhead), but still, in your imaginings you would have never dreamed that you would be seeing with your very own eyes the car that you would be soon be passenger to. “Is…is this an original Regalia?”

Ignis grinned as he lifted your bags into the backseat of the car. “Indeed,” he replied, “and the very Regalia that once belonged to our late King Regis himself.”

“No way…” You exclaimed, now admiring the pearlescent shimmer of the paint in the morning sun. “It’s absolutely beautiful…and Noct lets you just borrow it like this?”

Ignis chuckled again and adjusted his visor once more on his nose. “Despite the Regalia being the rightful property of our King, he always since the beginning preferred to remain its passenger rather than its conductor. And thus, he actually had indirectly entrusted it to me to be its handler. Whenever I make my rounds outside of the Crown City, it is the Regalia who graces me with her company.” He paused though, him seeming to appreciate your intrigue as he now opened the passenger door for you. “Are you ready to set out then, Y/N?” He asked.

You did your best to hide your blush at his once again gentlemanly act, and so thus nodding to him, you sat down in the car and buckled your seatbelt as he shut your door, him making his way to his side and seating himself in the driver’s seat. Inserting the keys and turning them, the ignition ignited and the engine roared to life, and it was now you found yourselves leaving your hometown and setting out into the unknown adventure that would await you this day.

*********************************************

The first initial ten minutes of the drive were cast in silence, but the lack of conversation between you and your company did not bother you in the least. In fact, the absence of shared words took nothing away from the peace of your mutually shared presence.

As if you could find the courage to speak a word to him, that is, realizing that at this very instant, you and he were all alone with one another, and as you glanced over to see his eyes fixated upon the road ahead of him, the wind slightly tousling the strands of his pompadour, you began to question whether it was your nerves over your job assignment or the intimacy of you being his sole passenger that left your words prisoned within your vocal chords.

 _This is really real. This is actually happening. Please tell me that I’m not just dreaming all of this_ , you thought to yourself as the wind from the road caressed your face and caused your hair to curtain behind you. Anxious over Ignis taking note of your strained mood, you took a deep breath and smiled, trying your best to compartmentalize your anxieties. No matter how much you believed in your own abilities, you couldn’t help but feel anxious over wondering what you may or may not encounter deep within the mines, and now that you knew that it was Ignis who would be your partner, you were all the more set out to make sure you proved yourself a laudable and respected combatant . Wringing your hands together in your lap, you focused your gaze ahead of you as the sun continuously ascended higher in the morning sky.

And yet, despite only being within the company of the strategist just mere amount of times, Ignis appeared quick to take note of your temperament as he cleared his throat. His attention phasing slightly away from the road for just a second to look at you out of the corner of his eyes, he broke the silence. “Would you care to perhaps listen to some music while we drive?” He asked calmly, the undulation of his syllables sending warmth down your spine.

You turned to look at him, hoping that he didn’t notice the faint blush rushing up through your cheeks. “Yes. Yes, I would actually that a lot, Ignis. Maybe that will help me calm down a bit.”

“Then certainly,” Ignis replied, and reaching towards the console of the Regalia, he pressed a button, turned up the volume, then placed his hand back on the wheel.

A gentle piano began to play followed by the angelic voice of a woman. Shutting your eyes as the singer’s vocal chords graced your ears, immediately you felt her words soothe your mind as she sang.

_“I tried to control my shaking with just one sound. I tried to warm the ocean by writing it down. I tried to tame my nightmare line by line. If I write a song about you, does that make you mine?”_

The lyrics seemed to strike a deep nerve within your heart as your eyes fluttered open and you looked out towards the rolling hills on the right side of the Regalia. Swallowing hard, you felt the flush of your cheeks deepen and you prayed to the gods that Ignis did not take notice of your behavior. Tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as best as the wind would allow you to, you finally decided to speak your thoughts to initiate a conversation.

“You know, I do have to say: Not that I would ever think otherwise, but I do really enjoy your taste in music. It reminds me a lot of the kind I myself enjoy.”

Ignis smiled. “Why thank you. Although I don’t always receive the opportunity to enjoy the many compositions of the world as often as I would like, when I do, I appreciate what graces my ears, regardless of style. Although I must say, I always have preferred those of the classical genre. Just something about those symphonies that strike a nerve within the heart.”

You nodded to him and couldn’t help but smile, as though he somehow was reading your mind. “You would have really liked growing up in Altissia then,” you remarked, suddenly feeling safe and comfortable as this conversation began to progress. “I don’t know what it was like in Insomnia, but in Altissia it seemed like there was an orchestra or a quartet of sorts performing somewhere every other day. I always loved just spending a day exploring the city with my friends, and we would head to the market to find some street performers singing. It was always such a nice surprise.”

_“She knows the song won't save her, but what else can she do? She weeps just like a willow. She's playing for you. She's fragile and she's ferocious as the current flows through.”_

A delighted smiled curved itself over Ignis’s lips. “We used to have our fair share of such as well, although I know for certain that none could compare to those composers of Accordo.” He paused, casting a quick and amused glance at you. “I do say, Y/N, that I would truly enjoy to hear more about your life growing up in Altissia.”

_“Who's in control? Who's playing who?”_

You blushed and bit your lower lip at his request and you had to refrain from tapping your foot in eagerness over his apparent curiosity in your past life. “Oh jeese, well where to start…” As your drove over the Lucian highways, for what felt like hours you began to divulge in what appeared like every minute and mundane detail of your early life. From your birthday parties as a child (they were Moogle-themed up until your tenth birthday, you swore), your first gondola ride (and how you happened to fall into frigid waters of the canal), to even the time your best friends dragged you to the Totomostro (wasn’t it illegal for minors to gamble there anyways?), you revealed to Ignis parts of your life that not only had been long forgotten in the last ten years but also fragments of your past that never really were shared with anyone else. Him almost still a stranger to you, you could not quite place a finger on why you felt so contented and at ease with discussing such private memoirs to someone of such high social status. Even more so, your dissertation even felt _natural_ , like you didn’t even have to force the thoughts that left your lips. Even more so, despite how much the conversation you were domineering for the duration of the ride, Ignis never once stopped you and in fact seemed to be absorbed in every word that you uttered.

Perhaps Iris was right. Just being yourself seemed to be working.

“I’ll never forget though the day I found out that Lady Lunafreya would be coming to Altissia,” you said, your recollecting deeper than ever. “And her wedding dress? For the weeks approaching her arrival, every single day I would stop in front of that window and just admire it. It…It was so beautiful…It was a dress that I would daydream about myself wearing…” You became disoriented in thought, remembering how your fingers would gently touch the glass of the display window in hopes to maybe imagine feeling the silks of the dress between your fingers. “How innocent I was back then. So naïve.” You turned to look at him, feeling slightly embarrassed at your admission. “And just to think how different our lives had been, Ignis, at that time. I was so clueless to what was really happening in the world. A simple teenage girl who was so worried about friends and a social life and just passing through school. But you? You had so much responsibility on your plate back then. You were in charge of a king and were in charge of the wellbeing of a whole nation. You still do. It makes me a little bit ashamed of myself now that I look back at it…”

Your words trailed off as you stared blankly out onto the road in front of you, the muscles of your face straining as you questioned your past self. But as if a sudden flame cast your hand into blazing fire, you were jolted out of your contemplations when Ignis’s warmed leather-clad hand placed itself upon yours in the most comforting of ways. Feeling his broad palm overlapping your much smaller hand, you looked to him with your stomach now tightening in knots; despite his focus mainly remaining on the road, he cast a glance at you with a rather serious manifestation upon his handsome face.

_Ignis…what…_

“Never have reason to feel shame or remorse over who you were and who you are now. Life administers diverse fates for all us, some easier to bear while others more testing upon the heart and soul. What matters most is how we confront our trials head on in the present.” His expression softened as he looked at you. “Besides, as chance may have it, more often than not does fate lead those destined for greatness down shared paths. Such as ourselves at this moment, you could say.” And now he smiled at you, showing off his impeccably straight teeth, and as the Regalia rolled to a slow stop, you realized that the entirety of your trip concluded and you arrived at the parking spot outside of the Balouve mines.

_“I am the orchestra. The conductor too. My heart is a concert hall and I filled it with you...”_

“And here we are,” Ignis mused, his lips still turned upwards in a grin.

“Holy crap, that was faster of a trip than I thought!” You said breathlessly. Feeling a certain warmth still present, you looked down to realize his leather-clad hand was still situated softly upon yours, and it was all you could do to refrain from biting your lip as your stomach rolled around into tight little nervous knots.

Ignis pressed his frames back upon the bridge of his nose with his free hand and smiled. “Well as they do say, times does pass swiftly when in the agreeable companies of others, and said company shall continue for our affair. Are you ready for our task today, Y/N?” Ignis took his hand away from yours much to your dislike as he unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the Regalia to open the passenger door for you. Blushing at his chivalry and clumsily unbuckling your belt, still reeling internally over why his hand had remained upon yours for so long, you exited the Regalia and joined him alongside the vehicle as you both began to rummage around and grab at your gear. But the true question was this at this very moment:

Were you really ready?

“Y-yeah, I think I’m good. Just don’t mind me though. It’s been a while since I’ve been in ‘hunt’ mode, so you’ll have to bear with me as best as you can in case I look like a bumbling idiot if we run into something.” Suddenly losing your grip on your knapsack, your bag slipped from your hands and spilled out several potions onto the dusty earth beneath you, and you could have cursed yourself for how uncouth you looked in front of the tactician.

Ignis walked over to you and helped you pick up the goods with an amused smile. “I can assure you, Y/N that you and I are in the same boat. Do not fret. I’ll be there to help you each step of the way.”

Getting a hold on your materials, you stood up and tucked your hair behind your ear again. “You know, Ignis, even though I know it was Holly that hired you, I’m still really grateful that you’re the one who is going to be helping me today.” Feeling a sudden self-assurance beam from within you, you smiled at him, and deep in your heart you knew your words were more than sincere even regardless of your affections for the man. “This job is going to be a huge pain in the ass, and not to sound selfish, but I’m kinda happy that you’ll be bearing the frustration of this with me.”

Ignis took the hefty baggage from your hands and chortled. A small smirk was now plastered upon his face, and you titled your head in trying to comprehend his reaction. “And I bear the frustration gladly,” he said, “although I know that there is more than one reason Holly employeed me to assist you today. Over those ten years ago, Noctis, Prompto, Gladiolus, and myself actually made our way through these very mines to regain a Royal Sigil for the King’s arsenal in the plight against Ardyn.”

Your eyes widened as you coughed with surprise. “W-What? Are you serious! And you are just telling me this now?” Instantly you truly felt like a jester in this manner. _He’s already been here and I’m supposed to be showing_ him _around the place to fix it? Astrals, he’s going to think I’m an idiot!_

How the strategist was so quick to analyze your reactions was beyond you (perhaps that is why he WAS known as the Strategist), but Ignis dually took note of your expression and placed his hand upon your shoulder, the contact suddenly searing into your skin like a brand on a tamed Garula. “I can assure you though, Y/N, that despite my previous ventures here, my past endeavor was an eternity ago for an entirely different purpose than what we intend accomplish today. You shall be the expert today, and I will your right-hand man.”

Gods, did you absolutely love the sound of that.

You sighed, laughing at him. “Ok, if you say so. Still, I’m glad that it’s you that I know I’ll be able to count on.”

“Always,” he replied warmly. “Now are you ready, Y/N?”

“Readier than I will ever be, Iggy.”

You almost gasped in shock as began to blush immediately. Such a nickname had only been reserved intimately for those closest to the royal advisor, and yet here you were, uttering it so casually and naturally like you had been saying it for years. And yet, as you looked upon the countenance of Ignis Scientia, you could not help but feel your heart engorge at the sight of him smiling broadly, him seeming to enjoy your use of such a nickname. With a breeze blustering past you and swishing your hair around your face, you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear as you smiled back, and with the tactician motioning for you to come to his side, you and your right-hand man headed up the hill to the entrance of the mine.

*******************************************

You were not kidding around with Ignis when you said that this job would be unceasingly painstaking. You had checked prior to entering the mine that the connectivity to power was up and running just fine, and so reaffirming what you already knew, something with the connection to electricity was an issue within the facility itself. Studying the map of the structure’s mainframe layout, you saw that you would have four floors of dark pathways, halls, piping, and shafts to contend with. This meant each and every floor’s circuit breaker as well every line of wiring had to be inspected from the bottom down and scrutinized thoroughly. To make matters even complicated and problematic, the elevator had only worked about halfway down through the facility and so much of your inspection process required you to walk down winding and rickety staircases.

You had sighed to yourself, feeling the sweat accumulate on your face after each tiny wire and cord was evaluated. _Not that I’m doubting Ignis at all, but damn. Did Holly honestly believe that I was capable of getting this job done by myself?_

All the while Ignis had been nothing but the most exceptional help you could have asked for. He was able to reach higher plugs that you could not get to due to your shorter stature, and his ability to balance and walk across piping was almost like watching an acrobat perform at a carnival. You were more than overly impressed at how adept this man seemed to be in every facet of his existence, and while you realistically knew he had years of combat training molded into his repertoire as well possessing learnings in various fields of combat and martial arts, you couldn’t help but feel humiliated over your rookie skills as a fighter compared to his.

Ignis had taken notice of your crestfallen mien while you two took a short lunch break to indulge in a batch of rice cakes he had prepared by hand (and Astrals, was his cooking divine). “Whatever pray tell is the matter, Y/N?” He asked you as he took his glasses off and cleaned them on his shirt. Despite the obscurity and murkiness of the mine, the flashlights clipped to your clothing provided enough lighting for you to examine his troubled expression. You felt yourself briefly getting lost in his strained but stunning green eyes as he looked at you, and you cleared your throat quickly before you made an embarrassment out of yourself.

“I-It’s nothing,” you said hastily, trying to force a smile upon your face. “I’m just having one of those moments of self-doubt is all. I just feel bad. This has taken us several hours so far and we have yet to find any major problems. I…feel like I’m sorta wasting your time, is all.”

You looked away from him and cast your eyes down to your hands, trying to hide your disgrace when Ignis shifted his seat directly next to yours. Instantaneously you felt the intense balminess radiating from his body and your face blushed and your stomach knotted at his sudden proximity.

_We’re down here, all alone, in the dark…with no one nearby…_

Your throat tightened as you attempted to push your inappropriate thoughts back into the depths of your skull, but snapshots from your dream of his mouth pressed to your throat and his hands grabbing possessively at your waist popped into your mind and almost made an embittered groan leave your lips.

_No, not now…please don’t let such thoughts distract me from this job. Please, I just need to -_

But to make your matters even worse, Ignis suddenly placed a hand upon your shoulder, causing heat to shoot to your loins but nonetheless drawing your attention back to him.

“Y/N, I can assure you that this is not a waste of my time. This is equally my responsibility as it is yours. And I must say: I have worked with many of the ladies of EXINERIS in my past experiences and I find you to be the most diligent, arrant, and meticulous at your work. I could not name a single other individual whom I’d rather work with at this moment. So, please, do not be so harsh on yourself and have confidence. We will solve this issue together.”

Ignis ended with a smile and he continued to eat his meal, and you smiled at him in return, your head now soaring into the realms of the Astrals at his compliment. “Thank you,” you murmured quietly.

_Oh gods, why is he so sweet?_

Once you had both finished your meal, you analyzed the blueprints to the mine in the darkened light and saw that each and every single outlet and cable thus far had been thoroughly checked. You sighed deeply, feeling more determined than ever to solve this matter. “Ok Ignis, we’ve got one floor to go, and this seems to be where the majority of the generators are. If we don’t find anything downstairs, then I’m completely stumped. I just hope we can get this fixed so we can get this mine up and running once more. That and I’m kinda missing what daylight looks like right about now.”

The two of you managed to locate the staircase down to the final floor, and as you descended, you noticed an odd stench that seemed to grow more nauseous as you walked down each tread.

“Be careful, Y/N,” Ignis said, taking the lead in front of you. “Best to be cautious as we truly don’t know what we’re up against.”

Nodding to him, you followed closely behind him, your hunter’s instincts kicking in as you carefully unsheathed your katana and held it at your side. As you reached the bottom of the steps, you followed a small pathway along a set of rusty rails. Above you, you noticed a series of lights swaying gently in the drafty air of the tunnel. “It looks like this is gonna take us to a large room,” you announced, recalling the floor plans.

You two continued to tread carefully through the tunnel and after a minute or so, your conjecture had been correct: you and Ignis now emerged into a large anteroom occupied with machinery that looked like it hadn’t been touched in ages. Noticing once again above you the stray swaying bulbs that drooped from the rafters, you found yourself bewildered.

“Huh. So the power is clearly reaching down here. The question is something must be offline on one of those machines that connects up to the surface. And it’s our job to figure out what that is.”

“Indeed,” Ignis said in response, now sitting down your bags and cracking the knuckles of his hands. Instantly he turned to warrior mode as he began to scan around the room, and you watched with fascination at the manner in which he analyzed his surroundings. “Do take caution,” he said quietly. “That odor is more than enigmatic and abstruse, although I don’t think we have to worry about it being toxic. Or at least I am hoping it’s not.” Ignis pointed up to the ceiling, and taking note of his observation, you saw that there was sunlight streaming through in minute beams. “We are far under the surface and light managed to reach down here somehow, which means _something_ could have easily squeezed and meddled its way in too.”

“Right,” you said, nodding to him, and setting to work, you both went opposite directions and began to survey the chamber for each and every detail. Inspecting each engine, you could tell that for the most part, nothing was really wrong with the equipment. Yet somehow, power was not reaching the individual contraptions. You moved up and down each aisle, checking the nodules and looking for loose cables, but it wasn’t until you got to the very end of a row of apparatuses that you found excitement overcome you.

“Ignis! I found something!” You said excitedly to him across the room wherever he was. Running up ahead, you saw upon the floor a power cord that had been tangled and wrapped up in knots, and upon closer inspection, your eyes widened as you noticed that there had been a large gash in the cord, causing it to spark slightly. Looking around the floor you noticed that several others were in this same condition. Kneeling upon one knee to get a closer look, you grimaced at something quite peculiar: each cord not only looked like it had been gnawed upon by jagged and razor-sharp teeth, but these markings were also covered in a foul and sickly slime that smelled reminiscent of the odor in the air.

_Oh…oh no…._

You had seen this fluid before, and it had NOT been good.

_Shit…I should have known right away by that smell…_

“I-Iggy!” You said alarmingly, scrutinizing your surroundings hurriedly. Grasping upon your katana more tightly you began to frantically peruse the habitat of the beast that you would soon be brawling. But before Ignis could respond to you, a droplet of something sticky and gaseous fell upon your shoulder, and with hesitant eyes you looked up towards the ceiling to let out a high-pitched shriek.

“Y/N!” He yelled, a sudden and absolute terror in his voice. Within an instant he rounded a corner and his eyes fell to you to see that you had fallen upon your back, and his framed eyes widened in dismay as his gaze fell to the vile and menacing Malboro towering over your body. To make matters even more treacherous, skittering down the walls were several of its young sprouts, their penetrating squeaks echoing across the room and their acid spit spewing across the floor as they approached you.

Seeing Ignis arrive for assistance was all the strength you needed to help you stand up and muster the courage to fight. Now standing on both feet firmly, you leapt backwards and over one of the sprouts, kicking it in the side of its head as Ignis rushed towards you and stood by your side you.

“W-What the hell are Malboros doing down here?” You queried with perplexity, almost to yourself as you and Ignis began your assault on the ominous organisms. Channeling your métier and quickly shifting back into the practiced warrior that you once were, you adroitly and dexterously swung your katana at one of the sprouts that attempted to wrap its tiny tentacle around your ankle, and you almost lost your footing upon the ground had Ignis not grabbed you by the arm to steady you. “I’ve fought these only a few times but they always seem to prefer wet or damp areas like swamps! What gives?”

Ignis huffed as he slashed at the youngling with his daggers that breathtakingly materialized from thin air. His brow was furrowed and his teeth were gritted as he stood in front of you like a human shield. “I think they’ve perhaps made home here for that very reason. They must have found the humidity and dimness of this place bolstering.” Ignis laid waste to another sprout and a smirk appeared upon his face. “But clearly, that is something that we can’t allow.”

As a well harmonized team, the two of you made quick business of the Malboro infants, but you had to do everything in your power to focus as the mother Malboro loomed towards you; watching Ignis wield his weapons was mesmerizing beyond compare and you could not help but find yourself in absolute awe that it was you of all people who had the honor of fighting beside one of the members of the King’s Crownsguard. As you and Ignis separately scoured the room, the Malboro thundered loudly and her sickeningly disgusting breath permeated the air, both you and Ignis hastily covering your mouths to prevent yourselves from gagging and passing out from her nauseous breath. Quivering and lashing its hundreds of tentacles in your specific direction, out from its gaping mouth popped several more infants, and you struggled to focus on where they landed within the room as you held your breath.

“N-not that I’m doubting your ability to take this beast out,” Ignis yelled over the groaning of the creature, “but might I suggest us making quick work of it and utilize a little bit of fireworks on this menace?” Your eyes broadened as Ignis materialized an orb in his hands, smashed it within his palms, and now his hands and daggers blazed with a radiant flame. Turning your focus back to the immediate task at hand, you began slashing the various sprouts around the room, taking them out with ease but tired exertion. From the corner of your eye you watched as Ignis effortlessly laid waste to the Malboro queen with his blazing daggers, and you cheered loudly for him as the creature dropped onto the ground with its gaping cavernous mouth down upon the floor.

“Way to go, Ignis!” You yelled triumphantly, but before the words could fully escape your lips, another earsplitting roar thundered from behind you and a large tentacle snapped tightly around your ankle, ripping you from your balance and having your head smack against the floor. Your vision blurring as you attempted to comprehend your pain, throbbing tears oozed from your eyes and a gaseous odor filled your senses once more. As your body slowly was dragged across the floor like a bag of Saxham rice, you swore you heard your name being hollered. As your body was scraped and dragged upon the dingy floor, using all the energy you had within you, you pushed yourself off your stomach and flipped onto your back to see that inch by inch, you were yanked closer and closer to another cavernous and endless mouth of a gigantic Malboro.

_N-no…even worse...that’s a Malbadoom…_

The creature began to dribble and spew its slime upon your body and you screamed as the viscous fluid started to burn at your flesh. You lifted your arm to slash at its tentacle and cut your ankle loose from its grasp, but much to your dismay and repugnance, you were quick to realize you had dropped your blade when you made impact with the floor. Whimpering and shrieking in absolute agony, you tore at its tentacle with all the capacity your hands could muster, yet the venom from the beast’s spittle began to weaken your muscles.

_I’ve fought these before. I’ve beat these before. Why am I failing myself now…_

But right before you felt your eyes shutting with enervation, your vision was filled with an explosion of fire. Through obscure sight you saw the Malbadoom writhe and wriggle as its body was engulfed in flames, and quickly it let go of its grasp upon your ankle. With your sight almost fading now, you watched a figure leap into the air, drive its daggers into the cranium of the fiend, and with a mortifying and blood curdling scream, the creature thudded to the floor and was no more.

“Y/N! Y/N!” Yelled a voice frantically. Your eyes slowly flittered open as you realized that it was Ignis who was speaking to you. Feeling your body flush crimson, you noticed he was kneeling over you, desperately fumbling with an antidote and potion in his hands; given the potential seriousness of your current condition, you almost found yourself laughing at the disconcerted and gauche motions of the rather usual calm and collected advisor as he attempted to aid you. Soon though you felt a warmth surge through your aching limbs, and within under ten seconds you found yourself blinking with bewilderment.

You were now perfectly fine as if nothing had ever happened.

 _Perhaps I’m a bit rustier on my skills than I thought_ , you muttered in your head to yourself.

But just as you were about to sit yourself up into a seated position and brush off your dirty limbs and hands, immediately your body was engulfed by an entirely different brand of fire; within one fluid and nimble motion, your body was pulled into the embrace of Ignis Scientia’s arms. Despite the disgusting stench in the air left behind by the slain vegetal menaces, the aroma of Ignis’s cologne and sweat filled your senses and soothed you beyond reprieve. As your brain became unfrazzled from your case of poisoning, with heat coursing through your limbs and down into your loins, you suddenly realized just exactly how close the man was to you. The musculature and tautness of his frame pressed you and your face tightly against his chest, and with trembling hands you instinctually raised your hands to place themselves upon the planes of his pectorals through the fabric of his shirt.

_Oh Astrals…Ignis…Ignis…what…?_

Pulling you away from him ever so slightly, Ignis gently grasped the bottom of your chin to lift your face to look at him. “Gods, Y/N, are you alright?” He murmured anxiously, his eyes overwrought with concern. His hands were trembling in a manner that you never would have expected from him as he seemed scanned every inch of your body for any other potential incurred injuries. Noticing that your own body was shaking, you moved your smaller hand and placed it on top of his.

“Y-Yeah Ignis, I’m totally ok. Just a little bit caught off guard.” You said sheepishly as you smiled up at him, now fully back to your senses. You paused as he sighed a sigh of relief, and even though he leaned back slightly from you to give you room to breathe, you realized that he made no motion to move away from you just yet. Attempted to hide your blush, you swallowed deeply and continued. “Although I have to say that I feel pretty damn stupid right now. I’ve been hunting for how long and you think I should know that the Malboro species likes to hunt with a partner.”

You shifted yourself slightly and as a result Ignis backed away from you to give you space, much to your own dislike. Standing up and taking your hands, he carefully pulled you onto your feet. Only faltering slightly as you still felt a little woozy and dizzy, overall you felt pretty fine despite your circumstance. But now that your brain could think more coherently as you brushed yourself off of your grit and grim, it was Ignis’ expression that caught you off guard the most. You had only ever seen Ignis remain serious and collected and yet at this moment the royal advisor appeared as though he just witnessed someone he cared about die.

Biting your lip and smiling up at him, you placed your hand upon his shoulder to reassure him. “Ignis? I’m ok! Really!” Yet as you tried to assuage his worries, something in his eyes remained edgy. Crossing your arms, you sighed. “Ignis, look: I’ve hunted for years and years, long before I met you. Do you know how many times I’ve had life and death experiences just like that? Too many too count! So what’s one more? It’s ok. I promise you. I’m totally –”

But severing your sentence, Ignis drew you into his arms and pressed you close to his chest. Feeling that electricity and heat blaze through your bloodstream once again, you lost yourself to the sensation of his toned chest pillowing your cheek. As if your body needed no other remedy than this, you inhaled deeply and felt your lashes flutter close as you once more took in the scent of his cologne that made you faint with giddiness. _Ignis…Ignis…_ Slowly lifting your face to look up at his, his expression was strained and entirely unreadable. As if though he had been caught staring awkwardly at you, he quickly let go of you and looked away from your gaze.

“M-My apologies, Y/N,” he blurted hastily as though he felt he overstepped some sort of boundary. “You beyond alarmed me. I was afraid for a moment that something grave had happened to you and I simply could not live with myself if such transpired on my account.”

_Ignis…_

His words plucked painfully at your heart strings and your chest augmented at his implication. Being reasonable in the sense that he’d fear for any person’s life, yes, this was not a mystery to you. However, it was something within the way his eyes shimmered that you simply could not discern, and this alone made your mouth go dry. As you mulled his words over in your mind even further, your expression softened. Gods, had you been alone today? What on earth would you have done? What exactly WOULD have happened to you had Ignis not been here with you?

And so feeling grateful beyond compare that you would live to see another dusk and dawn, you inhaled deeply and placed a hand upon your savior’s shoulder, thankful that your companion had stood by your side. “Perhaps what I meant to say to you is thank you,” you said quietly and sincerely. “Again, you saved me once more. Really Ignis. Thank you.”

And so today, a fire had set itself ablaze in more than just one way.

*****************************************************

By the time you and Ignis were able to clean up the chaos caused by the vegetative monstrosities, many more hours had passed. Much to your aversion, it had taken much longer than anticipated to get everything functioning in running order. But with your expertise and Ignis’s intelligence and quick ability to learn, the two of you managed officially declare that Balouve Mines would be ready for service once more. You and Ignis had made note of the faults of the facility such as the giant holes in the ceiling that allowed critters to enter as well as any various faulty stairways and lighting discrepancies within the building. When you exited the mines you immediately reported to Holly the status of your completed mission, and so first thing in the morning, a team of the EXERNIS ladies as well as the recently trained Balouve employees could begin work on amending the facility for full use.

“Ya done good, girl! I knew that I could count on you! And we gotta thank the King big time for allowing us to borrow Mr. Scientia’s time.”

Upon exiting the mine, checked the time to see that the entirety of the day had passed. _It’s 7:48…were we really down in the mine this WHOLE time?_

But respite came for your aching muscles and tired joints. After another small passage of time, you were now resting back in your room at the Three Zs Motel, sitting with your hair wet from a hot shower and your body swathed in a fluffy bathrobe and lightweight pajamas. Feeling all tension leave your body, you were gazing out into the night sky through the open patio doors of your motel room, your legs hugged to your body as you sat on the love seat. As you blissfully counted the stars in the sky to help you gather your thoughts, unexpectedly you felt an ample heat course through your blood. Reaching up to touch your face, you felt that your face was flushed and that your heart was thumping madly at the sudden thoughts of what had truly transpired today.

The attention he gave you as you divulged in your past. That touch of his hand for reassurance. His embrace when you were hurt. The concern in his voice over worrying if you were alright. Was this all a very real truth or just a fancy? Was there something more to his actions that you were lead on to believe or was perhaps your mind creating but enfeebled façade to give you a single shred of hope?

_Stop being so silly, Y/N._

_No, be hopeful. You’re not imagining this._

_But how sure are you, Y/N?_

You opened your mouth to speak to yourself when you heard a gentle knock upon the door to your room that startled you and made you jump in your seat. “J-Just a minute!” You mumbled shakily, hastily standing up and wrapping your bathrobe tightly around your body. Reaching for the door handle and opening up the door, Ignis now stood in its framework.

_Oh dear gods…_

The tactician was donned in a crisp t-shirt and black sweat pants, and seeing him dressed so casually made your heart flutter. His hair too was wet and combed back neatly off of his face, and in his hands he held two take-out boxes that were plastered with the face of Kenny Crow. Feeling your throat tighten as he smiled at you, you had to stop yourself from gawking at the sight of how utterly relaxed he looked. Still, despite your girlish thoughts that began to race around your mind, you looked at the containers in his hands, not even realizing until this very second as the smell of fast food wafted into your nose that you had been utterly starving.

“I’ve brought us dinner,” Ignis said to you, now motioning to the coffee table inside you room. “Care if I join you?”

You rolled your eyes and laughed at him, stepping aside to allow him to come in. “No in fact,” you said sarcastically. “I much rather prefer to eat in a strange and unknown place in the company of myself.”

Ignis chuckled as he seated himself upon the love seat where you had been perched, him motioning for you to sit down beside him. Ignis opened the take-out boxes to reveal meals of Kenny Crow’s famous salmon on sandwiches with hot crispy fries. Out of a smaller bag he had been carrying Ignis took out two bottles of Jetty’s, and as he placed them upon the table, you couldn’t help but raise your eyebrow with curiosity.

“Something tells me that you are forcing yourself to eat this,” you said playfully to him. You had known for a fact that based on his and your companions’ stories, Ignis always attempted to persuade the boys to avoid eating fast food at all costs because it was too greasy and could make everyone sick.

Ignis snickered in the most delightful of ways. “Make no mistake, dear. While I prefer to indulge in my own culinary endeavors or of those who share equal passion for the art, a man every now and then likes to pander in the…more forbidden fruits of life.” Immediately you felt yourself blushing deeply at the potential double entendre of his words and you prayed to the Astrals that he did not take note of what he himself had said. Ignis reached for a fry, dipped it into ketchup and then took a bite. He paused before he allowing himself another bite. “Just do take care not to mention that to Noct, or otherwise I will never hear the end of it.” He winked at you now, and soon you found yourself giggling.

The majority of your meal had passed once more not in an awkward silence but that of one shared between the company of compatible individuals. You and Ignis gazed out onto the rolling fields behind the motel and up into the beautiful starlight of the sky as you listened to the chorus of the nocturnal creatures conducting music. You remembered how it had not been too long ago when one would have to fear the daemons that would appear on such a night, but tonight, with the moon casting a fantastic radiance upon the darkened horizon, you could once again not help but feel appreciative of all that you had in life and the peace that now reigned around the world.

Both you and Ignis were finishing the remainder of your fries when the imageries of him wielding his magic daggers from earlier came back into your mind, and you felt your cheeks go rosy in light of how awed this made you feel. Clearing your throat, you decided to break the silence.

“I’m sure you’re getting tired of hearing me say this already,” you began, tucking a strand of your now dampened hair behind your ear, “but I once again want to say thank you for everything you’ve done to help me today. I…I still really can’t imagine having to have done all that work by myself.”

Ignis leaned back on the loveseat in a relaxed position, folding his hands over his stomach as he breathed deeply and smiled, and gods you could not envision more lovely of a sight. “The pleasure was all mine, Y/N,” he said warmly, looking to you softly. “Although Holly did in fact hire me due to my acquaintance of the area, I can’t but help think she foresaw that you and I would work so harmoniously as a team.”

You blushed at his words as your bare toes squirmed with delight. “Yeah, we do, don’t we? Although I’d like to think that today it was _me_ who played the role of side-kick and not the other way around like you said.” You looked at him more seriously now, feeling esteem wash over you. “I have to say, Ignis…I’ve worked with many Glaives in my hunting career and have seen a lot of them work their magic. But you? I’m just…speechless. I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life.” _The way he wielded those flames…just how can someone be so skilled? No one even comes close to him…_

You noticed a faint blush seep itself into Ignis’s cheeks that darkened the beautiful marring of his countenance, and his humble response to your words made you smile. “Practice dear,” he said simply. “Lots of practice and years of studying and training. Of course a warrior is only as good as his King and so my abilities with magic and Armiger weapons are thus limited and connected solely to the powers of Noctis and the Ring of the Lucii…”

But suddenly his words trailed off and your brows furrowed together as you studied the shift of his expression. Something…something in his appearance was off, and now, as Ignis gazed out through the patio doors and into the night sky, you couldn’t help but feel that something from long ago forced itself into his thoughts. You perused the details of his face, the depths of his eyes masked with a notion you couldn’t comprehend, and so biting your lip you became lost at what to say.

_Oh Ignis…when will I ever have the courage to ask what did this to you and what happened to you in your past? What is it that you are hiding and what are you really all about?_

But no sooner than his expression transformed, Ignis’s demeanor was back to normal, his face lit up with a warming smile. “Perhaps one day, if you are curious and would like to learn, I could teach you a little bit about brandishing new classes weapons and even exercising magic.”

Your eyes widened at this. Teach you? That could only imply one thing, that he had the intent to see you in the future. “Yes. I would really like that a lot, Ignis,” you murmured breathlessly. _And not just to become a better fighter too. Time with you? I would never take that for granted._

Several more moments had passed in the contented reticence of one’s another’s company when you let out squeaky yawn and stretched your arms. From the corner of your eyes you saw a smile tug at the corner of Ignis’s lips, and he too followed suite as he stretched his long legs and stood up, your eyes following him as he moved.

“I do think, Y/N, that it is time we both retire for the evening. A long drive awaits us in the morning and duty shall unfortunately call for the both of us thereafter.”

You stood up in front of him, hiding your smile. _Unfortunately, huh_? You thought to yourself, grinning in your mind. You followed Ignis as he made his way over to the door. “At least we can both go to bed tonight with the gratification we accomplished something worthwhile today,” you said, only now realizing the vastness of the task you as a duo accomplished. “That will give us something good to sleep on.”

“Indeed,” Ignis said, now opening the door and standing in the door frame. “And here is to hoping for many more successes to come in the near future.” He paused his words and smiled at you. “Do not hesitate to knock on my door if something should arise by happenstance in the middle of the night. Otherwise I shall see you bright and early first thing in the morn.”

You nodded to him with a smile. “Goodnight, Ignis. Sleep well,” you said quietly, now gently pushing the door shut with your hand as he stepped out. But before you could rationalize his motions, Ignis suddenly turned back around and stopped the door from shutting behind him. Raising an eyebrow, you felt yourself begin to tremble as you gazed up at Ignis, his countenance impossible to read and yet a tenderness present in his eyes that you had never seen anyone look at you like that in such a manner in your entire life. And then, taking one step closer to you through the doorframe, Ignis slowly lifted his hands, placed them delicately upon the sides of your face, and lowered his lips to place a gentle kiss upon your forehead.

“Sweetest of dreams, Y/N.” He breathed softly. “Goodnight.”

And before your brain could grasp at the sparks that ignited themselves throughout every fiber and nerve in your body, he had turned and was gone, leaving you standing there speechless in the night air, the moonlight casting its light down upon you as you wavered breathlessly within the motel doorway.

_“Who's in control? Who's playing who? I am the orchestra. The conductor too. My heart is a concert hall and I filled it with you…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another bit of headcanon: In terms of the "scarring" on Iggy's body, I'm convinced that based on what we see happen to Iggy's body in Verse 2 of Episode Ignis, there is now way that the rest of his body other than his face when unscathed by using the Ring of the Lucii. It had to have done SOMETHING to him logically, considering is whole body was on fire with this magical flame.


	6. Remain Nameless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy is the tension building between these two! I wanted to use this chapter to help foster a little bit more of the pain these two feel at being separated from one another. While we know the Reader clearly has fallen head over heels for Iggy, he on the other hand almost doesn't know how to process what he truly feels inside (He's so precious, I swear). I promise that there will be following chapters that will be more plotty-driven and such and we'll see the tension these two share explode!
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_Everybody lets you down_

_In this brief hole of a town_

_What a difference of the rushing out_

_Tell me what you're running from_

 

_I know everybody lets you down_

_I'll do the same_

_But know I'll always be around_

_This can remain the same_

 

_Call me when you need me_

_Call me anything you want_

_Darling, believe me_

_Nothing I haven't done before_

_-Florence and the Machine –“Remain Nameless”_

Only several weeks had passed since your triumph at the Balouve Mines; finally, years after remaining obsolete in use due to the occurrence of the Lucian-Accordian and Niflheim War from many a year ago, the facility was functioning to full capacity once again. Trekking out to the mines herself to inspect the establishment as well converse with and interview the mine’s employees on their own personal inspections of the facility’s functionality, Holly had been so overly impressed with the work you and Ignis accomplished that she had offered you a more than sumptuous raise and promotion. Not only did she increase your salary by 5% but she also promoted you to the new title of assistant supervisor during day shifts along with Jeanne, which meant you now had full authority on making executive verdicts with all plans for the day’s itinerary at the plant, both on site and out in the field.

“I’m tellin’ ya kid, I knew that you could do it,” Holly exclaimed upon receiving your report and completing her own inspections of the facility in person herself. “And for all your hard work, I’m giving you a raise. A big one. I think you’re long overdue for one of those. Oh, and I’m adding in an extra two weeks’ vacation time for how hard you have been working. There are days that I feel you practically live here and it’s about time that you give yourself some hard and well-earned R&R.” She smiled cheekily at you from behind her desk at her remark. “Although I suppose I should be blaming myself for that since I’m the one who makes the schedule and it’s technically me that is making you work so hard.”

Your eyes widened at her offer, feeling utterly aphonic and undeserving over receiving such praise. While issues with EXINERIS’s union representation in the past had left you feeling more than exhausted after working through some particularly long and daunting shifts, even still, you never felt personally that Holly had ever been unfair to you as a boss. At this instant as your hands began to play around with the fabric of your overalls, you truly couldn’t help but feel more than indebted to the offer she was bestowing you with. “B-But Holly…that’s…that’s so much extra time off! If you give me any more vacation time I’ll practically never be here at the plant.” You paused, grinning sheepishly at her from behind her desk. “Not that I’m not appreciative or anything, because I am, but isn’t giving me all of this extra time away from the plant being counterproductive to all my ‘hard work’?”

Holly chuckled at this as you both now stood up. “No buts,” she replied to you firmly, grinning. “Seeing the mines for myself? I didn’t even have to think twice about making this decision. You deserve it. I mean it.” She paused as she opened up the door to her office, her expression contemplative. “I really do mean it kid. I really don’t know what I would have done without you and your help all this time…”

Her words tugged at your heart strings, and as you now left her office you couldn’t help but fight against the smile that broadened itself across your lips. _A raise? A promotion? Two whole more weeks off_? You mused to yourself. _That’s so much time…_ As you headed back to your station for the day and continued to work tiresomely with intricate wires, the more you thought about your good news, you realized that perhaps having the extra time off here and there to explore and indulge in interests you’ve neglected in the last many years would be more than beneficial to your sanity and wellbeing. _Maybe I could travel a little bit_. _Pick up a craft of sorts to work on…_ _Yes. Yes, this is a good thing. Embrace it and be happy for yourself, Y/N!_

When lunch time arrived and you had hastily made your way over to the Partellum Market for your usual midday feast, there was but one individual with whom you could not wait to share your news. Ordering a hearty meaty cutlet sandwich and perching yourself upon one of the sets of scaffolding back towards the plant, you urgently reached into your overall’s pocket, whipped out your cellphone, and texted the royal advisor.

 **You’ll never believe what I just found out today, Iggy**! You texted to him playfully, using his nickname as if you had known him all your life, and you began to ravenously munch on your sandwich as you impatiently waited for his reply. While your interactions with the tactician were limited to text messages and the occasional phone call, you could not help but notice how attentive the man had become in regards to your daily schedule. You could only ponder just how physically assiduous and mentally depleting his role at the Citadel left him by the end of each day, and yet there he was, taking care to memorize your timetable like clockwork so he knew when to reach out to you and check on your wellbeing. Even more so, despite how sporadic and stressful his engaged tasks could be at any given time and moment, he also knew just exactly when to anticipate a response from you as well and he hardly ever failed to be prompt with his responses.

Quite frankly, the very thought of this made you tingle with glee, inside and out.

You waited for a few moments when your phone buzzed and lit up.

**And what, may I ask, did you find out? :)**

You laughed at his use of a smiley face at the end of his text, the man having always been ever so serious in all of his decorum. However, you noticed as of late as the weeks passed on that he was slowly loosening the reigns of his formalities around you, and just the thought of him speaking to you so naturally made you blush with delight.

**Holly finally went to Balouve for herself to check out all our hard work and she is super impressed with everything we’ve done. So…not only did she give me a generous raise and a promotion, but she also gave me two extra weeks off a year!**

Typing the words to him and hitting ‘send’ on the message further affirmed the reality of your situation, and as you sat there and took another bite out of your sandwich, you realized now how truly ecstatic you were over knowing that everything you had worked so strenuously towards had not been in vain. Wiping away at the sweat accumulating on your forehead (it was another scorcher in Lestallum today) and swinging your legs over the ledge of the scaffolding, you grinned as your phone lit up once again.

**That is most wonderful news. You have no idea how truly elated I am for you in every sense of the word. Clearly we must celebrate for all of your hard work.**

You shook your head at this, taking note of Igni’s lack of any credit he should be giving himself.

**You do realize that I would be dead at the bottom of those mines if it wasn’t for you, right? So clearrrrrly I can’t say that my luck is all due to my work. I have YOU to thank as well! You know that I couldn’t have done the job without you…**

And it was true. What would you have really have done had he not been there by your side to protect you? And so as you sat there and began to mull over in your mind the events of your trial together with Ignis deep in those mine shafts, you slowly started to hope that there would be future prospects of working with him once again.

 _We made a pretty good team together, didn’t we?_ You mused.

**And might I add that I am most grateful you are alive and well. However, I do appreciate you giving me credit in the assistance of your endeavors, even if they are half deserved. Surely I will find a way to ensure we utilize your newly awarded time off well.**

Heat coursed through each of your nerves and your heart sputtered in your breast as you read his words carefully, considering exactly what he could be thinking of. You bit your lip and tucked your hair behind your ear, suddenly finding the wistful and blushing young-hearted girl from within you emerge. While you knew that his duties as of late kept him engaged as ever, there was something overtly exciting about the potential prospect of seeing him on one of these off-scheduled days.

Even more so, what would he suggest doing to occupy this time?

Flushing deeply and feeling your toes wriggle around in your boots, you typed back a confident response:

**Believe me when I say that I look forward to it. :)**

Another moment or so passed as you finished your sandwich and wiped your hands upon your overalls when your phone buzzed once more.

**And do trust me when I say that I look forward to such as well… Do you already have established engagements tonight when you are off work?**

You titled your head as you read his words, your heart skipping a beat as you anxiously typed back:

**No, I don’t have any plans. I will be no busier than I ever am. And why, might I ask, do you ask?**

_Now you have me rather curious, Ignis Scientia…._

**Just asking for a friend** , the tactician replied in a rather playful and sassy manner, and you felt yourself laughing out loud and shaking your head at his sudden mystique. **I do loathe to cut this conversation short, Y/N, but duty calls and Noctis, Ravus, and myself are currently** **engaged in a rather serious matter. I shall tell you more about it later though, I promise.**

Your heart instantaneously constricted within your chest. While it was a potential risk of working for a king’s court, you could not help but feel restless and apprehensive whenever Ignis mentioned particularly worrisome affairs of the court that he couldn’t always quite disclose with you. Above all you had the pleasure of knowing, Ignis Scientia was more than capable of tackling and resolving any problem that was thrown in his direction, but to put it short? You yourself felt utterly helpless and commiserable, being so far away from him and knowing you couldn’t do a damn thing in the world to help him.

Why you were panicking so much at this instant, you were not quite sure.

 **Is everything ok?** You typed backed with shaky hands.

Immediately he replied. **Yes, Y/N, do not fret. I can assure you that all is well. I will discuss the matters with you in more detail later on tonight, but until then, do take care, dear…**

_Dear…_

Just one word. One simple word. How did it have the complete and utter ability to render you breathless, whenever it was spoken to you? Even more sweetly so in the most chaste of manners, did Ignis even begin to fathom the affect it had on you whenever he uttered such term of endearment? Was he even aware he spoke it and what it might imply? You took a deep breath, heat blazing through your bloodstream as you lifted your phone and held it close to your heart.

_Oh Iggy…what I would give to help you carry whatever burden it is you’re worrying about right now._

And soon enough, he’d be right by your side.

*********************************************

Perhaps the ultimate reward for the evening was the exact moment you had arrived home to your personal sanctuary after another debilitatingly exhausting day at the plant; sighing deeply as you threw down your gear, your muscles ached and throbbed deeply due to scaling a series of new towers that EXINERIS recently installed in the northern part of the city. The one that had been in charge of checking the towers to ensure that the connected establishments received that said power? That was you. Lestallum had been expanding ever so slightly and ever so slowly over the course of the last month or so, and while the process was long-winded and painstaking, the arrival of new residents moving into the town to occupy themselves in the newer housing developments made your current aches worth it.

And so now as you stretched out on your couch and snuggled under a blanket, your muscles appreciated more than ever that you were laying supine upon your side to relieve your sore arms and back. _Man, with how I feel right now, I’d really just love to call Holly and ask for one of those days off…_

Your eyes fluttered shut and your weary form melted into a state of utter and complete assuagement. In the background, your radio was singing pacifyingly, the sounds of a soothing bossa nova orchestra permeating the air the room, causing a sigh to emit from your lips. It was evenings like this that you always relished the most, and from outside came flowing in a gentle balmy zephyr that caressed your face and made your spine tingle. However, just as your mind began to meander into a state of dreaming, you felt your body jolt upright to the shrilling sound of your phone ringing. Clumsily pushing the blankets off your arms and reaching to your coffee table to grab at your phone, your eyes widened as you glanced at the caller ID to see Ignis’s name plastered across the screen.

_Astrals, it’s Ignis. Oh gods, what is he calling me for?!_

Your heart began to slam in your chest, and despite the initial anxiousness of speaking to him directly, soon enough a smile spread across your face as you swiped the screen of your phone to answer it. “W-Well hello there,” you spoke, somewhat breathlessly. “What did I ever do to be graced with a phone call from you on a lovely evening such as this, Mr. Scientia?” You asked the strategist playfully, waiting for him to reply on the other end.

Ignis chuckled on the other line, the resonance of his amusement making your stomach tumble with delight. “Oh come now. I’m nothing special,” he replied ever so modestly. You rolled your eyes to this, knowing more for a fact in your own heart how unbelievably untruthful this statement was. But he continued his words on the other end. “I was hoping that I would be able to ‘grace’ you with more than just my voice, if that is alright with you.”

Your breath came to a sudden halt as you found yourself for whatever standing up quickly from your seated position on the couch. “W-What ever do you mean?” You asked bashfully and aloofly.

“What I mean is, Y/N, I was more than thrilled when you informed me of your news today and wished to do something to commemorate your good fortune. Noctis has relieved me of my duties for the evening and so I decided thus I would come by to Lestallum tonight on my way to my next destination to surprise you.” He paused though, seeming to consider his words. “That is…if this is acceptable for you, of course.”

_Oh gods oh gods oh gods…_

Suddenly the room felt a little bit hotter as you tried to formulate a response. “Y-Yes, of course, Ignis. I’m more than ok with that! That sounds really nice! Just where exactly are you right now, though?”

“I just happen to be strolling towards your street right now,” he answered slowly. “I do apologize for such short notice, however. This must be most inconvenient for me to relay such to you without proper warning. I can occupy myself with something else in the meantime if the company is too soon?”

Hastily your eyes began to survey your apartment, you feeling frantic over its current condition. Yes, it was clean and kempt enough in your eyes, but what about in his? Would he even come upstairs or would you be spending your time outside? Suddenly comprehending too that you probably were also overly disheveled from resting on the couch, you quickly rushed into your bedroom to stand in front of the full body mirror and glanced your figure over. Your hair was only slightly untidy, but its wave, gloss, and fullness were pretty and presentable enough for the eyes of another. You were already dressed in a flowy olive-green tank top that accented your eyes and hair that was complimented by your favorite pair of torn jeans. _G-Good enough,_ you thought to yourself as you swallowed hard. But would he think so? You bit down harshly upon your lip, knowing that Iris had to remind you a hundred times over that you could be decked in a paper bag and Ignis still wouldn’t care, but given the rare opportunity to spend the time with this man, you felt it completely unacceptable to look anything but your best for him.

“Y/N?” Ignis murmured on the other line, and it was only now you realized you had been unresponsive to him.

“Oh no, that’s just fine, Ignis! I’ve just been relaxing here and so you aren’t interrupting me at all! I wasn’t doing anything!” You headed back into the living room and began to rummage about, straightening up anything that looked slightly off-kilter. However, a sudden thought now came to mind. _Shit, he even asked me earlier if I was free! How could I be so stupid right now? He basically was giving me a heads up!_ You thought as you cursed yourself, recalling your conversation from earlier.

“Good,” Ignis replied with a smile in his voice, seeming to not take note of the waver in your voice, “although I apologize for interrupting your relaxation on such short notice. I understand that you must appreciate the solace when it is given to you.”

You continued to straighten up a few stray belongings in your living room. “B-Believe me, Ignis, it’s not a problem at all! I would have to say that I much would rather have the company than be all alone…” You blushed at the implications of your words, hoping Ignis would not catch onto this.

“Ah yes,” he said, his voice rumbling smoothly. “I know this feeling all too well at times…Are you presentable? I happen to be right at your door.”

You halted right in your tracks. _Holy shit holy shit holy shit, he’s already here? Oh gods_ , you finally realized. “Oh goodness, ok! I-I’ll be right down to get you! I’ll be down in just a second! Bye!”

You slammed the ‘end call’ button on your screen a little too hastily, cursing yourself for potentially seeming boorish or impudent at such abruptness. Nevertheless, now that your brain was able to process your exchange, you took note of how harshly your heart was throbbing in your chest as you realized that Ignis would be within your presence in mere moments. And so, dashing out of your apartment and rushing down the stairs of the complex, you made your way to the main hallway, opened up the front door, and there was Ignis, standing there patiently and as debonair as ever.

Promptly he looked down at you as a handsome smile spread across his lips, and in response you swallowed deeply as you attempted to smile back. _Will I ever get used to being around him_? You mused to yourself. You had only been within his presence just a few times since that first moment you met and yet each and every exchange felt like the first. As you stood within the doorframe, a flock butterflies soared throughout your stomach and your legs began to wobble as your quickly perused him up and down. This evening he was dressed in his official Crownsguard attire of his black leather jacket and pants. The sheen from the setting sun glistened off the leather and your mouth watered at how sinfully tailored the coat was and accentuated his broad shoulders. Underneath the jacket he donned a grey Coeurl-print shirt (you swore he was the only man in all of Eos who could pull off such a look), and in his arms he carried two shopping bags that were bursting to the brim.

_Just stay cool. You’re fine, Y/N…_

Tucking your hair behind your ear, you grinned up at him bashfully, hoping he didn’t take note of how much you were trembling. “Hi Ignis,” you said breathlessly, almost at a loss for words as you held one hand to the doorframe to balance yourself. Your eyes quickly shifted to the bags in his hands, tilting your head with curiosity. “And what exactly do you have there?” You asked, motioning to his hands.

He beamed at you, lifting the bags slightly. “A few treats that I was able to whip up once I was released of my duties tonight. I know that I have been promising you I would prepare you something, and given the revelation of your good news today, I thought this would be more than an appropriate time to surprise you with such.”

Your heart tightened at his words as a blush creeped up through your cheeks. While you were no culinary expert yourself, you still knew that any decent meal required time and thoughtful preparation. _But he’s been nothing but busy…just…just exactly how did he find the time tonight to do this before he got here_? “Ignis, you…you didn’t have to do that,” you murmured, realizing the implication of such an act towards you, and looking down away from his face for just a second you began to twiddle your hands together. “That’s…so sweet of you. You really didn’t have to go through all this trouble!” But you paused again, finding a smile spread across your lips. “But nevertheless…thank you…”

Ignis smiled in return. “Anything for you, Y/N. It was no problem at all. In fact, this array that I’ve prepared was nothing but utter delight to concoct.” His eyes now glanced down to the food and he titled his head. “Although I do suggest that we indulge in what I’ve prepared as soon as possible to enjoy the most of its freshness.”

Your eyes widened at his statement, realizing you were still standing awkwardly in the doorway and blocking him from entering. “Oh…oh yes! Y-yes, of course! That makes sense, right?” You moved out of the way to allow him entry into the hallway of your complex. Him walking inside and you closing the main door behind you, you instantly you found yourself quivering with anticipation. “Right this way!” You said shakily, leading him up the steps and around the corner to the doorway of your apartment. Fumbling with the keys in your hand, you opened the door, motioned for him to come inside, and then shut the door behind him.

_Oh shit…oh Astrals, help me._

Facing away from him, your hands were resting on the front door to support the sudden faintness that washed over you. As you attempted to control the sudden pike in your inhalations, you couldn’t help but notice the thin sheen of sweat that began to coat your skin. _Why am I so nervous? It’s not like I’ve never had one on one time with him before. Come on, Y/N! It’s just food. Just calm down. Just…_

But as your fingertips pressed harshly into the wood of your front door, slowly your mind began to creep into to the darkest depths of your mind, plaguing you with visages that your dreams would assault you with night after night. Other than the company of Iris or sometimes perhaps on the rare occasion one of the ladies of EXINERIS, you mostly remained a stranger to guests visiting you at your residence. In fact, visitors of any sort generally had been such a rarity in your life as you had in the past chose to keep your private and solitary time to yourself to focus on your training of becoming a better hunter; thus, more often than not you weren’t always home in your apartment to begin with. Social enterprises of any sorts traditionally you engaged in outside, and even more so? The interactions that you had shared with men in particular were also a rarity. Perhaps you may embark on the occasional date here or there to help sever the perpetual state of loneliness that had pestered you during the early years of darkness, but overall, in truth, you had remained alone. And so now, as a very distinct aroma of cologne transfused with the faint scent of roasted coffee infiltrated the sensory receptors in your nostrils, apprehension began to drown you as you realized that not only did you have a man in your apartment for the first time ever in your life, all alone with you, but it just happened to be with the man that you had fallen head over heels for.

“Y/N? Are you alright?”

Jumping to the sound of your name being uttered, you quickly turned around to see Ignis standing across the room, staring at you with concernment wrought over his features. The meal he had brought you was now cast upon the coffee table in their bags, and as you took note of his leather jacket being slung over the top of your couch, your eyes were quick to focus on the exposure of his throat and clavicle from his beautifully tailored dress shirt being slightly unbuttoned. Ignis’s sleeves were rolled, exposing his sculpted forearms and the tendons of his wrists, and your gaze quickly shifted to his bare hands that had been discarded of their gloves. Somehow finding the gallantry to remain on two feet, your throat tightened at the baronial sight of him displayed before you, the sun casting itself through the window behind him and illuminating his silhouette. A breeze rustled the curtains around the window and slightly tousled the strands of his pompadour. Taking note that you had previously turned on the radio for your own personal enjoyment, you realized that as a soothing jazz ensemble coursed around the room, this most stupidly romantic setting that you could have ever fabricated in your mind was in fact all very real.

“Y-yeah, I’m ok!” You replied all too quickly and as confidently as you could in attempt to mask the redness of your face and the anxiety running through your blood. “I’m just a little bit lightheaded, I think. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now because I haven’t eaten since work this afternoon!”

Ignis warmly smiled in reply and motioned for you to join him at the couch. For whatever reason it was, by the way his fingers curled at this gesture for you to come towards him made your brain temporarily short-circuit and gods did you pray he didn’t see you bite your lower lip. “I think we should perhaps remedy that, shall we?” He said mollifyingly. “Let us relax and indulge... Where is your cutlery, Y/N?”

“Oh I can get that! You just take a seat there!” You replied hastily, moving swiftly towards the kitchen and almost stumbling over your own feet in the process. Rummaging through the drawers for your silverware, you grabbed a set of forks, spoons, and knives and almost dropped them all in the process, and you could have cursed yourself again for your uncouth motions at such an inconvenient time. Then taking a deep breath to steady yourself, you took some plates out of the cabinets, carefully carried the necessities over to your guest, and then took a seat next to the now seated Ignis who began to take out the containers from their bags.

_Just relax, Y/N. As always, be yourself._

And so, you took a deep breath. “So…what exactly do I have the pleasure of taste testing tonight?” You asked curiously as your eyes excitedly scanned the lids to each container. Of course, no sooner than the words left your mouth you quickly you felt yourself reddening even more at the potential double entendre of your words. You looked Ignis in the face, praying to Astrals that he didn’t take note of this.

Ignis grinned as he teasingly opened the lids to the take-out boxes one by one, and immediately your nostrils were assaulted with the delectable scents of the finest cooking you ever laid eyes upon. “Oh my gods….” You said breathlessly. “That….looks…. _amazing_ …”

While you had known and even experienced Ignis to always be so modest in all he did, for a moment you caught a smug smile spread across his lips; seeing this level of confidence he possessed within himself when it came to his culinary creations within the kitchen made you feel exceptionally giddy. “Crown City dive-style dumplings. A popular dish in the city but this is my own particular take on it,” he began, motioning to the first course. He then gestured to the next. “Although a little bit of an exotic entree, we also have here Lestallum stewed tripe, a recipe that was inspired by a dish I had the pleasure enjoying here years ago, and for some greens we also have a creamy vegetable bisque. And for dessert,” he paused, lifting the final lid, “one of my favorite desserts that I’m excited for you to taste, a fluffy orange sponge cake. Noctis happens to be a big fan of this recipe.”

Your mouth salvated heavily at the sight of the buffet before you, and as you looked to each dish hungrily, a thunderous bellow and gnarl emanated from your stomach. Ignis chuckling to the sounds of your apparent hunger, you blushed and smiled as you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. “Just…just how on earth did you manage to find the time to prepare all of this tonight, Ignis? I’m definitely no sous chef by any means, but I’m not stupid when it comes to working my way around a kitchen. This…this had to be so much work…” Your voice trailed off in absolute astonishment, the longer your eyes examined each course. Growing up in Altissia you had access to dining on some of the most delectable dishes available on this side of the continent, and yet nothing in your life looked as palatable and savory as what was before you. In fact, you were positive that if challenged to the occasion in a culinary contest, Ignis would put any Altissian chef to shame.

Ignis pushed up his spectacles on this bridge of his scarred nose, a slight blush now blemishing his own cheeks, and your heart clenched at the adorably modest sight. “Years of practice, my dear. The more I have advanced and fostered my skills the more adept and perfunctory I have become at concocting these collations. But,” he said, now turning his body slightly to you, and you jumped as his knee made contact and pressed against yours, “regardless of the complexity of the procedures to prepare them, it was an absolute pleasure to do so for you.”

And there was that heat again that surged through his leg into yours, and gods was it all you could do to keep your focus on the conversation as your loins began to quiver and tighten. But fighting back the Behemoth that raged inside of you, you cleared your throat and spoke. “So…shall we dig in then?”

“Absolutely.”

The two of you began to fill your plates and gods, had you never before been more excited to eat anything in your entire life. Giving him a whimsical look, you took your first bite out of the tripe (you were curious to try this delicacy as you had always been afraid of doing so growing up), and almost instantaneously the palate of flavor that assailed your tongued caused your eyes to slowly flutter shut and a moan to escape your lips.

“Oh…oh gods…” You murmured.

Ignis turned to look at you with his eyebrow raised, apparently more than astonished at your reaction, and you suddenly realized how utterly lewd and incongruous you must have sounded. You swallowed hard and cleared your throat in attempt to hide your embarrassment over your libidinous sound. “T-This is so good Ignis,” you murmured, meaning every word of your compliment. “One bite and I can already see the hype that I’ve been hearing about your cooking all these years. You’re amazing. You really are…”

Ignis looked away for a moment to hide the reddening in his cheeks as he pushed his frames up on his nose once more. “T-Thank you, Y/N,” he said almost bashfully as if no one had ever praised him in such a manner before. “I am always more than appreciative of commendations and feedback, but I must say that such coming from you truly means the world…”

And little did Ignis Scientia know that it was who had just uttered the most adoring praise in the world.

The two of you continued to delve into the depths of the courses and with each bite you felt yourself getting lost in the savory zests of Ignis’s culinary prowess. As you did weeks before, you enjoyed your meals for the moment in silence as you both listened to the soothing melodies emitted from your radio. As you relished in each sampling of nutriment, you found yourself slowly shutting your eyes as you desperately tried to take in the whole scene present within your mind. With your heart swelling with joy as peaceful thoughts flooded your cognizance, you felt your fingers begin to tremble around the fork in which you grasped. _Please tell me I’m not dreaming. Please tell me that this very moment is real because it feels all too surreal. And even if it’s not real, then please just let it last for me a little while longer…_.

For all these years, each and every night you would return home to a vacant apartment. Every night, you always questioned the qualms you would face the next day as you coped with the darkened world around you. Each and every night passing by with no reassurance, no peace of mind, nor assuagement of heart. Always alone and filled with skepticism and irresolution. But in this moment? This very moment in the vast scheme of the history of Eos? All those fears that had festered your existence had vanished for this solitary moment, as though the fragments of all you had ever dreamed of for yourself had converged into fruition.

For once, you weren’t alone.

_To be sitting here? In complete and utter peace with him here beside me? As simple or as foolish as it may sound, this is all I could have asked of for myself in this life, especially after all this time…_

You opened your eyes and looked over to see Ignis smiling at you, and blushing intensely you smiled back. As you both finished the remaining bites of your cake and you now sat down your empty plate and fork, you took a deep breath and allowed your belly to stretch itself out, for you truly couldn’t remember the last time your hunger had been this satiated. “That…that was absolutely delicious, Ignis,” you praised. “Seriously, I think I can die a happy woman at this moment, because I don’t think I’ll ever have a meal that amazing ever again.”

Ignis chuckled as he sat down his plate, seeming more than pleased with himself. “Well let us please not wish something so drastic for you to happen. There is much more of my skills that I have to offer after that…But, I appreciate your sentiments nonetheless.”

More to come? Oh yes please.

You grinned at him in return as you collected your plates and took them to the sink. Not having expected him to follow you, Ignis stood up and trailed after you, and as if the gentleman within him dictated, he immediately reached towards the sink handle to turn on the water and begin to wash the soiled dishes.

“Please Ignis, just let them be for now.”

Instantly you became breathless, for out of reaction you stopped him gently with your hand upon his, and now as you stared up into his face you realized that his body was leaned slightly over yours and pressed faintly up to you with your back to the kitchen counter.

You had felt as though the Glacian herself had frozen you in your track, for as you gazed up at him with wide eyes, all breath was lost to you as he returned the stare with parted lips. _Oh gods, I can’t breathe_ , you whined to yourself, your throat tightening as you felt his breath flutter down to your face. With the muscles of your stomach knotting as your eyes shifted to glance at the scar upon his lips, for a moment, just a _moment_ you wondered exactly what would happen if you planted your lips right there on that tender spot. _Just once, oh gods, just once give me the courage to make the move or say something. Just once_. Trembling slightly, you shifted your body against his and a painfully intense heat coiled through your loins and crept up through your neck as his hips brushed marginally against yours. But as you began to raise your hand and open your mouth to speak, much to your own discretion, you stopped yourself. _No…not yet. Not just yet. This isn’t the right time._

Clearing your throat now, pretending as if nothing had ever happened, you smiled up at him. “Thank you again for dinner, Ignis. That was the best way to celebrate such a great day.”

“My pleasure,” Ignis replied, smiling back down at you. But not knowing if perhaps your vivid imagination was fashioning such wild thoughts, something seemed apparently strained in his syllables as he spoke, and you were quick to take note of the slight flushing of his cheeks. Biting your lip and turning your face away from him to pretend to stare at the dishes in the sink, you couldn’t help but feel your heart flutter for the potential reason why he was behaving in an equally awkward manner. Ignis now moving away from you with what seemed like reluctance in order to give you space, your gaze shifted back to his and he motioned for you to join him back on the couch. Following after him, as both of you resumed your seated positions, you nervously put your feet up on the coffee table, stretched out your legs, and sighed with contentedness, attempting to mask your apprehension over what you were feeling. Ignis followed suit and copied your motions, and with him seated directly by your side you were once again quick to take note of the intense body heat that emanated from him as his hips were aligned directly against yours.

_I know I’m not making this up in my head…Why do I feel he’s feeling something too right now?_

But it was almost instantly that your mind transposed gears as you recalled your textual conversation with the tactician from earlier on in the day. “Oh!” You began, reluctantly wandering way from your intimate thoughts. “How rude of me, Ignis! I’ve been so caught up in filling up my stomach that I completely forget to ask you about the whole deal you and Ravus were discussing today.” As the mention of this earlier had brought about much apprehension to you, you were more than curious now to hear what Ignis had to share with you on this matter.

“Ah yes, that,” Ignis began as he folded his hands in his lap, and his countenance shifted from bliss to solemnity. He cleared his throat as if reluctant to even speak. “I am very afraid to inform you that for the next few weeks I am going to be engaged in some very serious altercations involving what remains of the Niflheim Empire.”

Immediately your heart sank. “…W-What? What do you mean Ignis?”

Ignis rubbed the sides of his temple and looked at you, but despite the angst apparent in his words, a small smile came across his face as he sat his hand on top of yours. “I can assure you, Y/N, that while this is a potentially serious matter that we may be dealing with, you have nothing to truly fear. Currently we are merely engaged in the stages of taking several precautions to ensure that nothing hazardous happens.”

Your body tingled at the touch of his hand upon yours as you looked deeply into his eyes, but the seriousness of his state of affairs presented to you overrode any physical desires that your body was screaming for. “So…is that it? Are you able to tell me a little bit more than just that on what exactly is going on? You’re sounding kind of cryptic and it’s kinda freaking me out a little.”

“Certainly,” Ignis said, sighing deeply, and for you practically being a stranger in his existence you appreciated just how much he seemed to trust you with sharing volatile intel. “As you surely know, the Niflheim Empire has been a menace to the land of Lucis for far too long. Once Noctis had disappeared inside the Crystal, several of the Glaives as well as Gladiolus, Prompto, and myself were able to make waste to Emperor Aldercapt and what appeared to remain of the existing forces left at Zegnautus Keep. It had been a daunting process but clearly our tiresome victory was not all for naught. However, due to the colossal and boundless realm of the empire itself, we at this point have been unable to truly secure one hundred percent of the fallen nation’s borders. This includes securing any machinery that may have been under its operating power. And as you may know,” Ignis said, pausing momentarily, “one of those major developments produced by the Niflheim nation are the magitek soldiers.”

You knit your brows together. “The magitek? What about them? Are you…saying that they’re something that we have to be concerned with still?”

Ignis sighed once again. “Unfortunately, yes. While we do not have concerns with any human Niflheim infantry, we have reason to worry over the masses of rogue MT units remaining within the lands of the empire. Due to the astronomical size of the land mass itself, not to mention our concerns with the daemons for the last ten years and attempting to restore power to Lucis, it was clearly too much of a vast task for us to send out search parties of our own to take out the remaining threats . But, now that we have our own infantry and resources, we are ready to tackle the issue once more to ensure the safety of all the citizens of Lucis as well as those of Tenebrae. And so thus, King Ravus agreed that for the safety of all, we would join forces once more to bring these matters to an end.”

 _Once more?_ You thought, your curiosity now truly piqued. “But…the magitek…I thought the only reason they function is due to their daemonic powers. If the Starscourge has been defeated, then wouldn’t that mean that they can no longer operate on their own?”

Ignis hummed at this thought. “Presumably that is what we wish to believe. However, keep in mind that these magitek soldiers were manufactured through the cloning of humans. Due to the chimeric nature of these beings, we don’t know what would remain of them. And if anything at all does remain, we at least would like to study them for our own purposes.” He looked to you more deeply now, and still holding onto your hand he gave it a gentle squeeze. “In short, we simply cannot take our chances for granted, because we have too much to risk losing if we aren’t careful.”

You swallowed hard as you looked down at his hand upon yours. _Too much to lose indeed, as we have already all lost too much_ , you mused, trembling now. “And so you’ll be with Ravus for a while…I…Are you going to be ok?” You grasped just how silly of a question this was as you knew you had no reason to doubt the prowess of this man, but yet, something deep in your heart made you fear for every single fiber of his life as if he had already put his very mind, body, and soul on the line in the past. As you felt the nerves within your spine prickle with uncertainty, without even realizing you had moved, your body shifted to face him directly with knees pressed to each other and both of your tiny hands grasped his much larger ones.

It was Ignis now who seemed to be caught off guard. “I…yes…yes I will be,” Ignis choked, his syllables catching in his throat, and for some reason or another his hands trembled slightly in yours as if taken aback by your sudden gesture. This man...ever so calm and collected and resolute as always…was he afraid? Was the fortitude and bravado of the royal advisor suddenly faltering more than you would be led on to believe? Ignis cleared his throat and continued. “I can assure you that I will be more than fine. But,” and he paused again, his brows knitting together as if lost in thought, “unfortunately in just a few moments, I must make my leave of you this evening, because although I did intentionally stop by to see you here tonight, I was also requested to be in Tenebrae this evening to meet with Ravus and his court to begin our plans of inspection and reconnaissance. And so this also means that while I will have my cellular on my person at all times, due to the nature of the course for action in Tenebrae, our correspondence might not be as frequent as either of us wishes. My…my apologizes, Y/N. Do forgive me for giving you no notice of this…”

It was as though it aggrieved him greatly to utter this, and so it was as if the gods compelled you to do so for his comfort, subconsciously you grasped his hands gently and brought them up to rest upon your chest right over your heart. “I…I understand Ignis,” you murmured softly. “I really truly do. This is what you are set out to do. I just wish that there was something that I could do to help. It frustrates me knowing that I’ll be sitting back here not helping you in any way while you could be potentially putting your life on the line.”

Ignis’s gaze quickly shifted down to look upon his hands that were held to your chest and his words seemed to falter as he opened his mouth to speak. “Believe me when I say that you already do more than enough to help. Besides, there are many here at home who need to protecting. Provide strength for those here that cannot do so themselves…”

His words trailed off into a deafening silence and for but a moment the two of you sat within the darkening room, the chorus of crickets cheeping and the laughter of citizens thundering within the streets of Lestallum. Then squeezing your hands almost too tightly within his own, he spoke once more. “I…I must be off now, Y/N. My…my apologies.”

Sluggishly standing up, Ignis seemed to be frozen in place and lost in his own thoughts before he could take a step further toward the door. But just as you were about to open your mouth to ask if he was alright, he snapped out of his daze, grabbed his coat off the back of the couch, and turned to look at you with a tranquil and paradisiacal expression upon his face. “Thank you for a most wonderful evening, Y/N. I will keep the peace of this night in my mind while I’m away,” he murmured softly.

Blushing deeply you smiled at him, an ache clenching at your heart as you followed him towards the door. Opening it up, you and him walked down the steps and out into the lit streets outside of your apartment. Before he made leave to go, he turned to face you, his eyes behind his spectacled frames cast in a soft radiance. As you stared at him with bated breath, once more the girlish part of your heart battled with the desires ragging within your blood.

_He needs to focus on his job. Someday…maybe someday I can be more open with him and tell him how I feel. Just wait a little longer and be brave. Just…_

But before you could open your mouth to speak to him and wish him good luck, your frame was engulfed in his warm embrace like a moth to the flame; the delicious scent of his cologne infused your senses as you shut your eyes and got lost in the susceptibility of being held in his arms in such a way. A whine escaped your lips as you slowly gazed up to see him looking down at you, his own emerald orbs strained as if he bore the weight of the world within his soul. Then gently grasping the sides of your face in his broad hands, Ignis pulled your face gently closer to his and pressed his lips softly upon your forehead. Inhaling deeply and trembling slightly, he moved his lips to kiss the tip of your nose as he slowly trailed his thumb over the curve of your chin. He rested his forehead against yours, his stray strand of hair brushing against your face as you too now trembled anxiously within his grasp. Moving his face away from yours, Ignis backed away from you, appearing to fight something deep inside of him as he whispered his last words to you.

“Good night, Y/N…Take care, my dearest…”

But before you could process the raging fire from within that burned your very core, he was soon gone once again.

***************************************************

Rain pattered heavily upon your scalp as you stood out in the darkened unknown streets that you surrounded you. The pavement, cracked and worn with age, was torn up in ragged bits of cement and brick and you shivered as the icy rain pelted your exposed flesh. Your clothes, dirty, tattered, and worn, were plastered to your weakened body, and you dragged your feet through the lonesome streets in attempt to find any sign of life.

“Hello? Hello!” You cried out, your voice lost within the deluge that pounded the earth from above. Your eyes squinted in the dark, a random street light sparking with electricity arbitrarily here and there. Piles of rubble lay about as various store fronts stood ablaze with gleaming fire, and you shuddered at the thought of whatever laid waste to these structures.

 _Where am I_? _What is going on?_ You thought to yourself desperately, your heart slamming in your chest as you held your arms around your frame in attempt to keep warm. You reached up to touch your face to feel your cheek had been sliced open and was dripping with blood, and you watched as the rain washed away the fluid that now stained your hands.

“Hello?!” You screamed once again at the top of your lungs, but once more you your voice was silenced by the storms raging above. You continued to trek forward through the abandoned streets, and as you continued to wander aimlessly, you arrived at a clearing in a plaza, and immediately your eyes widened in horror at the realization of where you were.

_No…no…this can’t be…_

There lay in complete and utter destruction displays and vendor stands of every kind that you could have imagined. To your right, a floral stand was crackling with the ambers of a fire and the once beautiful floral arrangements intended for sale lay scattered and smashed about the streets. A vendor that once served delicious gelato and shaved ice had been knocked over and its contents were melted and being washed away by the raging torrents. Jewelry stands lay in absolute disarray with the precious metals and gems disseminated upon the broken pavement, and pamphlets to the sights of the city lay torn, soaked and tattered about.

_No…no...I know this place._

_I’m in Altissia…Why…why am I here?_

Immediately as epiphany struck you, the canals of the city swarmed around you in crashing waves of arctic water, and now up ahead of you stood one solitary path of wreckage that lead you to only gods knew where. Lightening crackled and thunder rumbled in the sky above you, and you continued to quiver as the rain soaking through your tattered clothes and chilled you to the bone. But as your eyes struggled focus in the dark, up ahead you saw a figure standing straight, its face angled up to the sky and frozen in its place.

Slowly with your remaining strength, you found the courage within you to keep moving forward. And as the figure came closer into your view, your heart began to race, hope finding its way into your frozen heart.

“…Ignis? Ignis!”

The man turned to face you, his rain-soaked hair plastered to his forehead and his glasses missing from his face. You gasped harshly at the sight of him, his face now seemingly younger and free of the scars that you knew to mark his handsome features. He was trembling with a terror you had never seen him possess and his eyes were blazing with a purple flame that horrified you to the very core.

“No, Y/N…no. Run. Please run!” He croaked, his voice cracking and his lips trembling as his hands were clenching and unclenching. He was cemented in place but his blazing eyes were wide as you tried to grasp the implications of his words.

“No, Ignis, I’m not leaving you! I’m never going to do that! Not as long as I live!” You cried, but yet no matter how loud you hollered over the rain, he couldn’t seem to hear you. His mouth gaped open as he stared past you. “Ignis? Ignis!” You exclaimed, running over to grasp at the sides of his face to pull his attention to you. And yet, he just didn’t seem to hear you or even see you standing before him.

But now, as if pulled out of his trance, his eyes widened and his lip quivered in absolute terror. “Y/N, please run!” He begged, his voice barely audible as the flame within his eyes raged more fiercely now.

“But why?” You begged him. “Why? I’m not leaving you! Tell me what’s wrong!”

“Run! Just RUN!” He screamed.

But turning to go at his command, you were instantly stopped in your tracks. For up ahead, a mere fifty feet or so away stood a looming and shrouded figure with flowing cloak and the blackish mystic smoke of miasma emitting from its body. “Oh what good is a world that only ever lets you down? Why not end it all right here?” The figure lulled, speaking slowly as it approached you, and each word it uttered sent a ghastly tremor down your spine. Attempting to run your fear had cemented you right in place and you trembled as you felt the blood from your wounds once more drip as if your flesh was freshly lacerated.

Finding the courage in your voice, you screamed back to the enigma at the top of your lungs. “Never! Just what kind of monster are you? Who are you? Get away from him!”

And yet the figure loomed closer and the miasma surrounding its form made it impossible to distinguish what the daemon looked like. “No? Then might I make a suggestion…” It pronounced slowly. With a scintillation of light, there bursting into thin air before you flashed blood-red luminous blades that encircled its body.

“No, Y/N! NO!” Ignis screamed.

But before you could comprehend what was happening, Ignis quickly rushed in front of your body to shield you, and as if the world had lost sense of time and all succumbed to passing in slow motion, each blade now volleyed its way forward at the speed of lighting and pierced its way into Ignis’s heart.

“IGNIS NOOOO!”

Immediately you were jolted awake in the middle of the night as you shot up in bed, tears streaming down your face and your mouth screaming with absolute trepidation. Sobs tumbled from your mouth as you grasped at the sides of your head, shutting your eyes to stop the barrage of tears that clouded your vision and soaked your cheeks.

“Ignis…oh Ignis!” You wept, your chest heaving and your stomach convulsing as if wanting to vomit. Allowing yourself a few minutes more to let your mangled cries of fear cathartically escape your mouth, you frantically grabbed your phone from the nightstand and began to hysterically type.

**Ignis, oh gods, I’m so sorry. I know I shouldn’t be bothering you, but I just had a nightmare and I just didn’t know what to do. I’m sorry.**

You laid your head back down on the pillow, covering your face with your hands to stop your tears. As you rested your head and bit your lip, immediately you regretted hitting ‘send’ on your message. Over the ten years of darkness, nightmares had been no stranger to you, especially considering the hundreds of daemons and monsters you faced and how more often than not they were almost the cause of the end of your life. If anything, your nightmares were more of a constant companion to you than actual friends had been. But this? The vividness and detail of this dream was something that you had never experienced before.

_What does it all mean? Am I just afraid because Ignis will be away? But what if…_

Bu even still, you were a grown woman and not some mere helpless child. What exactly would Ignis think of you for being so fearful in such a manner?

_Oh Ignis…_

But before you could allow yourself to be drowned by another wave of tears, your phone immediately shrilled in your ear, startling you and making you sit upright in bed once again. Rubbing your eyes to clear your vision from tears, your heart clenched as you saw the name that appeared on the caller ID.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?” Said the voice of Ignis immediately on the other line as soon as you answered the phone. The tactician sounded utterly exhausted but you could hear just from the tone of his voice how concerned he truly was.

Immediately you felt a sense of obloquy come over you; this man who was subjected to bear the weight of ensuring the safety of his kingdom was being awoken in the middle of the night by a young woman who couldn’t keep a straight mind about her. Biting your lip and causing it to bleed, the taste of iron now filling your mouth, you took a deep breath as you spoke, trying to prevent your tone from cracking. “Ignis…oh gosh. I’m…I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I just experienced the worst dream of my entire life and I was so scared that I immediately called you out of reaction.” You paused as you held back a tear. “I’m so selfish though. I really am. I know just how much you have to deal with starting tomorrow and here I am being a child. I wasn’t even thinking at all. I reacted out of fear. I’m…”

“Don’t apologize,” Ignis said, immediately cutting you off mid-sentence, and yet despite him halting your words there was a tenderness in his voice. “You never _ever_ have to apologize to me. Never at all. It is not puerile or egotistic of you at all. You are only human. What concerns me the most at this moment is that I possess no ability to be in your presence to console you…” His voice trailed off as _he_ truly now seemed to be anguished. “What exactly did you dream of that has made you so frightened?”

Your heart jumped. Should you tell him? _No, I can’t…I can’t have him waking up tomorrow having that on his mind. I just can’t_. You cleared your throat before you spoke. “Just…just a daemon. Something far more frightening than anything I ever hunted. I couldn’t see its face and that’s what made it so scary. It…just sounds like a little bit of post-traumatic stress coming out, from all those years of hunting. That’s probably what it was…”

Your words trailed off and he waited patiently for you to speak again. But seeming to take note that you were lost in thought, he spoke himself. “Y/N, I am so terribly sorry. Believe me when I say that I am no stranger to such night terrors as well. And what I’d give to be able to assuage your anguish. But…I am happy you called me. Despite the distress in your voice, I’m…happy that you reached out to me. Believe me or not, your voice is bringing me peace of mind as we speak…”

You bit your lip, a tear once again rolling down your cheek, and as you slowly took to heart his words, you felt your heart flutter. He was thinking of you too? He actually had thoughts of you on his mind as well? “Ignis…I…thank you. I’m so sorry again. And I’m sorry that you’re feeling stressed too. I feel a lot better now, especially knowing that you feel a little bit better too.”

“Likewise,” he murmured quietly. “Will you be alright once we hang up?” And yet, you couldn’t help but take note of the slight tone in his voice that told you he surely didn’t want to end the conversation.

“I will,” you whispered back.

“Good,” Ignis said with a deep sigh. “Rest assured, I will be there to inspirit you as soon as I can. I promise. Now rest well, my dear…”

“Goodnight, Iggy,” you said breathlessly, and with your finger lingering over the end call button for a few moments, you finally ended the exchange and sat your phone back down.

 _It was just a dream. It was just a dream_ , you muttered to yourself in your thoughts.

But yet, something deep down within your intuition told you that you should believe otherwise.

***************************

The morning rolled around too quickly for your liking as you found yourself waking with blotchy cheeks and swollen eyes.

 _Astrals, let me make it through this day today_ , you muttered to yourself as you haphazardly attempted to get ready for work. As you were about to splash cold water upon your face to wake yourself into some semblance of reality, you heard the doorbell ring to your apartment and you raised an eyebrow in perplexity.

“Someone’s calling at this early in the morning?” You mused out loud, and you quickly wrapped your bathrobe around you, grabbed your keys, walked downstairs and opened up the front door to the apartment complex.

There standing at the door was a mail carrier holding a particularly peculiar package in his hands. “Delivery for Miss Y/N?” He said, and you prayed to the gods he didn’t take note of how disheveled and worn-out you currently looked.

“Y-yes, that’s me,” you replied as you pushed back your hair and examined the package that was in his hands.

“A delivery from Tenebrae,” he man explained, carefully handing you what he was holding. “They had it rushed quickly from overnight. Just be careful when you take the paper off the top. It’s very delicate, miss.”

Before you could question him the mail carrier left sooner than he had arrived, and you stood there within the doorframe puzzling over what on earth was in your hands. Walking back upstairs into your apartment, you sat the object down on the coffee table and carefully tore the paper off around the outside of the package. Now exposed within was an elongated box, and grasping your hands around its top, you cautiously lifted the lid.

_Oh…oh Astrals._

You gasped as you laid eyes upon the most intricate and gorgeous arrayed bouquet of sylleblossoms. Only ever having seen the flowers in person when Lady Lunafreya visited Altissia years those many ago, you never would have imagined that you would be smelling the sweet, amorous, and divine scent of the flowers within the vicinity of your own quarters. Raising an eyebrow, you spotted a small card inside the box, gently tore open the envelope, and your eyes scanned the words upon the card. The message was brief, but as you read each word carefully line by line, by the time you reached the signature at the end, your eyes were not brimmed with tears of sorrow but with those of utter elation and love.

**_Y/N,_ **

**_It pains my heart greatly knowing that I have failed you in your time of need. I pray to the Astrals that in my times of absence may they help you find the strength and courage to remain valiant. But until my return, please know that you are in my thoughts and that even if I cannot answer right away, you can call me if you need at any time your heart so desires. My dearest, please believe me that I shall be at your side always, in spirit and in the present._ **

**_May these blossoms be that reminder to you, as you are that reminder of mine._ **

**_Ignis._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy! I wonder who that spooky daemon in the Reader's dream could have possibly been. ;)


	7. How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was an absolute blast to write and I thoroughly enjoyed writing its dialogue., so thus I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! 
> 
> We've reached the point in the story where Ignis is at his wit's end with his feelings and the poor guy doesn't even realize he's in love. At what point will the man finally break, I wonder? *mischievous grin*
> 
> As always, your feedback is unbelievably encouraging and helps make me a better writer! Thank you to everyone who has read up to this point!
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_And every city was a gift_

_And every skyline was like a kiss upon the lips_

_A _nd I was making you a wish__

_And every skyline_

 

_And meanwhile a man was falling from space_

_A _nd every day I wore your face__

__Like an atmosphere around me_ _

__I _ _'m happy you're beside me___ _

_-Florence and the Machine – “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful"_

“For Shiva’s sake, Y/N, just for once give it a rest, girl!”

You nudged the goggles shielding your eyes up over your forehead, a weir of salty sweat drizzling down your cheeks as you looked down from your post to see Jeanne staring up at you with her hands upon her hips and a vexed smile stretched across her lips. “Just a couple more minutes!” You hollered down to her, resuming your work on a particularly problematic wire that wouldn’t adjust itself properly into its control panel. Today you and Jeanne were stationed out past the Coernix Bypass to the Burbost Souvenir Emporium to inspect the towers that supplied power to the gas station. The manager at the shop had called Holly to deprecate that the power connections to the campers kept cutting off sporadically, and knowing that these power lines in particular were rather cumbersome to work with, Holly once more believed that you as well as Jeanne of all of those on her staff were the most qualified to tackle the laborious stint.

Jeanne crossed her arms as she continued to observe you labor a good fifty feet in the air, you attempting to ignore her for the moment as to not dizzy yourself by looking down at her seemingly miniscule form below. Despite the rolling and snarling of stomach acids in your belly as a result of the onslaught of hunger, you were more than determined to see your task officially complete before you joined your compeer at ground level. “Y/N, as a co-supervisor I appreciate more than ever that I get to work with someone who gives as much of a crap as I do about this job,” Jeanne continued. “But goodness. It seems that ever since your promotion you’ve been working even harder and have been demanding more of yourself than ever before. Your lunch break started five minutes ago. Just give yourself a rest and relax! You deserve it!”

You respired heavily, sitting down your wrench on the platform as you carefully leaned over the edge to look at Jeanne. “Fiiiiiine!” You called down to her, smiling with an ornery grin on your face. “But just so you know, once I’m done eating I’m climbing right back up here and getting back to work.”

Jeanne chortled and shook her head at your obstinacy. “Jeese, just what has you all worked up so much as of late? Do you even sleep anymore?”

You gingerly scaled down the tower, the smile on your face broadening with each cautious step of your foot and grip of your hands. While part of you believed that Holly herself was indeed no stranger to the amelioration of your secreted feelings, you were confident that the rest of the EXINERIS staff was entirely ignorant to your veiled amity and endearment of the King’s royal advisor. You had always prided yourself on keeping personal affairs confidential as well as separate from the matters of your job, but as time had passed in recent weeks, you felt that your affections for the strategist sparked you on further to concentrate on your work. As a result, even the ladies you worked seemed to take notice of your amplified initiative. Thank the gods that despite their gossipy nature as a close-knit group of women, knowing of your fearsome prowess in wielding a katana the girls knew best not to ask you nor tease you about the blossoming that would taint your cheeks at random moments during your shifts. And so thus, you could continue to immerse yourself in your work peacefully until that moment arrived once again that your blush was not aroused just by the mere thought of him but by the sight of his presence.

The recent weeks had transpired exceptionally excruciatingly for you, despite how much you exerted the entirety of your energy into the projects you accomplished and elaborated. While you knew that the nature of Ignis’s visit to Tenebrae and Niflheim had precarious implications, you still couldn’t help but feel dismayed over the fact that the volume of Ignis’s messages and exchanges over phone had mitigated slightly while he was away on business. Dread would wash over you occasionally as your mind wandered to the darkest contemplations of his status and safety, and the hiatuses between your communications left you fearing that the worst had happened.

And yet, when you least expected it, your phone would peal with a specialized ring tone and would illuminate with his name plastered across the screen, and your heart would swell with joy in hearing his voice the moment you answered his call.

“All is well as it can be right now,” Ignis would say reassuringly to you. “I promise you.” Yet, the strain in his voice was more semblant as ever and your heart ached knowing that you were helpless to alleviate whatever troubles that plagued his mind. “But I must be off once again, Y/N. Until we speak again, do take care...”

His calls always ended leaving you feeling despondent and lonesome, but for yours and his sake, you knew you had to remain optimistic, as challenging of a matter that your feelings pressed burdensomely upon your heart.

 _No, Ignis will be just fine,_ you thought sadly to yourself as you sat your phone down each time. _Everything will be ok for him. Ignis, please take care…please be safe until I can see you again…_

*****************************************

It was later that evening when you arrived home from work and thoroughly cleansed yourself after another sweat-inducing and muscle-straining day, the series of towers you scaled having left your limbs feeling pliant and gelatinous like the viscous form of a Matcha Mousse. Although it was once again a particularly sweltering evening and part of you wanted to simply lie upon your sofa and rest, an awakened and piqued energy surged through you and you felt you couldn’t just sit still for the remainder of the nightfall. And so, dressing yourself in a rather girlish raiment as you smiled all the while, you decided to head into town for the night to venture through the people-filled streets and see where your legs would take you.

Inhaling deeply, immediately you found yourself smiling at the marvels around you as you trekked through the thoroughfares. Several street musicians performed their original musical tunes on their acoustic guitars and sang merrily as you sat as an audience member upon a stone wall. Indulging on a small bowl of gelato that you purchased from a nearby merchant, you listened happily while your feet bounced against the brick to the rhythm of their harmonies. A contented sigh escaped your lips as you motioned your hand to spoon another mouthful of the chocolate confectionary into your mouth when your phone began to vibrate within your pants pocket. Raising an eyebrow, you took out your phone to see that it was Iris who was calling you on this charming evening.

“Hey Iris! What’s up?” You inquired blithely as you spooned the delicious chocolate into your mouth.

“Nothing muuuuuuch!” Iris said spiritedly, the bubbliness in her voice making you smile. She paused for a second as if listening to the background noise that resonated behind you, then continued to speak. “Who’s playing tonight?” She inquired of you. “Anyone good?”

“I’m not sure,” you replied in response as you continued to tap your feet. “I don’t recognize them but I definitely like their style. Hopefully they continue to play regularly because I’m really enjoying their gig tonight. Too bad you aren’t here to listen to them with me like old times’ sake!”

“Soon enough! Soon enough!” Iris chimed back with jollity in her tone, and you once more took another bite of your gelato. Iris now giggled mischievously on the other line. “Sooooo…I know your totally enjoying your evening and all, but once you get back to your place tonight, I have a huuuuuge favor to ask of you because I want you to do something for me.”

You raised your eyebrow curiously as you swallowed your dessert. “And what exactly would that be?” You enquired her as you finished your last scoop and jumped off your perch from the partition to make your way over to the nearest trash receptacle. “You’re sounding mighty secretive right now and I want to know what’s going on in that head of yours!” You added with a laugh.

“Wellllll I’m about to tell ya,” Iris answered, and there was an air of mischievousness to her intonation. “I’m gonna have to ask you to pack some overnight bags. And pack ‘em niiiice and full. Clothes, your bathroom stuff, outdoorsy gear…ya know…the likes of that and such.”

You put your hand on your hip as you made your way away from the crowds to better hear your best friend, you now feeling utterly perplexed. “That sounds like a very potentially fun request, Iris,” you said slowly as you smirked. “And what exactly is going on that you have in mind with this ‘favor’?”

Iris giggled in the most girlish of ways. “Oh, you’ll see. Tomorrow that is. But I’m gonna need you to be all packed and ready tonight because we’re coming by to get you first thing in the morning tomorrow. I would say hmmm…probably around nine. Can ya do that for me?”

 _We_? You contemplated. Your heart began to palpitate erratically in your chest with a sudden eagerness, but just as elation hit you you felt the smile upon your lips begin to sink. “B-But Iris, I know I don’t expect you to remember every single detail of my life but did you forget that I work tomorrow? My next day off isn’t until this Friday! And it’s too late this time of night to just call Holly and request a personal day off like that!”

“Wellllll it’s funny that you should say that,” Iris trailed off with a giggle in her voice. “We _kinda_ already took care of that for you.”

“Huh?” You said. “What do you mean you ‘already took care of that’?”

Iris laughed again, and even though she was miles away from you, you could perfectly envision the grin that was on her youthful face. “I found out from a little bird you work with that you have been working way too hard despite the promotion you just got, and clearly you have not been taking advantage of your reward. So we figured we would take care of that issue and schedule a day off in your stead. Holly of course was more than happy to oblige.”

Your heart clenched within your breast at this, warmth spreading over you that left you breathless. _My friends…why are they so good to me_? You asked yourself, smiling widely, and Astrals you could care less with how goofy you must look grinning like a fool in the crowded Lestallum streets. But now with your inquisitiveness totally piqued, you decided to hastily embark back to your apartment as you continued your conversation. “But Iris, you keep saying ‘we.’ Just who exactly are _we_ talking about here? Are you going to tell me what’s going on or no?” While you were more than enthralled and indebted to your friend for what she was scheming, part of you always never failed to feel fidgety when a surprise was involved.

“You’re just going to have to wait until tomorrow morning, silly!” Iris answered merrily and definitively. “I have to go get my stuff packed too right now but I’m gonna leave you to get yourself ready. I will see you bright and early in the morning, ok? We’ll meet you at the Outlook like we always do.”

You laughed gaily. “Ok Iris, fine! I’m heading back home right now. I’ll make sure to be extra prepared and waiting wide awake and ready for you tomorrow.”

“Good!” Iris chirped. “See ya tomorrow then! Byeeee!”

Before you could reply to her, she hung up on you in haste, and finding yourself standing outside of your apartment complex in the balminess of the night you found yourself shaking with anticipation, your friend’s call leaving you more enquiring than ever. Just what exactly did Iris have up her sleeve for you that she was ever so enigmatic about?

You’d just have to wait and find out when the morning rolled around once more.

********************************

Your legs dangled vulnerably over the edge of your kitchen counter as a pair of tenacious lips descended upon the base of your throat and began to nip and suck zealously at the curvature of your left clavicle. A sob of delectation tore up through your throat as your head fell backwards to allow better access to the tender flesh, your bare toes curling with pleasure at the impression of Ignis’s pant-laden groin pressing firmly against the entrance to your heat. With your skirt hiked up over your waist, you cried out as the strategist bit and nibbled harshly at your neck in the most agonizingly wonderful of ways. Attempting to brace your hands on the flat of the counter, you knocked off a stack of pots and pans that you had gotten all too distracted to put away after your meal. Yet, you could care less and were too entranced by the heated sensations coursing through your bloodstream to even take notice of the loud clang of steel and iron that reverberated piercingly upon the kitchen floor.

“Oh Ignis,” you murmured, arching your back as he snaked his broad hands underneath your buttocks and squeezed the mounds of soft flesh. He removed his mouth from your neck to smile at you in the most devilish of ways, his head nearing your face to rest his forehead upon yours. His breathing was profoundly labored and his hands trembled slightly as he grasped possessively at your behind.

“Y/N…” he whispered hoarsely as he arched his hips and gyrated his groin against yours, and a lurid whimper left your mouth as the friction against your heart drove you one step closer towards the edge of sexual madness. You snaked your hands around the back of Ignis’s head and coursed your fingertips through his sandy blonde hair that was tousled about in the manner that always drove you wild. His gaze upon you ravenous and lust-ridden, his eyes blazed once more with the mysterious purple flame that entranced you and led you to his fire like a vulnerable moth. Growling slightly as he adjusted his stance, Ignis removed his hands from your buttocks, wrapped one around the curvature of your lower spine and drew you closer to his protuberance of his shaft while his other hand achingly and slowly traced its way down the softness of your inner thigh.

“Perhaps call me ever so bold,” he uttered huskily, his lips ghosting over yours as he gently laced his tongue over the seam of your mouth, “but I must say that I’ve once again…struck up an appetite of sorts, if I do dare say so…” His voice trailed off as his hand deliberately moved its way towards your clothed heat, and looping his fingers around the hem of the garment and yanking your panties aside, the flat of his thumb began to circulate over the clitoral hood and slick bud to your passage. You cried out emphatically as your hands grasped desperately at the back of his head, and your breathing instantly became ragged as your mind failed feebly to process the implausible pleasure that was surging through your body. You realized now by the spicy scent of your arousal that you were completely soaked and Ignis’s fingers were slick with your prepared essence. Sluggishly he removed his thumb from your bud and brought the digit to his mouth, lapping hungrily at the fluid and his nostrils flaring as he processed your flavor. With your toes curling and legs numbing as you awaited his next move, a groan escaped your lips as you watched with pleasure the lewd sight of the otherwise poised and demure tactician indulging in something so sinfully lascivious before your eyes.

Hurriedly you pulled Ignis’s head back towards your face and kissed him avidly as you tasted the bitter sweetness of your arousal upon his mouth. Your hands beginning to desperately fumble with the buttons of his shirt, you anticipated nothing more in this moment than to feel every inch of his smooth yet scarred chest under the planes of your palms and the feel of his shaft stretching your passage beyond your limit. “Ignis, p-please,” you stuttered, your body searing with pleasure that could no longer be delimited. “Please don’t make me wait anymore. I need you now…”

Smiling wickedly at you, he removed his grasp upon your hips and proceeded to yank at the buckle of his belt. The clinking of the metal brought absolute pleasure to your ears as you watched with spellbound eyes the way he slowly undid the buckle and the zipper of his pants in the most torturous of ways, his purple blazing eyes never leaving yours during the entire progression. With unsteady hands, you reached downwards to grasp at what was constrained within the prison of his briefs, but gently pushing your hands away and back onto the flat of kitchen counter, Ignis smirked at you impishly as he did the job for you himself. Drawing forth his length and watching it spring free from his clothed internment, you gasped appreciatively at its reveal as you always did each night after night. But just as you opened your mouth to speak the advisor gave you no time to fully react, and grasping the base of his manhood, Ignis pressed its head to your entrance, and –

“BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!”

Instantly you were jolted awake to the shrill sound of your phone alarm reverberating off the walls of your bedroom, and with fumbling hands you frantically picked up the device and shut off the alarm. With trembling fingertips you grasped firmly upon your phone to steady yourself, your breathing heavy and ragged as the last quiver of your loins from your dreamy escapade finally subsided. Running your hands through your matted and tangled waves, you found yourself blushing as sensation slowly came back into your numbed and sensitive limbs. Even more so, you bit your lower lip with mortification as you took note of the thick sheen of sticky sweat that coated your body and the viscous and slick fluid of arousal that seeped from between your thighs.

“C-Curse you Ifrit,” you muttered shakily as you stared down at your hands in the dark. Thrusting back your covers and awkwardly swinging your legs over the edge of the bed, you stood up slowly and unsteadily began to make your way out into the hallway and towards the bathroom to rid yourself of the remnants of your dream tryst.

 _That’s a new one to the repertoire_ , you thought to yourself, blushing heavily as you flicked on the light over the bathroom sink, your loins still constricted and tingly from the dream you were torn away from. Despite your utterly disheveled state and with how gross you felt from the pheromone-laced sweat that clung to your pajamas, you looked absolutely radiant and beautiful, and you felt all the more so embarrassed and awkward as you attempted to get your hands to reach for the sink’s handle. Taking a deep breath, you congregated your thoughts as you attempted to clear your head of your impish desires

You turned on the faucet and bent downwards to splash cold water on your face. Instantly the icy water invigorated you and seemed to purge your mind of your sinful delectations, and as you began to massage cleanser into your pores, shortly enough you began to ponder matters that were more pressing upon the heart.

 _Ignis…oh Ignis… I know you promised me that you would be fine, but still, I just can’t help but worry about you right now. It feels like you’ve been gone for such a long time_.

You winced slightly as a drop of cleanser got into your tear duct and caused your eye to burn, and as you washed away the pain you nipped at your lower lip as your heart began to swell at the very thought of when the tactician would finally be home again.

_When will I see you again? How are you? How are you, Noctis, and Ravus making out today? I really do hope that you are all alright._

Fully rinsing your face, you grabbed a hold of a towel and patted your face dry. Biting your lip again as you stared at your reflection in the mirror, a solitary tear rolled down your cheek as you quickly buried your face in your hands.

_No, positive thoughts today. I can’t think any bad thoughts. Gods let them all be ok, because I can only take so much more of missing him…_

*******************************************

8:55 in the morning. Breathing in deeply, your eyelashes fluttered as you waited at the outlook with your packed bags sitting beside you on the bench in which you were perched. You tapped your foot anxiously upon the cobbled pavement as you observed the city goers slowly come alive and begin to attend to their morning habits. Smiling blissfully, you glanced out at the Meteor of the valley in between your anxious glances down at your phone, you painfully witnessing each second and minute roll by at a languid pace. You sighed, apprehension and anticipation coursing through you as you patiently waited for your friends to arrive to steal you away on today’s embarkment. _Just what are we going to be doing today, Iris_ , you wondered imaginatively. _Shopping? No. Why would you ask me to pack toiletries for that? Camping? Nah, that’s more of Gladio’s style. Are we going to the beach maybe? That’s totally possible, but Galdin’s expensive as hell to reserve a room this time of year…You’re really killing me here with leaving me in the dark!_

Just as you were about to pick up your phone to call and make sure the younger Amicitia was on her way, you heard the call of your name by an overly bubbly male voice from behind you.

“Yoooo! Y/N! Heyaz!”

Quickly turning around on your seat, instantaneously your cheeks brightened and your smile widened at the sight of the individual darting quickly towards you.

“Prompto? Oh my gosh!” You said gleefully as you jumped up and ran over to meet the man. As you reached him he wrapped his arms around tightly and spun you around like you were a child, causing you to giggle and your head to dizzy. He then sat you down upon two very wobbly feet and grinned at you widely, his teeth shining brightly in the morning sun. “I’m…I’m surprised!” You said breathlessly as you looked him up and down. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here at all! Iris. Iris kept saying we, so that means-”

“And I bet you weren’t expecting him either!” You heard a sugary female voice reply. Looking up towards the parking lot you now saw Iris bouncing towards you with her brother right behind her, and your smile widened even further at the sight of your other two companions.

“Gladio? You’re here too?” You said astoundingly as Prompto chuckled and fidgeted with the camera strap that got tangled in his vest.

“In the flesh,” Gladio replied with a grin as he approached you and engulfed you in his massively broad arms. Instantly you felt yourself suffocating as he pressed your face right into the expanse of his chest, and Iris laughed beside you as she watched you struggle. “It’s been far too long,” the older Amicitia said, now releasing you from his vice grip.

Taking a deep breath you stood back to look him and Prompto over, your chest swelling agonizingly with a sudden melancholy at the thought of exactly how much time had transpired since you had last seen them both.

“It was the ball, right?” You said quietly, now bewildered in thought. “Has it really already been that many months since I’ve last seen you both?”

“Yeah, it’s crazy, huh?” Prompto mused inquisitively as he scratched his goatee. “And to think it only seems like yesterday that we were beatin’ up daemons and stuff together. Time really flies, doesn’t’ it?” But with all seriousness gone, his smile enlarged as he bounced on his heels. “But now we’re all back together again and I’m stoked! Are you ready for some fun today, Y/N?”

You raised an eyebrow as you crossed your arms and scrutinized the gunman. “Well I don’t know,” you said slowly. “Iris has been keeping this whole deal a mystery to me and so I have no idea exactly what might be considered ‘fun’ for today. Mind caring to indulge me a little bit?”

Gladio chuckled beside you and patted you on the back, the force of his hand almost knocking you off balance. “Nuh uh, that ain’t happening,” he said as he walked over to the bench and picked up your bags (he was always a gentleman of course). “We’re not telling you a damn thing until we get in the car. Now why don’t we get out of here so we can alleviate that curiosity of yours?”

You laughed as you turned your attention to Iris as you all made your way over to the car. “Iris…you…what are you up to?” You asked her inquisitorially, and you couldn’t help but observe that her face was positively beaming. “Why are you surprising me today? Is it a special day that I am not aware of?

She smiled back at you happily, and yet, her countenance was laced with a hint of solemnity. “Y/N, you’ve been through so much lately and I just…really wanted to do something nice for you. I really did,” she answered honestly. Her voice quieted a little bit as Gladio and Prompto moved up on ahead. “I know how much you’ve been missing Ignis. _Gods_ do I know and it makes my heart break just thinking about what you’re feeling right now. I’ve been there before…” Her words trailed off as you realized she was implying her unrequited crush for the King that had been festering in her heart for ages now. “We wanted to take your mind away from that for a bit, and knowing how you don’t have your own car to get away from here, well, we talked to Holly and Jeanne and asked them if it was ok if we relieved you for the rest of the week from your job. Of course they said it was no problem at all, but we had a little bit of extra persuasion to make sure that she didn’t say no.”

Your heart swelled at the sentiment of her words, but her last remark made you most curious. “Persuasion?” You queried, raising your eyebrow. “And just who would have talked to my boss to have authority over _her_?”

Iris giggled mischievously. “Oh just you wait. You’ll see,” she said as she bounded with a stride in her step. She took your hand and squeezed it tightly, and the motion made your heart warm. “But seriously, Y/N. You deserve it. So I hope today is going to help cheer you up a bit and take your mind off of everything...”

Now standing beside Gladio’s jeep, the big man threw your bags into the backseat with the rest of everyone else’s belongings.

“Well, you ready, Y/N?” Prompto asked you excitedly as he readied his camera in his hands.

You smiled at him and nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Readier than I’ll ever be. Let’s get to this!”

And soon before you knew it, you and the retinue set out to embrace today’s adventure.

**************************************

The car ride alone was a treat in itself; with Gladio as the chauffeur he drove you and the cortege across the Lucian countryside while Prompto snapped photos of the surrounding landscape; with each passing mile, the two grandees chatted with you about everything that had transpired in Insomnia in the last several months since the ball. As you talked, you soaked in the stunning sights of the panoramic Lucis, the crisp morning wind whipping freshly against your face with the roof of Gladio’s jeep rolled down. With Prompto now disclosing to you some engaging and awe-inspiring stories of his recent training at the Citadel, you felt your heart twisting at just how much you realized you had missed everyone. And as the gunman shared his chronicles while eagerly snapping photos of a flock of Chickatrices with their Basilisk mother along the side of the highway (goodness lord, were those little babies adorable), an overwhelmingly weighty thought came to fruition in your mind.

For years, not only had they all become your closest friends and allies when you had no else left in the world, but even more so importantly, they became the family and brothers and sister that you had achingly missed having in your life.

 _If only our lives weren’t all so different_ , you pondered to yourself as Iris laughed at a joke her brother shared and you missed the tail-end of. As the Shield of the King as well as the King’s best friend, Gladio and Prompto more than had their hands full in attending to Noctis’s every need, wish, and command as king, and knowing the nature of their friendship that they fostered since childhood, these men would go above and beyond to ensure that no frightening fate would ever befall their best friend and King again. They too bore the responsibilities of ensuring the safety of the kingdom and its people, and that included you, and so as you sat weighing the vastness of their accountabilities as young men in your head, you couldn’t help but appreciate this very rare moment you were able to share with them. Even Iris herself invested much of her time and dedication ensuring that procedure was followed as planned at the Citadel, leaving you all the more appreciative of those moments you got to spend time with her. And then you? Almost every day you lived a rather normal and relatively safe life working at the plant (pending hunts, of course) and you had the entitlement of returning to your peaceful and quiet apartment each night to enjoy your personal safety and solitude. With your palms pressed together on your lap and a beholden sigh escaping your lips, you suddenly could only wish the best for two of your best friends and the sister you’ve made a loving bond with as they bore their burdens of duty proudly with each passing day.

_Gods please…let special moments like these never end. We all really deserve them so much…_

“Yo, Y/N!” Prompto cried directly in your face, his camera in hand as he sat upon his knees on his seat to stare at you with a toothy grin. “Don’t get too lost in that head of yours because you’re missin’ out on some pretty cool wildlife!”

You chuckled and shook your head. “Don’t worry, you’ve got my attention now,” you answered with a smile. “You know, Prompto, it’s great to see that you’ve managed to stay so passionate about something you love all these years. Most people get so bored of their hobbies very quickly. I’d love to take a look at your recent photo collection.”

Prompto sat back down in his seat and sighed acquiescently as he began to scroll through the photo reel on his camera. “Ahhhh yeah. This is true! But you know what?” He stated happily with a grin. “I think what keeps me going is seeing people smile when they look at my photos. And it’s nice being able to document every step of my journey with the people I care about. Don’t worry, I can show ya some of my photos later when we’re all settled down!”

“I would love that,” you replied with smile. Angling your head slightly, you glanced at Gladio whose eyes were attentively focused on the road, the man having become rather silent in the last few minutes. “So Gladio, does Noct ever give you the time to go out on your camping adventures like he used to?” You asked him. “Or is that something you’ve had to put on the back burner for now until everything settles down a bit more?”

Iris suddenly burst into the most unexpected fit of giggles, leaving you rather puzzled. Through the rear-view mirror, you saw Gladio smile rather sheepishly, his cheeks turning slightly ruddy as he opened his mouth to speak. “Yeah, he lets me go from time to time when we all have a rare moment to breathe and politics aren’t the current topic of discussion. It may be surprising to you though, but it’s the lady that actually encourages me to go even more so because of how much she enjoys it too.”

Your eyes widened at this. You had only met Gladio’s girlfriend on a few occasions and hearing this was certainly a revelation to you; you would have never imagined that a sumptuous and attractive bombshell such as her would have an interest in the outdoors like her hulking and rugged boyfriend. “Really? That’s crazy! I never knew that about her,” you mused, now pondering as you gazed about your companions in the car. “Where…where exactly is she today, by the way? I haven’t seen her in such a long time! Is she doing alright? I’m surprised now that she isn’t tagging along today…”

Iris sniggered again, and looking up at the rear-view mirror, you could the flush of the Shield deepening further, a rather bashful mien plastered upon his scruffy face unlike anything you had ever witnessed. “What? What’s so funny, Iris?” You asked her, trying to discern her amusement, and even Prompto was now chuckling in the front passenger’s seat as he continued his photo ops.

“Oh come on, Gladdy! Tell Y/N! She’s gonna know eventually anyways!” Iris squealed gleefully, learning over to poke her brother in the shoulder from the backseat.

Gladio sighed deeply, and Astrals was his flustered state amusing to see. “She’s back home right now doing...planning of sorts,” he began, his voice trailing off.

“Planning?” You inquired. “Planning for _what_?”

Gladio cleared his throat loudly and you couldn’t imagine what in all of Eos would be making him so timid. “You see, she and I, well…Only just weeks prior, I…”

“Yes? What is it?”

“I…I asked her to marry me, and she said yes.”

“What?!” You shrieked, the shrillness of your tone making Prompto jolt in the front seat and fumble with his camera. “Gladio! Are you serious! That’s wonderful! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you!” And that you truly were. Gladio and his darling certainly deserved to have their happily ever after, considering how the toils of darkness and sorrow attempted to tear apart their spirits during the world of ruin. You were beaming now, but turning to look at your best friend, she was bouncing her knees and clapping her hands excitedly at the reveal of her brother’s engagement. Raising your eyebrow, you couldn’t help but laugh. “Iris, why didn’t did you not tell me that your brother was getting married I would have loved to know!”

Iris laughed, her pearly teeth glinting in the morning sun, “Well it wasn’t really my place to be spreading the news! Besides, you had been so preoccupied with everything in your mind too that I kinda just let it slip my mind! But see? Now you know! And sooner or later Gladdy’s fiancé is going to arrange a day for us where we all get fitted for our bridesmaid dresses!”

“I’m in the wedding party?” You gasped breathlessly. You had only ever been to a wedding once before in your childhood (Astrals, that was eons ago), and so attending such a festive affair as a grown woman was going to be a new experience for you, let alone being part of such as a bridesmaid. And so, the prospect of being such a special guest to the wedding of the Shield made your heart soar with absolute joy.

“I can’t wait to take pictures of how pretty everyone will look…” Prompto said blissfully, sighing happily.

“Alright, alright kids, settle down,” Gladio teased, him seeming overly flustered over being the topic of discussion. “We’ll talk more about the details later. We’re about to arrive at our destination anyways.”

“Woo hoo!” Prompto cheered, now edging up on his seat. “I’m so stoked! It’s been so long!”

You had been so completely preoccupied with your conversation that you had failed to realize just exactly where you were on the road now, but slowly as the jeep passed through a coppice of lush woods and rolled down a dusty road, your eyes widened as you comprehended where you were.

“We’re…we’re at the Malacchi Hills…This…”

And then, right past a clearing of thick-wooded trees blazed the gloriously bright neon sign of Wiz’s Chocobo Post.

“Guys…t-this is…”

“Woo hoo, Chocobos!” Prompto applauded happily, his anticipation apparent in his voice.

Iris turned to you, her smile beaming like rays of sun as she examined the shocked countenance plastered upon your face. “Yup! We’re hangin’ at Wiz’s today! Ignis told us quite a while ago how smitten you were over the baby Chocobo picture Prompto had sent him. He said you never really got a chance to see one up in person. And so…we figured especially in light of your new promotion, we wanted to celebrate and kill two Daggerquills with one stone.”

Your eyes burned from the tears that threatened to unleash from your tear ducts as your party’s chariot neared the facility, but before you could even begin to express your apparent appreciativeness towards your friends you found yourself gasping at what you saw.

Many years ago during the era of darkness you were enlisted in a hunt to demolish a pack of daemonized Behemoths that had laid waste and obliteration to the rancher’s business. Your heart had ached agonizingly as you surveyed the wreckage of his acreage after the onslaught of the contest, and you recall breaking down into tears when you had a private moment alone in comprehending that the establishment that once brought joys and smiles to countless visitors had been decimated. You had never seen the Post in its original stature, but witnessing now that the mountains of rubble and debris that once scattered these lands years ago transformed into a beautiful business with exquisite landscaping and patrons walking the grounds once more made your heart soar beyond compare and happy tears trickle down your face.

Gladiolus took note of your behavior from the rear-view mirror and smiled. “Yeah, you’re just as surprised as I was when I first saw the place again,” he said as he pulled the jeep towards the parking lot. “Years ago the gang and I would come here all the time to rent our birds from Wiz, and at the time this place had been such a small establishment. We were all devastated when we found out that the Post had been destroyed, and so to come back after all these years and see it up and running as a resort? Well, I can easily say that I’m pretty damn happy that the darkness is gone for good.”

And in complete awe you were too. To the one side of the complex were the barns and pens that housed the feathery cuties that people traveled far and wide to see. On the other side of the grounds stood an illustriously designed and artfully painted bed and breakfast-style ranch house with a full wrap-around porch littered with chairs and comfy outdoor couches. Gardens planted with every variety of flower imaginable were strewn about the complex, and towards the opposite side of the property stood a quaint little restaurant with an outdoor seating area whose seats were brimmed with patrons who were hungrily and contentedly eating between their Chocobo rides. Up high upon the hill you spotted the infamous Chocobo race track, and as you surveyed around the grounds, your heart swelled immediately at the sight of a baby Chocobo that pecked at the earth.

“Guys…this…”

You could no longer hold in your tears as the car came to a stop in the lot, and seeing your trembling state Iris placed her arms around you and gave you hug. “We care about you, Y/N, and we wanted to thank you for being a part of our lives. I hope we can make you happy today,” she said to you with the upmost sincerity in her mien. “I just want to see you smile.”

You wiped a tear from your face and smiled back at her, and you noticed that Gladio and Prompto too were smiling at you from the front seat. “Guys…thank you,” you said happily. “You’re the best. Really, you are! And I am going to make sure I enjoy myself every second today!”

“Anytime!” Prompto said cheerfully as he jumped out of the car and began to grab half of the bags from the backseat. “Now why don’t we go get ourselves settled in and have some fun?”

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” the Shield answered with a wink as he hopped out of the vehicle and grabbed the rest of the luggage. Gladio led your retinue down the hill towards the main center of the grounds where you saw a vacancy sign luminously lit up near the bed and breakfast’s office. With each step that closed the gap, Prompto trekked faster with enthusiasm.

“Wiz! Hey Wiz!” he suddenly called cheerfully, raising his free arm to wave.

A middle-aged man with silver hair and wearing a pageboy hat, scarf, and vest with his denim raiment slowly turned in the direction of his name, and this of course was none other than whom you presumed to be Wiz. As your crew neared him a wholesome smiled spread over his lips as he squinted in the sunlight, and instantly he waved back as you all approached. “Well, howdy there boys, Miss Amicitia! It’s certainly been way too long!” He said jovially. As you all now surrounded the man, Gladio reached out to shake his hand, Prompto and Iris beaming happily as the call of a Chocobo ‘kwehed’ somewhere nearby. Before you friends could say a word, Wiz turned his attention to you, his countenance soft behind the scruffiness of his beard. “Ah! And who might we have here joinin’ ya fellas as the fourth party member?” He asked inquisitively.

“This is Y/N,” Iris said cheerfully, motioning to you with a smile. “She happens to not only be my best friend but is also one of the hunters who helped take down the Behemoths who attacked your business years ago. She’s more than excited to see how everything is up and running again.”

You blushed at Iris’s statement and Wiz took a deep breath, the mention of the past devastation that forever changed his life causing him to pause in his boots. Nevertheless, a genuine smile spread over his lips as he reached out and shook your hand. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet ya! I’m grateful for everything that you and all the hunters have done in helping give me my livelihood back, and I can say for certain that the Chocobos are equally grateful too.”

Your chest tightened at the gravity his words, and gripping gently at his hand you shook it firmly. “It’s a pleasure Wiz,” you began. “And I’d do it again if I had to. I have to say that I’m more than excited to be able to finally visit here and enjoy this place like I never had the chance to.”

Wiz nodded. “And I’m happy to be back in business and offer ya my services today. I think you can agree with the boys here that there will be a lot more for you to do today than they last remembered. Now,” and he paused, taking a look behind you, “are ya fellas and ladies ready to check in or did ya want to wait for the rest of your party to get here?”

You tilted your head in confusion at his words, and from the corner of your eyes you watched Iris’s eyes light up. “Rest of the party?” You asked out loud, turning to look at her with bewilderment. “What does he mean ‘rest’? Who-“

But before you could complete your sentence, a youthful and regal voice graced your ears from behind.

“No need to wait on our part, Wiz. The gang’s all here now.”

No words could truly describe the way in which your body began to tremble. That voice. You had only heard it so few times in your life but never would you forget it for as long as you lived. Seeing the broad smiles upon your friends’ faces as they observed your puzzled state, slowly you turned around and immediately became short of breath. For now, striding towards you in the most casual of apparel but with the most stately of manners was none other than Noctis himself.

“Noct? Oh my god! Noctis! Your majesty!” You uttered breathlessly, almost fumbling with the small bag in your hands. Seeing the King of Insomnia standing there before you in the flesh was almost too surreal for your mind to fathom, for it had been too many months to count since you had last been graced with his acquaintance. It had been the royal ball, that evening the young king wearing his sophisticated and kingly raiment that manifested a sense of intimidation within anyone who laid eyes upon him, but now? Now he was almost unrecognizable in the most opposite fashion possible, him donning a solid black t-shirt with the Insomnian sigil on the front, a pair of dark-washed and distressed jeans, and a pair of black hiking sneakers that surely had seen better days.

Noctis studied your befuddled expression and laughed lightheartedly. “Oh come on, Y/N, don’t start with that majesty crap,” he said to you playfully, and approaching you swiftly, he closed the gap between you two and wrapped his arms around you in a brotherly embrace. “I know we don’t see each other much, but you don’t need to go calling me that. It’s been way too long,” he said, giving you a gentle squeeze.

You gazed at him with tears in your eyes, your cheeks pinkening as you laughed. Before you could respond you quickly took note of a series of bruises that speckled his arms and the black and blue blotch above his right eyebrow. Noctis pulled back from you to study your scrutinizing gaze. “This? Oh, don’t worry about it. I can tell you more later on this afternoon. But I have to say that it’s not me that you need to be worrying about…”

Noctis moved away from your field of vision and proceeded to give Iris a hug (she blushed at this) and Gladio and Prompto a brotherly handshake. You continued to stand there puzzled and aloof at everyone’s strange behavior as they now circled behind you with cheeky grins on their faces and their eyes cast upwards towards the parking lot. With your spine suddenly searing and every nerve in your body igniting to a mysterious aura that now encompassed you, you slowly turned around to look in the direction of their curious gazes. Suddenly you couldn’t breathe. Time stood still and Astrals did you struggle to find breath over who it was you saw.

“Ignis...Ignis?!”

And there he was, approaching you from down the hill, the man that you had desperately missed so much and thought of but nothing else with each passing day and night.

It was as if the Astrals themselves puppeteered every step you took as you found yourself rushing towards his direction, your bag tumbling from your hands onto the dusty ground as blood surged through your heated veins with each heavy step. You could not control your breathing nor the fervor that burned you from the inside out, the unexpected sight of the strategist beyond anything your brain could measure at this moment. Your sandals pounded into the ground like a rampaging herd of Arbas, and with the tactician now fully perceiving you in his field of vision, a broad smile spread over his scarred lips as you bolted towards him and right into his arms. An ‘oof’ escaped his lips as you collided with him, and almost instantaneously the fragrance of his cologne and the bitter scent of Ebony occupied your senses and left you liquescing in his warm embrace.

But as you now stood within his arms in the very public light of day, a rosiness spread over your cheeks and your spine burned with prudery, for never before had your friends ever witnessed such a sign of affection displayed between you and the Hand of the King. But after having worried about him each and every day while he was away, quite frankly you could care less and were willing to cast all demureness to the side.

_Ignis…Oh Astrals you’re here…I can’t believe it. Please tell me I’m not dreaming right now…_

“Oh Ignis,” you muttered, blushing immensely as you pulled back slightly to look up into his smiling face. “Oh Ignis, I’m so glad you’re here! But how? I thought that you were going to be away for much longer. I didn’t hear from you at all about when you were coming back and so I thought –“

“Blessedly we took care of the matters much more quickly than we projected,” he answered softly as he once again drew you closely to his broad chest. “And I must say that I am more than elated to be rid of the botheration after such a tedious peregrination. To be standing here right now, seeing you as proof that I am back home? I…” And he paused, a slight pink blossoming over his scarred cheeks, “my soul is now eased beyond compare.”

Your breathing hitched at the implication of his tender words, and it was finally now that your mind allowed you to grasp that you truly were indeed not dreaming and that the feel of his lean and toned arms were very much wrapped around your waist. But even more so, you could not comprehend that this man whom you had always known to remain discreet about any personal feelings in public was now indeed holding you closely to him in the most protective and affectionate of ways. Swallowing hard with another surge of heat singeing your spine, as you rested your head upon his chest and angled your face, your eyes scanned over the length of his arms to not only take note of his usual scaring but also similar bruising that his liege possessed. Pulling back from him again to study his face, you noticed just how weary and worn he looked, and your eyes expanded as they stared at a small cut that lay across his temple.

“I-Ignis,” you murmured shakily. “W-what happened to you and Noct?”

Ignis chastely lifted your face with his hands, the gesture surprising you, knowing his friends were not too far off to witness such a spectacle. “That is a matter that we needn’t worry about at the moment, my dear,” he murmured, his words catching slightly in his throat. “I shall share the narrative of our adventure in Niflheim later this evening. But for now, I think it is best that we join our companions before we delay any further the festivities we have set aside for ourselves to enjoy…”

****************************************

After you and the retinue checked into your rooms and unpacked your bags, you soon found out that it was indeed Noctis who had contacted Holly and “royally demanded” (he said with a wink) that she give you permission to have the remainder of the week off. Cursing at him and playfully punching him in his unbruised arm at his use of authority, you still could not believe that despite you relation to him as a friend, it was the King of Lucis of all people who came to your aid to help provide you with some much needed rest and relaxation.

Needless to say, you could hardly withhold your excitement over the prospective activities that you and your friends could partake in during the course of this illustrious and breathtakingly beautiful day. Starting your day with the intended purpose of why you came here in the first place, your ventures began you with squealing with joy and adoration as you stepped into the Chocobo barn and got to witness for yourself the grandeur of the beauty of the Chocobo species for the first time. You immediately became attached to a female named Crimson who wouldn’t stop nuzzling her beak up against your face and neck, and giggling with delight as her feathers tickled your sensitive flesh, you nestled your face into her breastbone and inhaled her natural and feathery musk and relished in the feel of the soft Chocobo feathers on your cheek. As you talked to Crimson, you couldn’t help but notice from the corner of your eyes Ignis observing you with a soft smile upon his face, and blushing deeply and grinning back at him while he pet his own bird, Crimson let out the most joyful “kweh!”

Everyone rented out their own birds and Prompto immediately suggested heading to the raceway to see who would be declared as the Chocobo racing champion. Iris had once explained to you that way back in the day when they would make visit to Wiz’s and challenged each other to a race, they would each become extremely competitive over who could reach the nearest haven first.

“I’m so gonna kick your asses,” Noctis declared as everyone was lined up at the start of the raceway for the first race.

“I don’t think that’s the proper way for a King to talk,” Gladio remarked smugly, his eyes squinting at his friend as he crackled his knuckles. “I’m gonna have to clean that mouth of yours with soap when I’m done sweeping the floor with ya!”

“I wouldn’t hold yourself to that, Gladio,” Prompto now sounded in, determination on his face as he bit his lip and smirked. “You’re forgetting who the true Chocobo master is here.”

“Ahem.” Much to your surprise, Ignis cleared his throat as he readied himself to chime in, yet getting to know the tactician so well these last few weeks, you knew he was more than capable of handing back sass to anyone who so deserved it. “Might I suggest to you all to hold your applause and bow down to the real winner when he wins?” He said snidely as he pushed his visor back up upon the bridge of his nose.

You and Iris giggled over the banter as you readied your own Chocobos; with the signal from the attendant, the race began and instantaneously the boys dashed up ahead, hollering at each other and cursing one another out as they rounded each corner and climbed up every steep hill. As their Chocobos passed one another back and forth, each of the boys tried to reach for one another and jokingly knock each other off their steeds, and you and Iris were so far behind from hysterically laughing that it became almost impossible for you to focus on the race. As the first race came to an end and the attendant to the track judged the winner of the first round, everyone was astonished to see that it was Prompto and Ignis who tied exactly for first place. Prompto was beyond stunned to see that he was almost bested by the tactician, and you could not help but feel rather giddy over the smug smile upon his face while Prompto tried to justify his almost potential loss.

After several more rounds of racing and then traversing the hills to embark on a tranquil jaunt through the woods to the ruins of Fociaugh Hallow, you returned to the Post to indulge in a lovingly prepared-by-hand lunch. Immediately Noctis and Gladio proceeded to head to Wiz’s restaurant, but Ignis quickly and kindly requested to make lunch for your entourage. With no disagreement on this verdict (because who could possibly say no to the tactician’s cookery), Noctis, Gladio, Prompto, and Iris laid back on the soft grasses of the hillside and began to play the much anticipated sequel to _King’s Night_ on their phones while you assisted Ignis in his preparation of toadsteak drumsticks.

You gawked in fascination as you watched Ignis delicately slice the fat and tendons off each frog leg with minute precision. As you observed his technique, you stood by his side and nimbly peeled and cut various vegetables such as carrots, squash, and tomatoes to skewer and roast over the fire as a companion piece to the main course. Intermittently as you two worked, you could not help but notice the delicate brush of Ignis’s arm alongside yours, and as he turned to reach for an ingredient at the cooking station, his hips would flush gently against yours. Whether or not such gestures were deliberate you did not know, but regardless, you couldn’t help but blush at the way he smiled peacefully as he worked, and the heat from the proximity of his frame next to yours sent heat coursing down to your core and ignited every nerve in your body to tingle like a Cactuar’s thousand needles.

With an exquisitely divine lunch ingested, it was shortly after when you and the crew headed down to the shore of the Astor Slough to take up afternoon residence. A beautiful wooden dock extended along the edge of the lake and natural seats sculpted from stone were positioned about the water’s edge, providing one with space to enjoy his or her solitude and contemplation in peace. Noctis stood upon the edge of the dock with his preferred fishing pole in hand, and with his favorite baseball cap plopped upon his head that he apparently always wore for good luck in catching the biggest prize, the king looked more than ready to reel in a big one. Prompto stood at his left with his camera ready to document each of the catches, while Gladio stood on his other side with his own fishing pole in hand, hoping to best his liege. Iris sat upon the dock next to them with her feet dipped in the shallows of the slough and her hair drawn back into a high pony tail. As for you? You and the royal advisor sat upon the pebbled seats, observing from afar as to witness what the boys would catch.

You took a deep breath as you watched, a sense of warmth and happiness coursing through your veins as you surveyed the companions interacting in each other’s company. Noctis, whose stance was silent and determined, now shifted upon his feet as he noticed his line was beginning to pull.

_Let’s see how much of a fishing legend you actually are, Noctis!_

“Ah! I got one!” Th king said triumphantly after what seemed like him waiting for over half an hour to get a single bite.

“Damn it, lucky you!” Gladio said gruffly, now reeling in his own line to focus on watching Noctis. “I must be using the wrong kind of lure today or something…”

“Make sure you get it!” Prompto chirped, his enthusiasm apparent in his voice as he readied the lens of his camera. Your heart melted over the sweetness of his tone, and as you watched the two life-long friends stand side by side, you deduced that it surely had been quite a while since the gunman had the chance to go fishing with his best friend “I want to start re-documenting all of the catches you get! I wonder what this one is gonna be!”

“Well just sit back and watch the master,” Noctis said smugly. “Noct Gar has made his return…” Within mere seconds, the line began to yank and jolt frantically and Noctis transitioned into master fisher mode. With him widening his stance and steadying his posture, you were amazed at how seemingly gracefully he reeled in his line inch by inch. With what seemed like a perilous struggle that lasted minutes, with one last spin of the reel, a flick of his wrist, and a tug of the line, out emerged from the shallow depths a brilliantly shiny and luminescent fish that….was very underwhelming and unimpressive in size.

The crew stood speechless for a moment as the tiny fish dangled agitatedly from the line. “Huh…that’s…not what I was expecting from that skirmish,” Prompto said disappointedly as he scratched his chin, but lifting the camera he took its photo nonetheless.

“He’s a little but puny, isn’t he?” Gladio remarked, crossing his arms and smirking at his friend.

“Hey, it’s not the size that matters there, big guy but the oomph behind it,” Noctis supported defensively as he cautiously removed the hook from the fish’s mouth and placed the aquatic creature in his bucket. “That is if you think that you need to overcompensate for something to make yourself feel better!”

“Ahhh! Noctis! That was so uncalled for!” Iris whined, covering ears with repugnance at hearing such a notion about her older brother. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that!”

Gladio playfully punched Noctis in the shoulder, causing the king to stumble on his feet. “Sounds like the petite prince here is a little bit jealous, huh now?”

“Spoken like a true jester,” Prompto interjected with a chuckle. “Takes a jealous one to know one!”

“Hey, watch what you’re saying, you lil’ shit!”

“Oh come on, big guy! I’m just joking around!”

“Yeah? Well don’t joke around with someone who can kick your ass ten times over!”

“That is if you can catch me first!”

From your roost upon the rocks, you couldn’t help but find yourself laughing jovially at the scene that unfolded before your eyes, and smiling blithely you turned to see Ignis resting his hands upon the rock for support and his body leaned back casually and comfortably as you both surveyed the chaotic spectacle. A blissful smile was drawn upon his face, and with a soft zephyr coursing through the late afternoon air you lost your breath to the sight of that solitary strand of hair that loosened from his pompadour now shifting against his forehead. His chest was rising and falling in the most tranquil and rhythmic of paces, and the sight of him looking so unperturbed and eased was more than a breathtaking sight to be reckoned. Tucking your hair behind your ear, you discretely scooched yourself closer to him so that your hip was flushed against his like earlier, and to remain as calm and collected as possible you began to play idly with your hands in your lap as you watched your friends tussle with one another down by the water’s edge. With your mind wandering to all the stories you heard over the years of the retinue’s wild exploits, you couldn’t help but become curious over what Ignis must be thinking at this very moment in time.

You smiled playfully as you watched Noctis put Prompto in a headlock. “You know, now after witnessing the Royal Crownsguard in their natural habitat for the first time in my studies,” you began cheekily, “I can now see why the wild Ignis is overly high strung around his reckless young.”

An erupting chuckle unlike any you had ever heard from the man escaped Ignis’s mouth, and the festal noise made you jump on your seat. The strategist smiled uncouthly in a manner so unlike him. “Oh most certainly,” he said, turning to you and resting his one hand on the rock behind your back. “And how my chicklings can wear their mother down to debility. From the very beginnings of our youth together to now as grown men, I have watched these men evolve into greatness, and yet at the heart of the matter, I feel that absolutely nothing has changed with the way my compatriots conduct themselves in a social manner such as this. Noctis is still as self-possessed as ever. Prompto is blissfully innocent at heart. Gladio is still well…Gladio,” and he paused to chuckle at himself, “but as temerarious and foolhardy as they all can be at moments, well…I still would not have it any other way in the world…”

Your heart warmed at such words, but now you became more inquisitive than ever. “And well? What about you?” You asked.

The advisor raised his eyebrow in response. “What about me, Y/N?”

You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, your heart fluttering in your chest over the way he looked at you now. “Well, you. What about you? Are you still the same, just like them?”

Ignis paused for a moment, seeming to mull over in his mind your question. “I, well…perhaps maybe I’ve changed a little bit too, after all…”

It was your turn to raise an eyebrow as you noticed his frame shift a little bit more closely to yours. With your heartbeat’s pace quickening, you nibbled your lower lip with excitement over his about-to-be declared answer. “Yeah? And in what way do you think you’ve changed, Mr. Scientia?”

Ignis smiled at the use of your formality. “Perhaps I’ve learned to be less tense about every matter. For instance,” he began, lifting his unsupported hand to motion towards the scene that evolved down by the lake. “The old me perhaps would have interjected the moment happenings got out of hand out of desire to maintain decorum in the situation. I’ve always been one for order after all. But the Ignis you see before you now?” He paused, placing his hand upon his chest. “He has learned that life needs to run its own course in whichever way it pleases. We are all destined to forge our own paths in any way we choose. And perhaps even more so, life sometimes chooses to chart those courses for us instead, and so thus we need to let the sails take wind of our lives naturally, even if that means arriving at the shores of a friendly altercation…”

His voice jocundly drifted off as he subconsciously shifted his body against yours, and you now blushed deeply, realizing that perhaps Ignis was unaware of how he moved against you with his attention so drawn to his companions. His leg was almost now lying parallel overs yours, and the heat radiating from the underside of his thigh through his jeans scorched your own trapped leg. In attempt to facilitate your breathing, your eyes trailed a path from his lips that were partially open down to his clavicle that was exposed from the open buttons of his Henley shirt. It was hard for you to ignore the lulling and soothing rise and fall of his chest, and perhaps the sinful part of your mind would have given anything for just a second to place your hand over his chest to feel the palpitation of his heart through his shirt.

But now, yanking you away from the admiration of the man, you were startled by the shrieking laughter of Iris from the dock.

“Oh, I swear to the gods, Prompto, if you don’t come back here with that I’m gonna kill you!”

“Are you fast enough though, big guy? Wait, woah! Ok! Gladdy I was kidding! Hey, stop!”

“Damn it Prompto, why did you drag me into this!”

“You’re the one who started all of this!”

“Me? How?!”

“You made the size joke! That was all you!”

“Yeah? And if you don’t both cut it out I’m gonna squish you both and crush you down to nothing!”

“So you’re gonna make us small, just like you?”

“PROMPTO, I SWEAR TO RAMUH!”

“Guys, wait! Stop! You’re gonna -!”

SPLASH.

Your eyes widened and you covered your mouth to prevent yourself from laughing obnoxiously as the three men now found themselves partially submerged in the shallows. Ignis sighed deeply and shook his head with displeasure, and pressing his glasses up upon the bridge of his nose, he now turned to you and smiled in the most boyish of ways. “Some things truly never change. And this is therefore the reason the ‘wild Ignis’ should never leave his younglings unsupervised.”

You snickered at Ignis’s sarcasm as he stood up from the rock to make his way down to the dock to resolve the muddle fashioned by his friends. But as he moved to stand, his hand gently brushed the length of your thigh and leg, and whether he realized he did this on purpose, you did not know. Needless to say you felt your stomach coil in gleeful knots as you watched him walk away with a sass in his step. Swallowing hard, you were beaming and your heart fluttered blissfully as you fully examined the entirety of the scene before your eyes.

“Gentleman, might I suggest to all of us that –“

“Ah shit! Sorry Specs!”

 _How big, blue, and beautiful this world really is_ , you thought to yourself as you stood up laughing and rushed down to the lake where all four men wrestled with one another to get back on dry land. But of all the magnificent sights around you, to the rolling nimbus clouds of the vibrant azure sky, the lissome sway of the lush greens of the earth, and to the crystalline shimmer of the waters of the Astor Slough, nothing could compare to the sight of Ignis that hugged your mind, soul, and heart.

_How I’m so glad to have you by my side just once more. Let every day be just like this…_

***************************************

The rest of the afternoon had passed swiftly once the raucous revelry of the men died down, and later that evening as the Lucian sky set peacefully everyone had their fill of a delectable meal from Wiz’s restaurant. You and the party had showered up for the night (the men in particular were in dire need of a bath since they smelled just like the water of the Slough), and as the infinite gathering of stars twinkled up high in the heavens all of you nestled in your rooms to relax for the remainder of what remained of the day. You in a particular had just finished up drying your hair and began playing around with it by braiding in every way possible, and sighing deeply and smiling you stood by your window and gazed up at the night sky above.

 _Goodness, what a day that was_ , you mused happily as you ran your fingertips over your locks of hair and focused your sight on one particularly shimmery star. _And I only could begin to guess just what exactly we will all be doing once the sun rises tomorrow morning. I wonder if –_

But just as you were lost in mid-thought, you were startled by a gentle series of raps upon your door. Raising an eyebrow and removing your fingers from your hair, you walked over to the door and slowly opened it. Immediately your stomach fluttered in knots, for now standing within the doorframe was Ignis, his lips curved into a soft smile as he held two mugs of tea in his hands.

With your cheeks flushing you smiled up at him and instantly moved out of the way to allow him passage into the room. Feeling suddenly anxious as you always did around the overwhelming company of the royal advisor, you figured it best to strike up conversation to help steady your nerves. “Well that was certainly an invigorating day,” you remarked happily as you shut the door behind you, and with a click of the latch you immediately flinched over the notion that you were once again within closed quarters with this man who flustered you in every way possible. Swallowing discreetly and tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear, you gently took the mug he offered you with his outstretched hand and sat down on the edge of the bed. “It had been way too long since I had that much fun, that’s for sure. Best day ever if you ask me!”

Ignis chuckled softly. “Indeed,” he murmured with a smile as he took a seat in the armchair opposite the edge of the bed. “It appears as though we were all in climacteric need of some well-deserved R&R.” He paused to look at you as he took a sip from his mug, humming in the process as he drank, and suddenly it became very much of a challenge for you to turn your eyes away from the shifting of his Adam’s apple in his throat. He pulled his mug away from his lips and smiled again. “I must truly say this though, Y/N: I’m elated to see you looking so well and reinvigorated. And happy, if I might add. This pleases me much.”

You smiled bashfully and quickly you took a sip from your tea to hide the deep flushing of your cheeks from behind the porcelain. Was it the sweetness of the brewed tea that made your toes curl with delight or perhaps the kindness of his words? “That’s an understatement,” you said to him after you took your drink and sighed. “I spent a lot of time climbing towers at Burbost yesterday and knowing I won’t have to worry about anything like that again until next week does make me feel pretty happy. But I do have to say that this surprise today made the last few weeks of hard work really feel extra special.” You paused as you glanced him, biting your lower lip and casting your eyes down to your mug in your hands. “I…I really want to thank you and Noct for this, by the way,” you said sincerely. “I really do mean it when I say that I’m grateful for every minute today. I really missed having days like this...”

Ignis stretched out his legs as he shifted forward in his chair, your eyes trailing down their length as he planted his feet into the carpet. “It was our pleasure, Y/N, and we would gladly do this more often whenever we can,” he said softly as if suddenly finding the words hard to say. “Perhaps in the near time future you can expect to experience something similar of the sorts.” He smiled again as he took another sip from his tea, his emerald eyes now scanning the planes of your face in the most reflective of manners. “Have you…have you been plagued by any more bad dreams as of late?”

You almost spit your tea out at his question, and fumbling with your mug in your hands you prayed to the Astrals that he did not take notice of the deep blush that now creeped downwards to you neck and chest. “N-No,” you said quickly with your throat betraying you, your answer cracking in your throat. Hastily you cast your eyes downward to the carpet again, fighting tooth and nail with your mind to not suddenly wander off into daydreaming about last night’s quixotic tryst in your sleep. The thought of Ignis’s strong hands gripping your hips and holding you firmly in place as he bit at your throat made your loins tighten on the spot, and now looking up to see the advisor sitting just mere feet away from you in the arm chair almost made you moan with frustration at such proximity. “No,” you repeated, swallowing hard as you gathered your words. “Like I said, I think that was just a little bit of post-traumatic stress from my hunting days. The thing in my dream kinda looked like a Lich if I were to describe it best. Maybe…maybe I was just so worried about you leaving for Niflheim that maybe my mind decided to spook me while I was worried about you.” You were rather surprised at such a confession, but as you watched Ignis once again shift in his seat, his eyes having never left you all the while as you spoke, you remembered one rather important detail that you needed explaining for. Pausing your discourse, your eyes shifted to the mark on his temple. “N-not to ruin the peace of the night or change the subject on your, but you were going to tell me what happened to you and Noctis while you were away, remember?”

The advisor appeared as though he was lost in your words, and there was something about the way his brows were drawn together as he stared at you that you couldn’t quite explain “Ah y-yes,” he stuttered as he readjusted the frames upon his face. “ I did in fact say I would reveal such information. I…I do not wish to bore you with the minutiae, but to put matters simply, our mission in fact was a success.”

You frowned at him, not liking at all the brevity of his answer. “Ignis, please, you could never bore me if you tried. Please don’t spare me any details, ok? But a success?” You asked, lifting your hand to point at his temple. “Then why the heck did you and Noct come back looking like you got trampled by a horde of Bulettes? What on earth happened to you two while you were in Niflheim?” You paused your words, realizing perhaps you were a tad bit too forward. “Look, I was just…I was really worried about you is all, like I said. And with not getting to hear from you that much? I got pretty scared on certain days…”

Ignis could only stare at you, the consternation of your tone suddenly seeming to get the better of him. He swallowed hard, sitting his mug down on the coffee table as he looked at you. “My…My apologies for that, Y/N. I would never wish to make you worry in such a way,” he said softly, his words catching in his throat, looking away from you for a moment. “But to answer your inquiry, in short, the worst of what we had been fearing for months now had been brought to light. We wanted to survey what damage had truly been done to the Empire after the onslaught of the darkness’s reign. With the aid of King Ravus and his troops as we made way into the captial, we did in fact encounter an enormously large surmount of miscreant MTs, especially in one of the larger residential areas of Gralea. Fortunately for us though, they lacked their true potential powers and we believe the only reason they remained animated was due to the parasitic effects of the Starscourge in their human DNA. And these marks we received,” he said, now pausing to motion to the laceration on his temple, “just happened to result from our skirmish with a slightly meddlesome Magitek assassin troupe. Favoribly for us, with Ravus’s support, we were able extirpate the soldiers before matters only intensified. Even though this perhaps might seem like a small success and we certainly still have our work cut out for us, we at least now have a better understanding of our situation and are better prepared to face the next plan of attack when we visit Niflheim once more.”

Your eyes widened at all of this. Feeling overwhelmed at the complexity and the weight of all he said, you sat down your mug on the bedside table to prevent yourself from spilling anything upon the floor. You took a deep breath, finding your palms trembling as your hands sat upon your lap. “Ignis…what…what if something serious happened to you though?” You asked him, trying to keep your words level. The tactician’s expression softened as though a sense of guilt had suddenly washed over him, and before he could speak you continued. “You should know how much I trust your abilities. I just…hated feeling helpless, knowing that I didn’t know what was going on. I know you weren’t alone in all of that, but gods, I really was scared for you.” As you paused again your mind flashed back to your nightmare from weeks ago, and you shuddered as the horrid visuals once again caused the hair on your arms to stand on end. “That was some really dangerous stuff that you were dealing with. I fortunately only ever had to worry about a small handful of magitek soldiers before, and damn, were they frightening. I can’t begin to comprehend what you had to go through.”

“Y/N….” he murmured softly, and looking you deeply in the eyes as he examined the distress upon your face, he startled you by standing up languidly in his seat and making his way over towards the bed. As he approached you slowly, your heart started battering madly in your chest as you carefully watched each and every step he paced. Stopping right in front of you, he planted his feet shoulder-width apart on either side of your legs and took a deep breath.

_Oh gods oh gods oh gods…_

Gulping harshly, you slowly raised your eyes to look up at him to see his countenance troubled and yet his eyes shimmering softly with all the warmth in the world. Raising his hand gradually, he brought his digits to grasp softly at the bottom of your chin to lift it lightly, and Astrals how you suddenly were burning to that electric touch that made you feel utterly breathless.   Clearing his throat as though struggling to find his words, he knit his brows together as he spoke tenderly with hushed words.

“I can assure you, Y/N, that I vow to you at this very moment that I will never allow anything ever to me befall me ever again. I promise this to you on my behalf.”

_Again?_

You would have sworn the gods graced you with the strength to move, for now you slowly reached up and placed your hand over his. Not even knowing what to say you found your lashes fluttering shut and your mouth sighing peacefully as you relished it the warmth of his hand on your face. “Thank you, Ignis,” was all you could say, and opening your eyes once again a small smile now spread over your lips as you looked up at him.

But you were not prepared for what you saw as you opened your eyes. Ignis trembled before you and as he looked down at you, and within the stillness of the room you could see that his legs were suddenly shaking as if he could hardly keep himself together for another second. With his Adam’s apple shifting in his throat again, he traced his thumb tenderly over your chin and lower lip, and your mouth parted slightly at his caress. You nipped your lower lip and with each passing second your loins began to tighten and coil at the sensation of his gesticulations. Seeming to fight something deep within him as he gazed down upon your face, Ignis’ shifted slightly to steady himself, his body almost radiating with a powerful energy that coursed throughout the room that you simply could not describe. Moving slightly upon his feet, he took a deep breath and sighed. “It is getting late, Y/N,” he began, his voice hardly audible as his words caught in his throat, “and I am most certain you are more than fatigued from the convivialities of today. I…I shall leave you to your rest.”

But you surely could not let him walk away like that. Before Ignis could take more than a few steps towards the door, you hastily reached out with your hand to grasp at his wrist. “Ignis, wait,” you said breathlessly, and with his breathing hitching he turned around gradually to look at your face. “I…just wait…” you repeated.

What was compelling you to do what you were about to do? Steadying yourself as you rose from the bed, you made your way over to him and stopped right in front of him, your face angling upwards to meet his. Not caring if he took note of the burning of your cheeks, with your heart beat pattering deafeningly in your ears you reached up to gently grasp the sides of his face. _I know it’s not the right time right now with all of us here, but let me just try this, at least this for now_ … Shutting your eyes and upholding the turbulent desires that surged through you with all the restraint any sane person in the world could possess, you placed your lips sweetly upon the curvature of his jawline and kissed him as you trembled all the while. “Goodnight, Ignis…Thank you again for today, and sweet dreams…”

He couldn’t utter a single word. His throat constricted and his chest rose sporadically as he tried to even out his breathing. But, as he stared down upon you, as if a new man within him was awakened, he suddenly smiled. Reaching up with his hands, he softly grasped the sides your head and placed a kiss upon your forehead, the warm breath escaping his lip caressing your skin and causing you to tremble as his touch. “And to you too, my dearest. Good night...”

And now, the final wall to the fortress of the tactician’s heart had been knocked asunder.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Noct Gar. That's all I will say. Lol.


	8. What The Water Gave Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years everyone! :)
> 
> This short little chapter, while still very important nonetheless to what will transpire in the story, is a little bit of a filler, and so I apologize to you all in advance who are looking forward to something big happening. However, since the next chapter is so important and I felt that it would be too long, I decided to separate this section from the next.
> 
> As the writer, believe me, the tension between Iggy and the Reader is becoming unbearable and I can't wait to have them officially explode. You'll see that next chapter too. ;)
> 
> As always, enjoy! :3
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_Time it took us_

_To where the water was_

_That’s what the water gave me_

_And time goes quicker_

_Between the two of us_

_Oh, my love, don’t forsake me_

_Take what the water gave me_

 

_Lay me down_

_Let the only sound_

_Be the overflow_

_Pockets full of stones_

_Lay me down_

_Let the only sound_

_Be the overflow_

_-Florence and the Machine – “What The Water Gave Me”_

Sheets of icy and algific rain pounded down upon your head and a chilling wind lashed at your face as you stumbled weakly over the fragmented and crackled pavement and through the circuitous labyrinth of broken city streets. Lacerations upon your cheek and upper thigh were bleeding profusely as you failed to breathe evenly, fear coursing through your chilly veins as you attempted to analyze your surroundings.

The shattered and fragmentary window displays. The toppled over and demolished food stands. Moogle and Chocobo plushies shredded and maimed to tatters, their stuffing scattered about like mutilated limbs in the most gruesome of murders. Broken wine glasses and umbrellas and chair legs snapped into pieces, littering the streets everywhere…

_No…no…why am I here again…_

“Hello? Hello!” You screamed desperately as you searched helplessly for any sign of life. “Anybody?!”

Nothing.

_No…please…why…_

Your vision whirled around you and you faltered over your own feet, your limbs surely weakening due to the loss of so much blood. Losing your balance, you skidded onto the pavement and scraped your bare knees upon the cobbled street. You winced and bawled in misery, pleading to the Astrals to make your torment stop.

_Six, please. Give me the strength. I need to do this…I have to keep going! I can’t stop here!_

Tears surged down your cheeks as you feebly forced yourself onto your feet and continued your trek forward with what remaining strength you had.

“Somebody, please! Anybody!” You blared at the top of your lungs. But there was no answer, the pregnant silence of lack of human response suppressed by the thunderous maelstrom that plummeted from the heavens. As you took each etiolated step forward, the path before you narrowed and the city canals rushed around you, their sullied water splashing up onto the pavement and plastering your frigid body. You shielded your face from the assault and adjusted your eyes to the fulminating darkness around you. There was something. There, far up ahead, you saw a figure trembling in its stance.

_Who…_

With a sudden adrenaline surging through your enervated limbs, you found the strength to press onward, dragging your feet with each aching step. As you slowly approached, your eyes came into focus and you felt your heart leap painfully out of your chest at the sight of the person you now laid eyes upon. “Ignis! Ignis!” You yelled over the rain, now moving as hastily as you could towards him. He must have miraculously heard you for he slowly turned around, and you gasped harshly as you once more saw the much younger advisor staring at you with trepidation in his eyes. His glasses were discarded from his face and his wind-swept hair was soaked to its core, and as you approached you saw how is his eyes were strained with wretchedness as he failed to find his words.

“Ignis! Ignis, it’s ok!” You sobbed in attempt to reassure him. “I’m here now! I’m – “

But immediately your words caught in your throat, for as if Ignis had not heard a single word you uttered, the strategist turned his attention away from you and to the bodies that lay supine and lifeless upon the ground. A gasp escaped your lips as you trembled in the cold rain, your stomach lurching at the sight of who was the object of Ignis’s terror.

_Noctis…Lady…Lunafreya? What…what happened to them?!_

You reached out towards Ignis as you took another unsteady step forward to the prostrate figures, tears streaming down your face as you lacked all means to make sense of what you saw. “Ignis, what is happening? What is happening?!” You screamed over the torrential rain, yet Ignis stood beside you, deaf to all your words as he himself began muttering his own utterance, his hands hanging weakly at his sides and shaking in fists as he spoke each word.

“I…I failed you…I swore to protect you…I…”

You grabbed the sides of the advisor’s face, forcing his attention towards you as you looked him straight in the eyes, his own eyes wide with grief and tears as he stared back at you.

“Ignis, it’s alright! It’s fine!” You cried as your palms trembled over his pale cheeks. “Everything is going to be fine! You just have to believe me! You just have to. We will save them! We will – “

“Ah uh uh…” Drawled a sudden daemonic voice from somewhere behind you, and with your spine tingling eerily at the sound of its insidious syllables gracing your ears, you slowly turned around to gawk in horror as you once again gazed upon the shrouded hellion before you. “I would say the game’s now up, my _dear_ …”

“No!” You shouted back, your weakened body mustering enough strength to shift into a warrior stance. “Never! Just who the hell do you think you are?”

“I would say that’s none of your business,” the creature contested, and every hair on your body prickled upwards on its end at the inhumanness of its voice that terrified every shivering bone in your body. Its glowing and lambent eyes shifted away from you and now focused on your companion next to you, a sickening smirk spreading over its lips as it watched the tactician tremble like a leaf in a storm. “Now why don’t you follow your liege’s lead and stop resisting? You are only making this worse off for yourself…”

“Never!” Ignis shouted back defensively, and as if only now realizing that you had been standing there with him this whole time, the strategist stood forward and shielded you from the advances of the monster.

The daemon growled and chuckled in response, and you felt yourself quivering as you continued to lose blood from your wounds, the fluid failing to inspissate as it trailed down your body and onto the pavement below. “No?” The creature alleged, slowly advancing towards you two by taking several more steps forward. “Then permit me to make a suggestion…”

“Get away from us!” You screamed back, but instantly you were overcome with stupefaction. In a single blink of any eye Ignis, Noctis, and Lunafreya were gone, and as you looked down at your hands, there grasped within your palms was a solitary piece of broken wood.

_No…not wood…a…_

A broom handle.

Just like what you used to play with when you pretended to ‘hunt’ as a child.

“Huh?” You said, your voice shaking as you bit your lip in befuddlement, but now, your voice too had transitioned to that of a prepubescent juvenile. As you looked down at your bleeding body, your tattered raiment was replaced with a frilly pink tulle dress that you once wore in your youth, and your knees were dirtied and soiled and your feet bare of your shoes. As you stood there trembling at this sudden metamorphosis, the daemon’s shrouded form continued to shift and change as it menacingly neared you.

“I-I’m not afraid of you!” Your childlike voice shrilled in the air, but clearly your voice betrayed you. “You’re never going to hurt the ones I love! Get away from me!” But with the daemon now mere steps from you and towering over you with an ungodly height, you lifted your arms, readied the handle, prepared to swing at the daemon as it reached out towards you and –

“RISE AND SHINE SWEETHEART!” Boomed a mannish voice from above you, and in complete and abrupt fright your eyes snapped open and your lungs burst with a sudden gasp for air. Adrenaline coursing through you as you jolted upright, your eyes quickly came into focus to see Gladiolus towering over your bed with his arms crossed over his chest and a doofy grin plastered upon his rugged face. With your brain taking a moment to register the sight of him before you, you found a balked and flustered scream escaping your mouth.

“Ahhh! Gladio! How the HELL did you get in my room!”

Gladio chuckled and shifted on his feet as he pulled out a keycard from his jean pocket. “Given that the reservation to our set of suites was under my name, well, I have the master key to all the rooms.”

You sighed deeply as your heart finally managed to settle down, and glaring at the hulking man for a moment longer, a small laugh escaped your lips as you pushed the blankets up off of your legs. “You know you could always knock or call me to wake me up next time, you know?” You began as you managed to stand upon your feet. “What if I decided to sleep naked?”

The Behemoth of a man grinned widely. “Well, I mean I can’t say that would be something I’d feel bad about seeing…”

“Oh my gods, Gladio! I heard that, you perv! That’s my best friend you’re talking about!” From outside the room, you heard the exasperated voice of Iris from the hallway, and you couldn’t help but playfully punch Gladio in his side in agreeance to your friend.

“Wait, what? Who’s naked?” Jumped in the enthusiastic voice of Prompto as he popped his head into your room, his hands ruffling a towel through his freshly washed hair as he peeked at you and grinned.

“Gods, Prompto! Not you too!” You whined with exasperation, but you couldn’t help but laugh as you picked up a pillow and heaved it at him in the doorway, and quickly the gunman skittered away, tittering and out of sight. You turned your attention back to Gladio as you ran your hands through your hair and stretched your arms and legs and cracked your neck. “So, now that the commotion is all over with, what pray tell do I have the pleasure of being wakened up for in such a manner this morning?” You asked him, crossing your arms and raising your eyebrow.

Gladio grinned as he cracked his knuckles. “Well, if ya hurry yourself up and get moving, you’ll find out!” He said with a smirk, and rolling your eyes you once again clobbered him playfully in his side.

“Oh come on!” You whined, smiling at him lopsidedly. “You’re being unfair with waking me up on such a short notice with no warning! Just what time is it anyways?”

“7:00,” he answered, smiling at you despite your assault on him. “And maybe it’s my fault for forgetting to give you a head’s up last night. I just want to make sure that you are all ready to go for our next adventure today.”

You raised your eyebrow curiously at this. Iris clearly had asked you to pack more than enough for several days’ worth of travel, but due to your excitement from yesterday you hadn’t given yourself much thought to just where you would be going next . “Next adventure? Where are we going?”

Gladio chuckled and moved towards the doorway to leave. “Just get yourself ready and you’ll find out when you get outside.”

Before you could inquire him of any further questions, the Shield was gone, and now finding your heart racing with eagerness and anticipation, you smiled widely and began rummaging about your quarters. Come to think of it, you were surely more than grateful that you over packed for your surprise mini vacation. Since Noctis had managed to acquire the remainder of the week off for you and you truly had no idea just how long you’d be gone from home or where you would be headed next, it was a good thing that you inadvertently prepared yourself for whatever it was to come next.

As the beaming and brilliant sunshine reflected through the window of your suite and you opened your suitcase to look inside for what you would wear, you quickly realized that there was a certain special someone waiting for you outside that you were more than thrilled to see first thing on this most illustrious morning.

“Ignis….” You whispered breathlessly as your heart suddenly pattered in your chest, and smiling girlishly you frantically began to get yourself decent. You quickly applied some light makeup to your face and ran your fingers through your hair to soften up and separate the strands of your wavy luscious locks. Opting to wear a form-fitting grey tank top with crisscross straps on the front, your favorite worn jeans, and your classic cropped combat boots, you checked yourself in the mirror and beamed at your reflection. _As ready as I’ll ever be_ , you said to yourself, _or at least I hope so_! With your cheeks blossoming and your skin flushing with excitement, you exited your suite with a spring in your step and headed downstairs.

As soon as you departed the bed and breakfast your flesh was graced with the warming and remedying sunshine from the brilliantly nimbus-laden sky above. A soft breeze caressed your skin as you inhaled deeply the fresh morning air, and you sighed with pure delight and happiness as you spotted your comrades situated at the patio of the restaurant up ahead. Almost skipping forward now, your eyes scanned each of your companions, a broad smile crossing your lips as you studied each of their faces. Prompto and Iris were playing with a rather lively baby Chocobo that kept squeaking and kwehing as they pet it and lifted it into the air. Noctis (whom you still couldn’t get over seeing dressed so casually in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt) was yawning as he appeared to be playing around with his phone (most likely trying to level up his characters in _King’s Knight)_ , and Ignis and Gladio were engaged in deep conversation with Wiz over whatever matters they were discussing.

“Good morning everyone!” You chimed cheerfully in the most bubbly of tones with a smile on your fac. Upon hearing your voice, everyone stopped what they were doing to look in your direction.

“Morning again, Y/N!” Prompto replied cheerfully as the baby Chocobo he was petting nipped gently at his hands with its beak. “Good to see you all fully dressed now!” He added with a laugh. “You feelin’ ready for today?”

You blushed and shook your head, glaring at Gladio who was now attempting to act all innocent in his encroachment of your penetralia. “Why yes Prompto. It’s a wonder what one can do when given the privacy to do so!” You scowled at Gladio who simply laughed heartily and grinned in the most boyish of manners.

“Hey, I’m just trying to do my job to make sure we make the most of the day,” Gladio said defensively, “but I’m glad to see that you’re now lookin’ wide and awake.”

Noctis smiled sheepishly at you as he listened to the conversational exchange, and almost as if still attempting to wake up, he yawned loudly and stretched his legs. “Well, I don’t know about you guys,” he cut in as he put his phone down on the table, “but I’m absolutely starrrrrving. I say let’s eat so we then continue this little chit-chat.”

“Indeed,” Ignis finally remarked as he looked at you from across the way, and one by one everyone moved from their places and began to settle themselves around the table. While everyone began to converse while waiting to serve themselves the food that waited hidden under their covers on their trays, Ignis walked over to your side and scanned your face, his cheeks reddening slightly as he smiled at you. His lips parted as if ready to speak, but instead he swallowed, his Adam’s apple shifting in his throat. Then, ever so slowly as if deliberating his motions, he reached up with his hand and gently tucked a loose strand of your hair behind your ear to better see your face, and Astrals did it take every ounce of your fiber to not faint from the sweetness of such a gesture. “Did you sleep well?” He inquired somewhat hoarsely with all the care in the world in his voice, his hand never leaving the side of your face all the while.

How bashful you were feeling was quite the understatement, and thank the Six that your friends were too engaged in talk to be witnessing such an exchange. Yet, despite how your skin was prickling with delight at his touch and how faint you felt with his apparent tenderness in the early hours of the morning, you somehow managed to maintain your composure as you smiled back at him and blushed. Considering his question at hand, you shivered slightly for only a moment as the frightening images of your nightmare popped into your mind. But with the comfort of Ignis standing before you helping mitigate any notions that such a nightly phantasm would ruin your day, you figured it best to push such a thought to the back of your mind. “Yeah, I slept ok I think,” you answered breathlessly with a smile, “although I have to say the wakeup call this morning was slightly unpleasant and scared the wits out of me.” You laughed softly, your stomach flipping in anxious knots at the way he smiled at you. “And I’m hoping you did as well, Ignis?”

The tactician’s grin curled lopsidedly, the sight of his freckled cheeks pinkening making you feel rather flushed. “Why yes, Y/N. Thank you for asking me. And pleasant things did I dream of indeed…”

You managed to stifle a slight little moan, blushing more deeply at the thought of whatever the advisor could have fabricated in his mind during his sleep. But knowing that prying about such information could only lead to a potentially flustering path that you were not ready to walk down this early, you bit your lip as you watched his hand gesture towards to the table. “Shall we join our friends, Y/N? You will be most delighted in this morning’s offerings of comestibles.”

You gawked at him for a second, but realizing he had just asked you a question, you laughed at yourself and smile, hoping he did not notice how flustered you were suddenly feeling. “But of course, Ignis. And like Noctis, I am feeling rather starved myself!!”

The two of you finally joined your companions at the table, and as you sat down, you could not help but laugh at the chorus of hungry stomachs that rumbled around the buffet that sat before you. With Ignis finally lifting the lids to each tray, immediately your mouth watered at the sight of the large plates brimmed with every variety of breakfast food that you could envision. Your stomach growled almost ferociously as you scanned the flatware loaded with steaming bacon, eggs, various types of toasted bread, fruit salad, homestyle potatoes, and so forth.

“Family-style, baby!” Prompto cheered excitedly as everyone began to load up their plates with food. “You better get ready, hungry tummy!”

“Iggy was kind enough to help Wiz’s chefs prepare our morning’s meal for today’s celebration of adventure,” Iris remarked cheerfully from across the table, and you glanced at Ignis to see him blushing humbly. “The guy’s been up since 5:30 this morning helping get everything ready.”

“Oh come now, it was no big matter,” Ignis said simply, trying to brush off the compliment without seeming so egotistical, and as he now too served himself, in the process of standing slightly to lift one of the lids from the tray of steamed ham, his leg pressed down upon yours from underneath the table. With the sensation of the heat of his leg pressing down upon yours, you held back a moan as you almost choked upon a bite of scrambled egg. As a subconscious reaction to steady yourself, your hand instinctually placed itself on the upper part of Ignis’s thigh, and instantaneously your eyes widened at the feel of the tense and flexed muscle of his leg.

 _Oh…oh gods, he’s hard as a rock_ , you thought to yourself as you suddenly endeavored to breathe, and immediately you cursed yourself in your mind for realizing the double meaning of your words. Managing to swallow your eggs, you embarrassingly turned your head to look at Ignis who was staring at you with wide eyes like a baby Arba in daemon-warding headlights, but as his eyes flickered downwards to see that your hand was still placed upon his thigh, a lopsided and impish smile spread over his lips. Clearing his throat he shifted himself closer towards the table in hopes that perhaps no one would notice the slight change in both yours and his behavior.

“So Specs,” Noctis abruptly said with his mouth full of bacon as if oblivious to everything, and his sudden words made you jump in your seat. “What time did we need to set out again today?”

“I would say within the hour, if we wish to depart promptly and arrive at our destination without turbulence,” Ignis said, clearing his throat as if trying to compose himself. He sat down his fork to crack his knuckles (why watching him do this thrilled you so much, you couldn’t comprehend, but then again you suddenly become overly aware that his hands were bare), and picking up his utensil again with the one hand, he lackadaisically placed the other under the table and on your leg right above your knee. You inhaled sharply and coughed slightly while chewing a fried potato, and with the tactician flinching for a second and looking at you to see that you were alright, he continued. “The forecast calls for clear skies with an exorbitant amount of sunshine, and so travel should not be a quandary.” But all the while as he spoke, whether he realized he was doing it or not, his hand squeezed gently around the curve of your leg in the most affectionate of manners, and you felt your loins tighten and curl at the thought of just how massively large his palm felt spread over the expanse of your tiny leg. Looking to him now and nipping your lower lip, you noticed that his eyes were focused upon his plate but a small smile was spread happily over his lips. Surely he knew exactly what he had just done.

 _Oh you bastard_ , you thought playfully to yourself, wanting to run and hide and laugh and do ridiculous things to him right in front of his companions all at once. While you knew your friends were certainly no stranger to your affectionate predilections for the royal advisor (gosh, it certainly had to be more obvious at this point since you had arrived at Wiz’s), you still beseeched the Astrals that your tablemates were unaware of the unanticipated touching that was transpiring underneath their eyes. But you yourself not wanting to make your flusterment any more obvious than it already was, you pulled your attention back to Noctis’s enquiry and cleared your throat. “Speaking of which and travels and all…is this a secret to me as well or are you guys going to tell me where we will be venturing off to today?”

Surprisingly it was Iris who spoke in his stead, her sitting her cutlery down and resting her elbows on the table as she focused her attention on you. The air around the bench became unexpectedly serious, and so you looked across the table at your best friend with interest. “Well,” Iris began, using her words cautiously, “I know that you’ve mentioned it to me on several occasions over the last few years. More than several, I would say. And I know in conversations with Ignis he said that you mentioned it to him as well. Well… so, being that Noctis also had important business to attend to there, we…we figured that we would surprise you and take you back home to Altissia.”

Within seconds your brain short-circuited like one of the millions of wires you have handled during the duration of your EXINERIS career. You sputtered as you almost choked on your food, and with your eyes watering you hastily sat down your silverware to focus on clearing your throat.

_Did she just say…Altissia? Altissia!_

_Altissia..._ Your mind swiftly flashed to the visions of your nightmare that had occurred just only an hour ago, but with your brain failing to fathom just exactly what it was that Iris stated, you quickly diverted your thoughts back to the companion speaking to you.

“We know it’s really spur of the moment for you,” Gladio cut in nervously as he read your seemingly aghast expression, and his perturbed tone surely threw you off, “but we knew how much you’ve been wanting to go back all these years and we thought that while we were all together with you, we could take you…”

Your breath caught in the back of your throat as you startled to tremble in your seat. Ignis, whose hand was still placed affectionately on your leg, now moved it away and placed it on your lower back for comfort. “Y/N?” He began, his voice crackling slightly as if fearing the worst of your reaction. “Are…Are you alright?”

Genuine tears started to formulate in the corner of your eyes, and you failing to find the words to say anything, suddenly your compatriots began to look frantically at one other.

“L-Look,” Prompto quickly jumped in with panic in his voice. “We’re sorry! We didn’t mean to take up that initiative without giving you a warning. We didn’t know that you’d react this way and –“

“N-no, it’s fine,” you croaked, and as everyone now examined your face, they sighed heavily with relief as they watched a smile now spread over your lips as tears of happiness began to trickle down your cheeks. “It’s fine! More than fine. It’s just that…I’m…I’m so grateful. I really am. I’m…I’m happy. Happy that I have people who think about me and care so much. So many people in this world have lost the ones they care about because of the daemons and the darkness, and yet here I am utterly blessed.” You paused your words to gaze at each of your companions. “I am so grateful I. I truly am, and no matter what I say, my words will never be able to express that…” A happy laugh escaped your lips, and without even realizing you were doing it, your one hand made its way back down underneath the table and situated itself upon Ignis’s thigh. You smiled at him, the look in his eyes causing your heart to constrict the most of all. “What can I say? You guys are the best.”

***********************************

Upon the conclusion of the ingestion of your savory and delectable breakfast buffet and after the heartfelt and appreciative goodbyes to Wiz, the cars were packed and ready for travel and your retinue set out on its next stop. You squealed with delight upon learning that you would be departing the mainland of Lucis for your destination in Altissia from Cape Caem. Previously having been become one of the safe havens and bases to the Glaives, hunters, and displaced citizens during the age of darkness, the beautiful seaside retreat was once again restored to its original state and became the permanent residence to Monica Elshett, Dustin Ackers, and Talcott Hester, the Crownsguard operatives to whom you had owed your life on more than one occasion during your hunting years. Monica had always provided you and your fellow hunters and Glaives with information on potential missions and hunts, while Dustin helped give you a sense of human decency by helping Iris attend to your garments that became frayed and worn from battle. You were more than thrilled to be united with these friends once again after such a prolonged time apart but were also ecstatic see the alluring seaside from the lighthouse view without the umbrage of shadows lingering in the atmosphere.

As you arrived at the cape and parked your cars securely by the house (for the trio would attend to them and keep an eye on them while you all were away), you found yourself rushing up the hill to greet each of the Crownsguard members with an earnest embrace.

“It is good to see you again,” Monica said sweetly as she hugged tightly in her arms. While heading the hunting operations had left her wear and worn beyond compared during the ten years, she still managed to remain vibrant and animate in spirit, and her smile gave you just the bravura you needed to help you face your slight apprehension with your travels today.

“Long time no see, everyone!” Talcott said cheerfully, and you couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how much this young man had changed in all the years that you had known him. During your hunting days during the world of ruin, Talcott had been more than conducive and helpful in providing the hunters and Glaives with valuable intel on the resources that you were searching for for Dino Ghiranze as well as Cindy and Holly. Once a slight and youthful child, seeking to provide wisdom to the world like his late grandfather, the young man grew into a youthful and gallant soul who would help provide hope for those around him. Like so many others who taught you all about the endeavors of Ignis when you had not the opportunity to meet him in person, Talcott shared with you apologues of his adventures with the tactician and how they would scour and ferret the tombs across Lucis that would provide you and the others with the priceless information you needed in order to save your beloved king. Once the light had returned, it more than surprised you that Talcott chose to live the reserved life away from the Crown City along with Monica and Dustin, but in all truth, could you really blame him after all he had been through? And so as you watched the young man shake the hand of the royal advisor in the manner like parted friends who had not seen each other for years, a warm smile blossomed on your face, knowing that through their shared struggles, the world was able to become a better place once more.

“Is all well in Lestallum?” Dustin asked politely, hugging you tightly as well. “I see that you yourself appear to be doing better than ever.”

You beamed at this as you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, and truth be told, he was more than right. Other than the bizarre and fear-provoking dreams that had plagued you at random (and you did your best in this moment to repress the thought of last night’s from your mind) and the pain you felt from missing Ignis when you parted ways, you truly had nothing overly major to gripe about in your life at this point in time. In fact, you couldn’t remember the last time that you felt at such ease, and with a certain special someone standing mere feet away as he talked to Talcott, you would have to declare that all was the best it had been since the darkness had approached.

“Never better, Dustin! And I’m hoping that you are all doing the same here too,” you said cheerfully, casting a happy glance over at Ignis who smiled at you in return. “I am happy to be back.”

While the members of your retinue caught up with Monica, Dustin, and Talcott, you excused yourself momentarily and took a stroll up towards the hill to observe the view of the seaside. Leaning against the worn and white-picket fence that safeguarded you from falling from the cliffs and into the sea below, you inhaled deeply and allowed your eyes to flutter shut for a moment before resuming your viewing of the ocean canvas spread across the horizon. You smiled sadly, realizing that in this moment this was your very first time in experiencing such a sight in the light of day, and trembling slightly as you watched the sea crash mercilessly into the rocky shoreline below, you became more appreciative than ever over the plight you had endured to allow you to appreciate a moment such as this.

But there was something more in all of this that caused your heart to clench painfully within your breast as a zephyr tousled about your hair.

 _The last time I really got to enjoy and appreciate the sea was with you, Mom and Dad_ …and as you thought this, a bittersweet smile spread across your lips. Had it really been that long? Had these ten years flown by so hardheartedly to not give you a moment like this in between? Breathing in deeply, you placed your hand over your heart as wave after wave of past memories with your family washed over you just like the ocean tides themselves. _Soon enough, I’ll be able to see you two again. Soon enough, I’ll be home. I love you guys…_

As you contemplated your memories while you watched the sea, you heard a pair of soft-trodden footsteps approaching you from behind. With your spine tingling in response to the aura that now enveloped your space, you slowly turned around to see Ignis striding towards you with gentle footsteps, his expression upon his face warm yet inquisitive. You blushed deeply and smiled at him as he joined you by your side, and with him looking over your face and seeming to take note of your reflective disposition, he momentarily remained silent as you resumed your gaze upon the ocean waters. He too placed his hands upon the fence as he joined you in your introspection.

It was as if Shiva herself blessed you with good will to maintain a stable composure as you stood by Ignis’s side, and for what seemed like the first time in the last twenty-four hours, you were not a trembling mess in the presence of the tactician. You felt…safe. At ease. But perhaps it was the seriousness of your soon-to-be-travels across the seas that allowed you to divert your anxious energy elsewhere as you inhaled deeply the scent of salt water in the breeze and Ignis’s cologne in your proximately.

Casting a glance at Ignis, you cleared your throat and spoke. “You know, I’ve been really apprehensive about the prospect of making this trip for years now. Ten years. Ten years since I’ve stepped foot on those docks and floated through those canals on the gondolas. Ten years of not knowing what state it was all left in once I fled.” You bit your lip, but all the while as you talked, Ignis’s eyes never left your face as if his gaze would help ground your words. “I was so afraid of not knowing how I’d handle how I’d feel about this all. Would I be scared? Disappointed? As much as I missed my home I really didn’t know how I would feel. But you know what? I think I’m ready to go back home. At least I think so.”

Ignis was silent and yet as you looked at him there was something masked behind his eyes that was so indiscernible. With the strategist standing more upright, he placed his hand gently upon the top of yours, his fingers curling over your knuckles in the most reassuring of ways. The feel of his heated palm soothed you and sent surges of warmth to every extremity of your body, but despite the sudden contact of his touching you in the most considerate and affectionate of ways causing your stomach to tumble in delightful knots, you nevertheless remained composed and smiled at him appreciatively.

“I think you are more than ready,” Ignis said quietly, almost lost in his own musings that begged to be heard. “At least I personally would hope to believe so as well. You have shown to me thus far in such a short duration of time that you are more than capable of embracing whatever situation life presents to you.” Ignis paused, and once again you became rather perplexed over the manner in which he struggled to find his own words. “Are you…certain that you’re not upset with us all in regards to this matter? I know that this foray was announced rather suddenly to you. I would…loathe to think that we are forcing you to _feel_ ready about going back.”

Angling your body towards him now, you raised an eyebrow and shook your head. “No, I’m not upset at all. Again, perhaps still quite a bit surprised but I am far from being upset. And you know what?” You hummed to yourself transitorily then grinned at him. “I had always thought way back when this all started for me that I’d have to make this journey alone. But now? It turns out I was pretty much wrong. I’m the farthest thing from being alone. In fact, I don’t ever think I’ll ever feel alone again…”

Your thoughts trailed off as you looked back out to the sea, and as you shut your eyes to take a deep breath, a harsh gasp tore up through your chest as you soon found yourself enveloped tightly within Ignis’s arms. With your eye lids flittering shut once more to the aroma of his cologne filling your nostrils and his natural scent that made you feel like you were home, you found your mind failing to conceive that once more the royal advisor was being so openly forward with any sign of endearment towards you. Your heart pounded almost painfully in your chest with titillation as his intense body heat seeped into your trembling frame, and without even realizing you were doing it you gently snaked your arms around his strong back and held him tightly against you.

“I wouldn’t want you to ever be alone either,” he murmured softly as he placed his hand carefully on the back of your head. “I would never allow that to happen to you. Someone shall always be ever at your side to help you see through your trials…” And now, finding yourself completely at a loss of breath, as you slowly lifted your head upwards to meet his gaze, you realized that his hips were flushed right up against your frame and that your back was pressed softly to the fence behind you. His feet were planted on either side of yours and one of his hands was placed rather firmly but protectively on the curvature of your waist.

_Oh….Oh Astrals…_

“….I-Ignis?”

As he stared down upon you almost speechlessly, his eyes burning with a ferocity and magnitude unlike any you had ever seen, his other hand shifted towards your face, his thumb delicately tracing the lower lip of your parted mouth. Subconsciously his hips pressed more firmly into yours, causing your back arch almost helplessly, and to steady yourself you reactively placed your hands upon the expanse of his broad chest.

_Astrals…please…please…I…_

“Y/N…I….I…”

“Hey! Are you two ready to get on out of here or what?”

You both jolted to the sound of Prompto’s voice calling to you, and realizing the manner in which the tactician was holding you, you found yourself flushing deeply and wondering whether or not the gunman had witnessed what just transpired.

“We’re on our way!” Ignis called back in his friend’s direction, his tone somehow calm and collected as ever, and turning back to look at you Ignis smiled at you as if nothing ever happened. He cleared his throat nonetheless, a red tint now staining his freckled cheeks. “Until later, Y/N,” he said almost bashfully to you with a smile, and with the wiring in your brain failing to connect once again, you flushed more deeply at the implications of whatever he meant by his words. Letting go of your waist but taking a hold of your hand and squeezing it, Ignis nodded his head in the direction towards the lighthouse, and with a flustered smile you soon followed after him.

You and your companions had now gathered at the elevator’s base of the lighthouse with your bags and gear in hand. Stepping out of the doorway you emerged at the basement level of the cape, the memories of your past excursions here as a hunter once more flooding back into your mind. As you stepped out onto the dock with your bag slung over your shoulder, your eyes broadened at what was docked within the cavern.

_No way…_

“Oh my gods…it’s…”

“Yup! We’re taking my dad’s old boat today!” Noctis said enthusiastically as he came to join you at your side, but as you turned to look at him you could see a hint of sorrow in his eyes. “It was all these years ago that the guys and I left from this very spot to go to the very same destination we’re heading today. Still can’t believe that all that time has passed…”

“Mmmm hmm!” Chimed in Prompto who was getting his camera ready to resume his photography sessions. “It’s nice keep the boat docked here when we’re not using it because we don’t have to worry about any tourists wanting to snoop around and try to sneak onto it at a public dock. Plus we like to have Cid here keep maintenance on the old girl when we’re not using it.”

Along with a selection of the most virtuous Glaives, it was in fact _you_ who was one of the hunters who helped locate the former king’s royal vessel when it had gone missing after the attack on Altissia years ago. Seeing the boat in person once again after these many months was certainly a surreal experience. And so now, knowing that the boat would be put to use once more after it had been salvaged to save Noctis after he was encased in the Crystal, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy come over you, almost as if you were reunited with an old, dear friend.

“Yep, and I’m sure Reggie would be more than happy to see ‘er put to good use once again,” said a rather gruff voice from behind you.

You turned around now to see Cid Sophiar standing before you, his Hammerhead baseball cap slung upon his whitened hair and his jacket and jeans soiled from oil and dirt, and once more you were overwhelmed with a wave of tears. Hastily dropping your bags onto the dock, you rushed over to the old man and gave him a huge hug, Cid laughing roughly at your sign of affection.

“It’s good to see ya too,” he said to you as he pulled back to look at your face. “How are ya keepin’ that katana of yours? Still nice and sharp?”

You laughed at him and nodded as you brushed away a solitary tear. “She’s lookin’ perdier than ever!” You said, mimicking his granddaughter in the most endearing of ways. Despite how much Cid had aged immensely in the last ten years since you had first met him, there was still a spitfire attitude within his soul that you couldn’t help but praise. He had become like a grandfather to you who looked out for you and your companions like it was his personal business, and after each and every hunt he made sure to restore your blade so its former grandeur so that it was in tip-top shape to slay future daemons and beasts. As you stood there looking at him and the rest of your companions, you couldn’t help but feel that this was bound to certainly be one of your most treasured days of your life. “So what is going on, Cid? Taking time away from the garage for some good ol’ R&R? Living the dream?” You asked curiously.

He rubbed his back as he started moving towards the boat, and everyone else seemed to follow suit by picking up their bags and carrying them over the bridge to the vessel. “Well I’ll tell ya all about my living and dreamin’ in just a bit, because I’m going to be the one that’s piloting Reggie’s ship today. We’ll have all the time in the world.”

Once more you couldn’t contain your eagerness while everyone chatted around anxiously and boarded the ship one by one. You and him followed the others, and sitting down your stuff you followed him over to the main control panel where he resumed his seat.. “Yer all ready to go?” Cid asked as he began to shift the controls into gear.

“Let’s do this Cid,” Noctis said determinedly

_Let us see what this day will bring us. Mom…dad…I’m coming home._

*****************

The weather could not have been more amiable as you and your entourage set out across the halcyon sea to Accordo. The blaring sun beat down upon your heads and the exhilarating wind swept through your hair as you shut your eyes and breathed in the heavy scent of salt water. As you all sailed, Cid domineered the boat while he shared with you chronicles about his long life, including many of the adventures he partook on with King Regis, Weskham Armaugh, the owner of Maagho’s restaurant (a place you dined at on rare occasion in your youth), and Gladio and Iris’s late father Clarus, the former Shield of the king. As you and everyone listened to the tales of the aged mechanic, you couldn’t help but smile, seeing how Regis’s journey would later parallel that of his son’s and his companions.

 _If only Regis could see his son now_ …you thought blissfully to yourself as you watched Noctis dangle the line of his fishing pole over the side of the boat as you all cruised. You of course had never known him during any part of his youth, but from all you were told of him from your friends and acquaintances, you couldn’t help but be amazed at the vast change in maturity in Noctis once he became the rightful king. As you watched Prompto take pictures of his best friend and his catches and heard Gladio making crude remarks to his friend once more, a beatific warmth spread in your heart as you listened to their exchanges.

_We all change in some shape or form, but somewhere deep inside, we’re really haven’t changed one bit._

Noctis took note of your staring at him, and casting you a sheepish glance he recalled his fishing pole back into his collection of Armigers and walked over to stand next to you by the edge of the boat. His expression upon his face was serious, but still, there was a gentle smile upon the corners of his lips.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” He asked you, and the suddenness of his question rather much surprised you. Raising your eyebrow as you studied his countenance, part of you felt that perhaps _he_ was equally anxious as well.

“Y-Yeah,” you breathed out softly, looking back out to the rolling and crashing waters of the ocean. “There is only for so long that you can run from your past. I’m a little bit scared of how I am going to react once I see everything, but I think once I’m back, I’ll be able to make peace with myself for how I left the way I did. And perhaps maybe I’ll feel that Mom and Dad can finally move on as well....”

Noctis was silent for a moment, but with him shifting uncomfortably next to you, he put a warm hand upon your shoulder, and something deep in eyes appeared to be strained. “Yeah….” He said, almost sounding like a helpless youth once more. “You and me both. I know what you mean. You know, when I was young I was so carefree and so thoughtless about what was really going on in the world. Granted I was burdened with the responsibility of learning how to be the future king, but when my dad died, all of my sense of carelessness and lack of effort seemed to change so quickly. I felt the weight of the world upon my shoulders all so suddenly…” His voice trailed off for a moment as he stared out ahead, and he sighed. “I soon realized that I had so much to lose at stake. I couldn’t just sit back anymore. And I embraced my destiny. I couldn’t just let others make sacrifices for me anymore, hence why today I have another big job to do.”

 _Sacrifices?_ You pondered to yourself as you studied his face. _What did he mean by that?_

But before you could ask for further clarification, the young king continued. “And so yeah,” he resumed. “I think today is a big day for you and me both. I want to start setting things right. We’ll make both our parents proud. And I’m pretty sure Lunafreya will be so too.”

Your heart clenched at his words, now realizing wholly how much of a painful experience this trip would be for him as well. Altissia had been the last time that Noctis had seen Lady Lunafreya alive, and so you couldn’t even begin to fathom the apprehension he must be feeling upon returning to the city in which he witnessed his bride to be’s death.

For one reason or another your mind suddenly flashed back to your dream. _Noctis…Lunafreya…laying on the ground like that. And that monster…what could that be? As my dream trying to tell me something last night? What if…_

“Your majesty, are you sure you have everything in order for when we council with Madame Claustra?” Cut in the voice of Ignis as he came to join you at your side. Jumping at the sudden intrusion of his voice into your thoughts, you found your curiosity was once again piqued.

 _Camelia Claustra?_ She had been the First Secretary of the city and the individual who had arranged the visit with Miss Lady Lunafreya on the day of the summoning of Leviathan. A stern yet logical and reasonable woman who ran Accordo rather fairly, you suddenly came to wonder what really happened to her after the attack on the capital.

“Oh come on, Specs! None of that ‘majesty’ crap! At least not until we get we meet with her...”

You raised an eyebrow and Ignis took note of your curiosity. “While the intent of our visit to Altissia was mainly to focus on your needs, Noctis also had intended business with the First Secretary,” the advisor explained. “While Accordo has made progress in these last few months with restoring the city to its original opulence, many reparations are still in need of being amended. Noctis has realized that since he feels responsible for what happened here, the Crown City thus should send its own aid to assist in the effort in restoring the city.”

“I gotta set things right….” Noctis muttered almost to himself. Then, as if snapping out of his miniature trance, he quickly turned his focus back to you two. “I’m…gonna check to see with Cid and make sure we have the proper docking papers with us. You know what happened the last time when we came here....”

“Certainly,” Ignis said to his king with a nod as Noctis walked away. Now, with just the two of you standing there alone along the edge of the ship, Ignis turned his attention towards you and slowly grasped your hand gently. “Are…are you sure that you are alright, Y/N?” Ignis asked softly with warmth in his eyes. “I can’t even begin to fathom how you must be truly feeling at this moment.”

Once again there was something indiscernible about the way he looked at you as if he had a secret of sorts that he was terrified to share with you. You glanced down at his hand, his fingertips shaking somewhat slightly, and you couldn’t even begin to comprehend why he was behaving in such a manner. Hiding your own disquietude in hopes to keep yourself steady and help calm his jitters, you smiled back at him as you subconsciously rested your against his arm and sighed. “Yeah…I’m fine. I promise you. I’m not facing my fears alone this time. I have you…and everyone else here. I…I have you beside me. And I know I’m going to be just fine.”

“Always…” Ignis murmured to you, squeezing your hand. “Each and every step of the way.”

You must not have been paying attention to your whereabouts, because before you knew it, you realized that the royal vessel was now rounding rocky mountains and nearing a narrow straightaway surrounded by mountainous stones that loomed above you. Your eyes enlarged at the sight, a series of vast towering columns and statues of angelic figures lining a canal in which your ship sailed through closing in around you.

“Oh Astrals…” You breathed through your mouth as you squeezed Ignis’s hand.

_I’m home…_


	9. Long and Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *To all those who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to the destruction of violence, weather, and war, this chapter is dedicated to you...*
> 
> This was actually one of the very first chapters that I had initially planned out when I came up with the idea for this story, but I have to say that so far this was the most challenging to write. I had to go back into the actual game itself and write down the names of as many streets, vendors, and other locations from Altissia so that there were would be some accuracy to describing the city. While most of the names I picked at random to construct this chapter, some of the locations are exactly as described from the game. 
> 
> I hope that this chapter appeases a lot of the rising tension that you have all been anticipating!
> 
> Thank you all for your comments that have inspired me to keep this fic going. I hope you all enjoy this latest installment.
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_It's been so long between the words we spoke_

_Will you be there up on the shore, I hope_

_You wonder why it is that I came home_

_I figured out where I belong_

 

_But it's too late to come on home_

_Are all those bridges now old stone?_

_But it's too late to come on home_

_Can the city forgive? I hear its sad song_

_\- Florence and the Machine – “Long and Lost”_

Words could not convey the pain of your heart clenching as Regis’s boat sailed through the Accordian canals. Your eyes scanned frantically the landscape ahead of you, and you found yourself losing your breath as you gazed upon the cascading waterfalls flowing into the open sea below and the series of statues that towered before you. But as you approached more closely to your destination, you found your heart sinking with a conflicted mix of sadness and joy.

_It’s…it’s changed so much…Look what happened to this place as we escaped all those years ago…And yet…_

“Y/N?”

You were yanked out of your thoughts to find Ignis speaking to you with his hand on the arch of your lower back and his free hand upon yours. You looked up into his face, his expression unreadable and yet somehow soothing to look at.

“Are…are you alright?” He asked you, and now something painful gleamed within his eyes.

“Y-yeah…” you said breathlessly as your eyes once more continued to scan the city as you advanced to your destination.

Gladio now came over to stand next to you two, his countenance serious. “Yeah, I know what you’re thinking,” he said gently, and he too now seemed to feel hurt within him. “When we came here all those years ago, we couldn’t get over just how amazing of a place this was. And so to see what happened to it? Makes me pretty damn sick to my stomach if you ask me. But due to the importance of the city’s commerce with imports and tourism to the surrounding nations,   it was an immediate goal of the Accordian government to get everything back in running order as soon as possible after the incident with Leviathan and the Empire. Not to mention the uprooting of all of those refugees…” Gladio looked to you now and placed a hand on your shoulder. “Needless to say, Altissia is looking in better shape than it was years ago, better than we thought it would in fact, but still, it is a long way to go before it’s back to the way it was…”

And truth be told, Gladio was right. Years ago when the Niflheim Empire attacked the city, you were so caught up in escaping not only the onslaught of the military forces but also coping with your grief while you tried to flee that you weren’t able to fully take in the vast extent of the destruction that had shattered the city. And yet still, as you screamed in terror and fled as fast as you could to the nearest emergency boats, your blurred vision had still been filled with the sights of collapsed buildings, fire, and homes and businesses destroyed.

But as you neared closer to the docking area, you still could not help but feel amazed at what you saw ahead of you.

The destruction was not actually nearly as bad as you last imagined it.

_Life…there’s life here again…people started their lives again…and that means hope._

Cid began to slow the ship down as the yacht approached the border patrol inspection point. Talking to Noctis and Iris now who stood next to him, Cid rummaged in his jacket pocket and pulled out some paperwork.

 _I still can’t believe this is actually happening. I’m actually back_ , you thought to yourself.

As if almost reading your mind, Prompto now joined your companions on the edge of the boat as you looked out at the city before you. He sighed deeply, resting his elbows on the edge of the boat. “I still can’t believe we’re back here,” he said quietly, almost lost in his own thoughts. “But at least we are better prepared this time…and hopefully, we’ll make some happy memories while we are here…”

Your heart clenched at his words, and it was almost as if he and his fellow companions were now sharing the weight of the world with you.

“Yeah…yeah we will,” you said confidently, and you looked up to Ignis with a smile upon your face. He smiled back, and yet there was something within his eyes that you just couldn’t seem to read.

Gladio sighed and crossed his arms again. “Well, it looks like we are nearing the Port Station to dock the ship. It looks like Noct and Cid have our clearances under control and so I say we should be ready to embark in just a few minutes. Get your bags ready so we can head straight to the Leville. We’ve got a pretty nice suite waiting for us.”

Your eyes widened at this. “The Leville? Really? But...but wasn’t it…”

“It was fully intact,” said Ignis now. “Despite the destruction to the surrounding areas, the Leville Station remained unscathed in the Imperial onslaught.”

“But the Leville!” you said with excitement in your voice. “If you’re talking about one of their grand suites…that’s…that’s 30,000 gil! That…that’s so expensive!” You had never any reason to stay at the hotel growing up as a kid, but now that you realized you would finally get to be staying there and in one of their few luxury suites, you were eager beyond belief.

Prompto smirked now as he prepared his camera. “I guess you could say that’s one of the many perks of being buds with a King. Money isn’t really an issue,” he said with a wink. “But he also wanted to help the commerce here by giving back to the city. So I guess you could say it all works out for everyone!”

A laugh escaped your lips and you now realized that Regis’s ship had come to a stop and was now successfully docked at the Port Station. Your eyes once more scanned all that you could see. Far up across the vast rolling waters to the other side of the city you saw what remained of the Deutato Residential District. Being so far out of the main land of the metropolis and surrounded completely by water, it has sustained the most damage from the attacks of the Niflheim fleet as well as the Archean’s and Hydrean’s wrath. _All those people who lost their homes_ …you thought. Your heart started to beat heavily in your chest as you immediately began to wonder what the remaining parts of the inner sections of the municipality would actually look like. But before you could sink further into your dark thoughts, Noctis spoke loud and clear.

“Ok guys. We’re all good to go this time. Travel is going to be a little bit more chaotic to get to from place to place in the city because most of the gondola services aren’t up and running yet, so we’re going to have to do a little bit more walking. But I think that might do us some good, especially so we can see where are efforts need to be placed. And I’m sure you’ll want to explore and look at everything more closely too, right Y/N?”

“R-right,” you murmured, nodding, and despite how much apprehension you had in seeing what would be standing and what no longer would be there, you were anxious to get off the boat and reconnoiter every facet of the city you once called home.

“All right, kiddos. Yer good to go. Thankfully you won’t have a long walk to get to the Leville,” Cid said, lifting his hat slightly to get a better look at everyone and stretching his back as he stood. “I’m gonna hang out here for a bit but I will catch up with you all later, ya hear?”

“Sure thing, Cid!” Iris said cheerfully. Now, coming over to you and taking your hand, she gave you the most maternal and solemn look that a young woman could ever give to another. “I’m here for you, you know that, right?” she said.

“You always have and you always will be,” you replied back, giving her a hug.

Iris smiled back to you and now everyone picked up their bags and began to depart the ship. As you went to grab your luggage, you noticed Ignis lingering back and staring out the outer parts of town.

“Iggy?” you said, putting back down your bag and walking over to him. “Are you ok?” You took his hand which caused him to jump and come back into focus, and he looked down at you with a smile.

“I am more than fine,” he said, but something in his voice seemed strained. But quickly enough, his face was replaced with another smile. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yup,” you replied, giving his hand a squeeze, and now you and Ignis both parted from the boat, hand in hand, ready to face the past before you.

************************************************

Your walk to the Leville had only been a short few blocks, but as the structures of the city loomed over you, you couldn’t but help feel yourself bouncing on the balls of your feet to see what everything looked like. Much of the damage that had been sustained years ago created many empty plots of land, but yet in several areas of the streets there had been left no indication of rubble or debris as any indicators of the past.

 _Maybe this won’t be so hard after all_ , you said to yourself as you and your companions walked inside the Leville lobby. Lush velvet carpets covered the floor and various floral arrangements hung from the ceiling alongside a beautiful crystal chandelier. _I wonder how the inside of the rooms are going to look if this is how the lobby is_ , you thought to yourself with a smile.

Noctis now approached the receptionist at the main desk who immediately widened his eyes at the sight of the King standing before him.

“Y-You’re highness, King Noctis!” The receptionist said breathlessly, bowing as Noct stood before him. “What an honor to have you finally arrive here. You’re rooms are ready for you. Let me just get you all your room keys.”

Noctis crossed his arms and smiled. “Thank you. But don’t worry about the ‘highness” stuff. You can just call me Noct.”

“Y-yes sir, er, I mean Noct!” The receptionist replied, now handing the king a set of keys. “Please let me know if you need anything while you are here and we will be more than welcome to accommodate you in any way. It is an honor having you stay here with us at the Leville.”

“Sure thing!” Noctis said as he now turned back to all of you with a grin. “Why don’t we all go check out our rooms, set our stuff down, and head out? I’ve got a couple hours until I meet with Camelia and I’d like to make the most of my time until then.”

Everyone nodded in agreement as you followed Noctis up the wide, winding staircase. As you passed through the halls, you could not help but notice a sense of silence that pervaded the hotel facility. _I can’t imagine many people staying here right now with how expensive it must be_ , you thought, remembering just exactly for how much you had wished all these years to be able to afford to come back. _It makes me wonder just exactly how Mom and Dad were able to make a living here to begin with…I lived with such privilege, didn’t I?_

“Alright guys. Here we are.” Noctis said, and turning one of the keys into the doorway and pushing the door open, you felt yourself gasping immediately as you witnessed the luxury before you.

You had entered into a central living area that had various sofas and elegantly shaped chairs that centered themselves around an oak coffee table. Luscious curtains sprawled themselves around the vast windows, and you noticed a glass doorway that opened itself out onto a stone balcony. A fireplace was situated in the corner part of the room made for chillier nights, and within the suite itself, you noticed several offshoots that would each be your own bedroom.

“Soft warm beds!” Prompto said happily as he began to wander throughout the suite, and opening one of the doors, he walked in and gave a loud hoot. “Holy crap guys! These rooms are freakin’ awesome!”

“You’d think he never saw luxury with living in the Citadel and all,” Gladio said, rolling his eyes as he now walked into the room with Prompto. “Although I gotta say, I’m not gonna complain. Pretty badass!”

You laughed as you sat your bags down and did your own private exploration of the rooms, and you immediately came to share the same sentiment as Prompto and Gladio as you gasped in awe at how gorgeous the chamber was before you. Each room too also had its own fireplace with lush curtains and beddings, and gorgeous paintings hung from wallpapered walls. Each boudoir also had its own private bathroom, and part of you could not wait until later on when you could take a bubble bath in the private spa.

Ignis now came in and leaned in the doorway, and you looked over to see him smiling at you. “Ignis, did you see all this? This place is amazing!” you said excitedly as you flopped down on the bed. “I really owe Noct and you all big time for this. I never would have imagined that I would get a chance to stay here. This… is really just so nice of you all to do this for me.”

Ignis now shifted his position in the doorway, almost blocking it now without even realizing it, and you immediately felt heat pool in various places in your body at the way his hips were angled against the doorframe. You prayed to the gods he did not take note of your reaction, but he now spoke, pulling you away from your wandering mind.

“I shall always tell you a million times over, Y/N, but this is something we do without second thought. Any time at all. Anything to please you and make you happy…” His worlds trailed off as he focused more intently on you, and you gulped deeply at the way his gaze fell upon you, almost as if he was looking into the depths of your soul. You shifted your legs anxiously that dangled over the ledge of the bed, and thank the gods he now moved slightly out of the doorway, otherwise you would have felt like a caged Saberclaw ready to jump upon its prey. “Are you ready to then set out, dearest?” He asked almost huskily.

_Or….just stay with me here…_

Swallowing hard, you smiled as you now stood up with shaky legs and nodded to him. You walked towards him towards the doorway, but as you passed him, your eyes both locked upon each other with the upmost intensity. His hand gently brushed your hip as you strolled past him, and he now followed you out, trailing at your heels as you joined the remainder of the retinue.

And once more, another crack made its way into the dam.

*************************************

“So where do you want to go first, Y/N?” Iris said as you now all made your way through the Leville street plaza. “I know there is so much you want to see and try to do and look for and… -“

“How about we see where the wind takes us?” You said cheerfully, once again now finding apprehension in your voice. So much was now missing within the city…just how would you react when you found out what was actually gone?

“Then lead the way,” Gladio said in response. “Again, we’ve got a pretty decent amount of time until we have to meet with the First Secretary. This is all about you now.”

And so you led the group. As Gladio had pointed out earlier, much of the destruction from the inner parts of the city had been cleared out for aesthetic reasons, but still, you could not help yourself from feeling your heart throb with sadness as you began to take note of places of business that no longer stood where they used to. One of your favorite bookstores on Fejeno Street was completely gone, and you immediately recounted all the times you spent there sitting on the floor in the corners of the store looking at books filled with art and paintings. Your heart also sank to see that the majority of the Souvenier Chiaro ci Luna stands had been completely missing from each street corner, and talking to one of the locals who now resided here once again said that the Totomostro had been so severely damaged in the destruction ten years ago that they still hadn’t managed to repair it. As the woman told you this, you looked over at Prompto to see his face sink in sadness, as he had once told you a story from the past on how he and the boys gambled a little bit here in their brief stay in the metropolis.

“L-Let’s keep going,” you said as cheerfully as possible, and you continued to lead your friends throughout the winding city streets.

As you made your way through the Erteno Residential District, you found your heart lifting at the sight of families and friends gathered seated upon stone steps and on outside furniture, enjoying the lovely weather in peace as it was always intended to be relished. You watched a little girl in particular running around in circles with a cup of chocolatey dessert in her tiny hands, and immediately your eyes went wide.

“Oh my goodness,” you said excitedly.

Noctis raised an eyebrow at you. “What is it, Y/N?” he asked you, crossing his arms

“Gelati Galigione! I haven’t had it in over ten years! I need to find a stand! It’s the best! Oh!” Up ahead towards the end of the block, you spotted the red and blue stand with its striped awning, and instantaneously you skipped ahead with your friends at your heels. Approaching the stand now, you began to read the selections of flavors they offered, only to see that they had a small selection of choices now.

“I remember there being more too,” Prompto said next to you. “But that’s ok. They’ll get their full menu back soon.”

Pondering over what flavor you wanted, you asked the attendant for a small bowl of your favorite chocolate flavor and reached into your pocket for some gil when Ignis stopped you gently with his hand and presented his own money to the give to the sales clerk. When you opened your mouth to protest, Ignis simply smiled at you. “It’s my treat,” he said gently, and smiling up at him broadly, you squeezed his hand and soon began to dive into the dessert that you had missed so much after all these years.

Your trek through the city was a continuous roller coaster ride of emotional highs and lows. As you approached Paserna Street, you immediately wondered what happened to your family’s favorite restaurant, the Touellia. This restaurant was rather pricy back in the day and so it was only on very rare occasion that you and your family went there to eat. As you got closer to the building your heart began to sink though. A large portion of the left side of the infrastructure had been damaged, and quickly your eyes began to scan the sign that stood outside the eatery.

_“We apologize for the continued delay of our services to our fine customers. We will be up and running once more when all renovations and repairs have been made. Thank you for your patronage.”_

You sighed deeply, and as you turned around to walk away from the building, you saw the somber expressions upon the boys’ faces as well as a lingering guilt. _These poor men_ …you thought, now feeling selfish about your own feelings. _They too experienced hardship here too. We all suffered from that fateful day._

Trying to put a grin on your face once more, you continued to lead your companions through the city, and you took in more and more of the losses that it had suffered. You read a sign down by the Palsino Street Station about how the famous Calluna Cascades and Gourmet Tour had not been running yet either, due to the lack of proper boating transportation around the city. Polipoli Street as well as Madrano Street had been completely decimated and were now just filled with completely uninhabited and lifeless lots of land. You bit your lip at knowing that several of your friends from your childhood once lived on these boulevards, and your heart felt dismayed at the thought of just how long it had been since you even spoke to them. Where and how would you even begin in contacting them once more? _I hope you are all doing well…_ you thought as a small tear strolled down your cheek.

Not everything had been for complete naught though. As you made your way to the Soneilo Plaza, you were thrilled to see that everything you had remembered from your youth had remained intact, and you now excitedly turned to Noctis. “I don’t know if you had the time to do so when you visited Altissia years ago,” you said to him now, “but my dad would come here all the time early on a Sunday morning to go fishing . He’d catch all kinds of stuff from platinum mythtrouts to sea bass and zipper barramundis and even nebula salmon! Do you want to take a break and fish for a bit?”

Noctis held up his hand with a gentle smile upon his face. “Nah, I’m ok for now. Right now this is about you.”

And with your heart clenching at the sentiment of his words, you continued forth on.

You passed through Pacente Park to see the grounds thriving once more, trees, flowers and shrubs decorated everywhere with a beautiful fountain flowing in the middle of the plaza, and your heart expanded at the happiness of seeing locals trying to make a normal life there once more. You even spotted a vendor across the street selling various plushies of the cuter creatures of the world, including your favorite Moogle. You rushed over and picked one up, holding it lightly within your hands _. I used to have one just like you_ , you said to yourself, and giving the plush a gentle squeeze, you placed it back down on the stand and smiled at the attendant and walked back to join your confidantes.

And now, you once again found your trepidation rising as you came to the corner of Tigiano and Setario Street, the location that you most feared seeing once more.

_My home…just…what actually happened to my home?_

And so rounding the corner of the junction, you immediately stopped in your tracks as a loud gasped escaped your lips.

“Y/N? What’s the matter?” Iris asked, her brows knit with concern.

And as you stood there speechless, feet shoulder width apart and your shoulders now slung in defeat, your heart sank at the painful realization of the truth you were always afraid to learn.

_It’s gone….everything is gone…_

Trembling now, you fought back tears, not wanting to embarrass yourself in front of your friends. It was the last thing you wanted to do to make this trip any harder on them as it was, and so biting your lip, you took a deep breath and stood tall, now turning back to look at your companions with a sad smile upon your face.

“Y/N? Are you alright?” Ignis asked, now walking up to you and putting his hands gently upon your shoulders.

You shook your head at him as you took another deep breath. “Y-Yeah….I’m ok. This is all just a lot to take in. But I’m fine. I promise.”

But deep down, you knew that you truly weren’t.

Sighing deeply, you looked at each of your friends with more confidence in your voice now. “There is just one more place that I really want to check out for now and then wherever else you guys want to go is totally up to you for the rest of the day,” you said, and now stepping forward with a spring in your step, you lead your friends through the winding streets of the Tigiano and Padore Districts once more.

“Ah! I think I know exactly where we are headed!” Prompto said excitedly as he seemed to recall from his memories his whereabouts from the past. “The Listro Park, right?”

“You betcha!” you said cheerfully as you all rounded the corner and up the sprawling stone staircases. Listro Park had always been one of your favorite places to hang out when you were younger. Not only did you enjoy the decadent food from the street vendors as well as the jazz musicians that seemed to jam out around the center square, but you and your friends always liked to hang out around the giant sea beast statute and throw paper plans at it for good luck.

“Ah yeah,” Gladio said with a smile, taking large steps up the staircases. “I remember that there used to be this street artist there who would draw the most hilarious portraits. The guys and I even got one done.”

“Yeah, and remember how terribly she drew Prompto’s nose?” Noct said with a snorting laugh.

“Hey! It wasn’t that bad! You just wanted to pick on me because of how horrible you looked!” Prompto said in defense.

You laughed as you rounded the last few steps. “Yep! I had one done of me once! She was great. I wonder exactly where that artist is now and if she is –“

But before you could finish your sentence, you were immediately stopped in your tracks as you took in the sight before you. “What…what is that…”

Now no longer in the middle of the plaza stood the statue of the sea creature. Instead, a large monolith carved from the blackest of marble was erected in its place. Standing adjacent to this was a large marble statue made from the purest white, and as you slowly made your way around to look at it from the front, you instantly covered your mouth and inhaled.

“Y/N?”

Walking up to both structures now, you felt tears form in the corner of your eyes at the realization of what exactly it was that you were looking at.

_Monuments…they’re monuments…_

The monolith, gleaming brightly in the sunshine of the splendorous day, housed the names of all the individuals who lost their lives from the attack of the Niflheim Empire. And the statute, carved of the finest and most pure and smooth marble you ever had the joy of touching, was that of the Oracle Lady Lunafreya.

You fell to your knees as you instantly began to trace your hands over the names of the Altissians, and as you frantically scanned the stone, another tear streamed down your face. _Mom…Dad…where are you? Where…_ But just as you had lost hope of finding them, there their names were carved, their memories forever immortalized in stone.

A gentle hand was placed upon your hand and you turned to see Noctis now kneeling next to you, tears equally streaming down his face as he seemed to fight back with fervor to prevent the deluge of anguish that seemed to be building inside of him. His grip tightened slightly on your shoulder as he took a deep breath, and he now spoke to you, his words unstable in his voice but his resolve more apparent than ever.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry that this happened. I’m sorry that I let this happen so many years ago. And I’m sorry that I can’t ever change the past so that you can have them back. But I swear to the Astrals above that I will set this all right so that you and everyone else can have their lives back. I promise you, Y/N. It’s what your parents would want. It’s what Lunafreya would want. They’d want us to both be happy.”

Now fully crying, Noctis took you in his arms and let his own tears fall to the stone streets below you. Years…so many years had passed and so much pain had festered its way into your heart, but now, knowing fully that it had truly come to fruition by being written in stone, you could finally let your parents have their peace.

After a few more moments after both you and Noctis calmed down, you both stood up once more, brushing the tears from your eyes. You turned to look at your companions who looked equally anguished, and you now smiled as best as you could, brushing one final tear from your face. “I’m alright, everyone. This…I needed this. And I think now I can finally move on, having come to peace.”

Everyone sighed deeply and their expressions softened, and soon enough the mood began to lighten once more. But it was Ignis now who seemed to be carrying torment within him as he stared with sorrow at the monolith and Lunafreya figure. You walked over to him and looked up into his eyes. “Iggy…Iggy…are you ok?”

He snapped out of his daze as he looked down at you, and immediately he engulfed you within his arms, sighing deeply and pressing his lips to the top of your head. “Gods, I am so sorry,” he whispered, holding you more tightly to him now. “May the gods forgive me and give you peace of mind.”

You pondered at his words but instead choose to remain silent, and wrapping your arms around him tightly, you breathed in deeply and shut your eyes, taking in his scent. _Iggy…_

And soon enough, forgiveness he would ask of you once more.

********************************

Once the somber mood had passed and everyone’s spirits had brightened, your retinue had dined for lunch at one of the local eateries that was running to its full capacity (you forget just how much you loved Altissian club sandwiches) when Ignis arose from the table, placing down his napkin and clearing his throat. “I need to take care of a few things within the city, preparing for Noct’s meeting with Madamae Claustra. I contacted Weskham and it appears that despite the damages it had taken, Maagho’s is fully operational and he is more than glad to host supper for us tonight. What says everyone that we meet there later on after our affairs have passed?”

“Woo hoo!” Prompto said excitedly as he stretched out his legs and sighed. “That sounds like a plan! I could eat here all day at this rate,” he said happily.

“Then it’s settled,” Ignis said as his eyes scanned each of your faces. “Noctis, I will see you at the Ministerial Quarter Station at quarter to three and we shall resume our affairs from there. Until then, everyone.”

Whether or not Ignis himself realized the fact that your comrades were fully aware of the growing affections between you two, you were not sure, but regardless he attempted to and struggled to remain as chaste as possible about any public displays of affection towards you around the others. So as he walked past the table, he gentled brushed your arm with his fingertips which sent painfully delightfully shivers down your spine. You held back a moan, the gentle caress surprising you nonetheless, and you hoped that no one had noticed your reaction. Instead, you sighed deeply, and now that he was gone from your company, you realized how much you missed his presence more painfully than ever.

Another hour had passed and your company had made their way back to Sonielo Plaza where you all sat along the dock and watched Noctis fish. He was making better catches today than the day before and Prompto excitedly documented each catch, but that still did not stop Gladio from making playful remarks towards his king.

Stretching your legs, you removed your feet from the water and gave them a moment to dry before putting your socks and boots back on and standing up.

“I think I want to head back to the room for a little bit, everyone,” you announced with a yawn. “My head is hurting a little bit and I just want to take a quick little rest so I’m not a grouchy during dinner time later. I will see you all in a bit, ok?”

You turned to go when Gladio’s rumbling voice stopped you. “Hey, are you sure you’re ok to be heading back on your own?” His expression was serious, and you knew that as his job as Shield, his natural instinct told him to look out for others. You know that he wasn’t doubting your ability to take care of yourself, but he had always been the bigger brother to everyone and made sure no one got hurt.

But you smiled back at him nonetheless and nodded. “I promise I’ll be fine. Don’t you worry. I’ll see you all later!”

And now capering off on your own, you took a deep breath, now feeling a little bit more at peace with yourself than you had in years.

 _I’m ok…_ you thought to yourself _. I did it. Mom…Dad…I hope I made you proud today._

As you were lost in your thoughts, you did not realize that you had already made your way back to the Leville, and you greeted the receptionist happily as you passed by and you made your way upstairs.

 _Maybe I’ll take that nice bubble bath before I doze off_ , you thought as you now turned the key in the door handle. _Or maybe I’ll just do that later. For now I’ll-_

And as you stepped into the common room, there standing upon the balcony, looking out onto the windy city streets below, was Ignis.

_Oh…oh Astrals._

Ignis heard the door to the suite open and close and he turned around to see you entering the room, his one eyebrow raised but his expression pleasant nonetheless. “Y/N? What are you doing here? Why are you not with the others?” He asked you inquisitively as he now left the balcony and approached you slightly.

Immediately you felt your throat tighten at the way his hips shifted as he walked, and you took note of his discarded jacket and gloves upon the sofa. Trying to contain your now raging hormones, you cleared your throat and smiled slyly back at him. “I wanted to rest for a little bit since we’ve been on the go all day. But I suppose I can ask the same question of you too! I thought you had ‘business’ to attend to?”

“Ah, indeed,” he said, his accented words rolling off of his lips smoothly. “But I can suppose you could say I took care of them much sooner than anticipated, and I figured I would prepare myself and my notes before meeting with the Madame Secretary with Noct.”

“Hmm, that makes sense,” you said, now sitting down on one of the sofas, sighing as your body made contact with the plush furniture. Your body felt relieved to finally be sitting and you rubbed your temples, but instantly you once more had your attention drawn back to Ignis. Your eyes followed each of his steps as he made his way over the sofa opposite of yours, and you couldn’t help but find delight in the sight of his top button of his shirt undone. _Keep yourself together, Y/N_ , you thought to yourself as you watched his legs plant themselves onto the floor before you. Clearing your throat, you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and spoke again. “You know, I have to say, today was a really amazing day so far. Despite…not anticipating the change to Listro Park I…I think I did pretty well today.”

“And indeed you did, Y/N,” he replied back to you, but something was off in his voice and you now noted that his gaze would not meet yours fully.

You heart started to beat in panic, this sudden change in his behavior setting off red flags, and so to cope with the silence that now seemed to pervade the room, you decided to speak once more, your hands trembling. “I think that…well…you guys did pretty well too. I was thinking earlier of how selfish I was being with coming back here, not even realizing that this must have been an equally emotional trip for you as well.” You paused your words, and Ignis’s focus upon you seemed hazy. “I suppose what I’m trying to say is, well, thank you again. As always. For helping me bear the weight of my feelings. I just hope I can help you do this same…”

Ignis opened his mouth to speak, yet his words were caught in his throat. His countenance looked strained now, and you quickly took note of his unusual hunched posture and the way his hands were rung tightly together, almost in dread.

Your heart continued to beat faster. “Ignis? Are you ok?” you asked him gently.

And once more, as he opened his mouth to speak, the words came out hoarse and cracked.

“I’m…Y/N…I’m afraid that I must ask for your forgiveness.”

Instantly your heart sank and you felt as though all blood stopped pumping in your body. Your face blanched and your hands started to shudder, trying to understand what he was saying.

“Ignis…what…what do you mean? Forgiveness for what?”

Ignis shifted uncomfortably upon his couch and you felt panicked over the unusual and overwrought composure of the advisor. His eyes looked to the floor like a man lost of all hope.

You began to fear the worst, and so you pressed on regardless. “Ignis…please…tell me what’s wrong…”

Ignis now looked up to you with his eyes locked to yours, and he took a deep breath. “I…I’m afraid that I have not been honest with you all this time. I have tried my best to combat my own guilt over the past , but no matter how much I try to suppress what had transpired, my fears come back full-fledged with a wrath. And this is a guilt I’ve been carrying within myself all these years, and after seeing you cry like you did today, I know that I can no longer withhold the truth from you anymore. And so,” he said with a pause, almost trying to catch his breath, “I just pray to the gods that you will give me chance and can find forgiveness within your heart.”

Your heart was now slamming madly within your chest, and you felt that all your worst fears of loneliness and rejection would be coming to fruition. But seeing the pain in his eyes and the way he trembled before you, what was it that he really wanted to say? And so, edging forward from your seat to better listen and clasping your hands together to hold you composure together, you spoke.

“Iggy…please…tell me…what is it you’ve been hiding?”

The tactician took a deep breath, his eyes sinking to the floor once more as he tried to gather his thoughts. And then, after a few moments of contemplation, he finally spoke.

“Years ago, as you know, Noctis and Lady Lunafreya were to be wed here within the city. When the Crown City was destroyed and it was believed that the Oracle was dead, she made it more apparent than ever that she was resolved to stand by Noct’s side and serve him on his way of fulfilling his duties as king. But in order for Noctis to fully and successfully ascend to the throne, he needed the blessing of each of the Astrals. And so, it was arranged that Lady Lunafreya could embark to Altissia not just for the purpose of her betrothal but to also receive the blessing of the Tidemother. Gladiolus, Prompto, and I at this time were on standby mode while we awaited Noctis’s word for our next course of action, and we were requested and instructed by the First Secretary to aid with any potential plans of evacuation... In short, it was _our_ responsibility to ensure the safety and lives of the innocent…

“However,” he said with a pause, and his words seemed more tense than ever now, “the Tidemother was less than amiable with the prospect of serving a human and thus began to unleash her wrath upon the city, and so Noctis immediately went to the aid of Lunafreya. However, it was at this given point that you may horrifically recall the invasion of the Empire upon your city at this exact moment, and Imperial soldiers had set out to at all costs to prevent Lady Lunafreya from completing the ritual and receiving Leviathan’s blessing.

“As chaos ensued more within the city, the three of us tried our best to manage the evacuation efforts to the best of our abilities, but we simply were unable to foresee the abundance of troops that began to lay waste to the town. We soon then began to fear the worst for Noctis and Lunafreya and so we at once attempted to reach the altar of the Oracle, but due to the invading soldiers , we were unable to secure a safe route to the prince.

“It was then at this moment that an Imperial ship landed upon the city, separating myself from Gladio and Prompto, and the impact had knocked me out cold and left me in the canals below. When I came to my senses I contacted Gladio, Prompto, Weskam, and Camelia to ensure that the citizens were lead to safety, and I attempted to make my through the city to find my way to Noctis and the Oracle. I was halted by the General Brigadier Caligo Ulldor who was in charge of the Imperial assault of the city, and he intercepted my efforts from reaching my destination in a timely fashion. Had he not been there to get in my way, perhaps…just perhaps things would have happened differently…”

Your mouth was open aghast in shock, but you remained silent as you continued to listen to his narrative. “It was at this point that I was now face to face with Ravus, who despite his antagonism towards Noctis for his own personal reasons, decided to help me reach the altar to help his sister, as we both had the same goal in protecting the ones who loved. But…” and now a tear formed in the corner of his eye. “It had seemed that it was all too late. By the time we had reached the altar, our Lady Lunafreya had passed. Ravus had lost all sense of himself in his grief, and in a scuffle I attempted my best to knock some sense into the man. But it wasn’t until he showed up that I had realized the direness of the situation…”

Your voice was quiet now as you tried to find the words to speak. “…who showed up?”

Ignis looked to you with complete and utter despair in his eyes. “…It was the Imperial Chancellor Ardyn Izunia. He had made threat to end Noct’s life right upon the altar and myself being blindsided was not at liberty to help him, for the Imperial soldiers had held me down. But…for some reason or another, when I had awoken from being knocked out once more, I had awoken to find myself in bed, and I had no idea what had happened to the Chancellor himself…”

You sat in utter stillness, your brain trying to wrap itself around every bit of information that had just been given to you. _Ardyn….the man who held the Starscourge within him? The man who was the subject of your researching for answers all those years on how to defeat him?_ Immediately your brain flashed back to your nightmares, and within your mind you once again saw the images of a helpless Ignis trying to save Noctis and Lunafreya from the advances of the terrifying daemon. _Was…was that…Ardyn that I was seeing? Are these dreams more than I thought they were_? But now, even more puzzlingly, in your mind flashed the images of something you had seen every single night when you dreamed about Ignis.

The blazing purple eyes.

You placed your head in your hands. What…what does this all mean? Because something deep down inside of you was telling you there was more to this than you were lead on to believe.

“But…but in short…” Ignis now said, pulling you out of your thoughts and back to look at his face masked with sorrow, and your heartstrings snapped at the sight of the man that you loved so much in so much pain seated before you. “I…had I been faster, had I done things properly, if I was able to fulfill my duty correctly…had I protected those who could not save themselves…” and now he was babbling to himself as tears streamed down his face. “If it wasn’t for all the faults I committed that day, then perhaps your parents would still be alive. Lady Lunafreya may perhaps still live on and she and Noctis would be living the blissful life that they were destined to share together. Perhaps the past would have transpired differently and your life would not have been torn up from its roots! I feel that I have hurt you in such a way possible that is completely unforgiving, and yet I beg that you can see past my errors. I’m…I’m so sorry,” he said as tears streamed down his face. “Please forgive me…”

He now placed his face in his hands in shame, and the sight shattered your heart to pieces. Yet, as you sat their gazing across at the man whom you had come to fall so deeply in love with, your heart now swelled with more love and admiration. _Everything he has done…all that he has gone through….he still lives with all this blame because he cares so much about the ones he loves…No…I can’t let him feel this way about himself anymore…_

You now slowly crept off your couch and over to his, sitting upon your knees between his legs as you reached up to touch him. “Oh Ignis….Iggy…” you breathed, and he now lowered his hands and made eye contact with you. A small tear rolled down the side of your check as you smiled up at him gently, and his breath now appeared to be caught within his lungs. You scooted yourself closer to him as you looked up at him, now placing your hand on his cheek. “Oh Ignis…how can I forgive you when there is nothing to forgive? You’ve done nothing wrong. None of what happened was your fault.” You paused, lost in your thoughts now, and you sighed deeply once more as you continued to gaze into his eyes. “Please….please don’t blame yourself for anything. You can’t place the blame upon yourself when everything that happened was out of your control. You are only human. Please, just please don’t beat yourself up anymore for things that aren’t your fault. Because it pains me so much to see that you’ve been carrying this burden with you all this time…” As you spoke, you found yourself seated more closely in front of him now, both of your hands on the sides of his face and trembling, your thumbs wiping away the tears that accumulated in the corner of his vivid emerald eyes. You brought your face up to his and gently kissed him on his forehead, and as you sat back down on your knees once more, you smiled. “Please…let your suffering go…it’s all alright now…I forgive you…”

And it was Ignis who was now trembling as his gaze bored into you, and it was he who now reached down to touch your face and caress your cheeks with all of the tenderness one could imagine. His breathing now was labored and his mouth was parted slightly as his thumb began to trace itself over the curves of your lips and slowly down to your chin. His touch was electrifying and you found your skin blazing as his hand now skimmed down the sensitive skin of your neck and began to graze over your collar bones.

“Y/N…” he breathed, his name now caught in his throat. As you looked up at him, you felt your face flushing deeply as you noticed how intimate your position was, you now seated before him in between his spread legs. You bit your lip slightly as you looked up at him and he shifted slightly forward on the couch with an indescribable look within his eyes. And now as his face came closer to yours and his warm breathed graced your face, his other hand now trailed itself to the back of your head achingly slow, and in almost one swift motion, his lips were upon yours with a fiery passion.

And Astrals did the world set itself ablaze.

Immediately your eyes snapped open and heart surged through ever muscle, nerve, and tendon of your body as you wrapped your hands around the back of his head and kissed him back with equal fervor, and an undignified whimper escaped your lips as Ignis’s lips clashed against yours. His hands were shaking as if trying to control himself, but as he kissed at you hungrily, you soon both fell to the whims of passion as desperate lips fell upon one another.

For an instant Ignis’s lips parted with yours as he was panting heavily with his face flushed, and with his legs spread with you between him, he trembled at the sight of you before him as he grasped your hands and pulled you to your feet, only to gently pull you down onto his lap with your legs straddling his waist.

_Gods…oh gods…_

“Y/N….” Ignis whispered desperately once more, and the guttural sound of your name rolling across his lips caused your loins to tighten, and you brought your arms up around his neck to brace yourself in his lap. His hands were now tightly upon your waist, and you felt your insides ache at the delightfully strong grasp that he held you within. He shifted upward now to adjust his seated position, and as he moved himself closer to you, you gasped at the feel of his groin now pressed tightly against yours and of the hardness that you felt pressing between your legs through clothed loins.

“Ignis…” you whimpered, your face flushed deeply and your body on fire with desire. “Ignis, I…”

But before you could continue your words his lips were upon yours once more, but gently this time, and even more delightfully so. A gentle moan escaped your mouth at the feel of how gracefully and expertly his mouth moved upon yours, and you were once more trembling within his embrace as he continued to kiss you with a passion that you never thought you could fully envision. As his lips trailed over yours and he sucked gently upon your lips, you bucked your hips in response, and he in reply groaned back, his hands now trailing down to your hips and pulling you even closer to him. Removing his mouth from yours now, he tilted your head back slightly with his nose and began to gently nip at your chin, and the sensation of such motions sent you whimpering once more.

Ignis now let out a frustrated groan as he pulled his face away from yours, and before you could react in response, you felt yourself upon your back on the couch and Ignis’s form pressed over your frame, his leg in between yours and one arm wrapped underneath you around the curvature of your back. Stray strands of hair now loosened themselves from his pompadour and fell upon his forehead, and you swore that you could not have been more in love with the sight of him like this.

“Y/N…Y/N…” he said hoarsely, lost in his own passions as he now placed his mouth upon your neck and began to trail his lips gradually down the skin and to your collar bone, and you once more whimpered at how painfully aroused you were at how he kissed you there. Your hands were on the back of his head, keeping his head close to you as you squirmed helplessly beneath him, and your loins coiled more tightly as he pressed his body more closely to yours, and you felt yourself gasping once more at the hardness that pressed itself against your stomach.

_Oh gods have mercy upon me._

“Ignis…Ignis…” you whimpered beneath him, and he raised his head to look at you with the most passionate look in his eyes. He now nuzzled along your ear with his nose and he began to place kisses on your earlobe, causing you to arch your back with absolute delight. And now a wave of tenderness washed over Ignis as he pulled his face back once more to look you deeply in the eyes, and his one free hand moved up to caress the side of your face and lips once more.

“Y/N….I…I…”

_Yes…please say it…_

But as he opened his mouth to speak a loud shrill of his cellphone startled the both of you, causing you to jump underneath him, and he shut his eyes and sighed with an exasperated smile upon his lips.

“My…my apologies…” he said hoarsely as he shifted over you, but you noticed that he made no notion to fully remove his body away from over your frame. “It’s Noct…he…we have the meeting with Madame Claustra and I…”

You placed your finger over his lips to silence him, and you smiled up at him, clearly equally as frustrated as him now. “N-no, it’s ok. I understand Ignis. Please. Answer it.”

Hesitantly, as Ignis looked upon you with all the longing in the world, he slowly removed himself from you and stood up shakily, his hands trembling as he reached into his jacket pocket that had been draped over the couch.

“Yes Noct,” he answered roughly. “No, no, I’m quite alright. Just have a bit of a sore throat at the moment is all,” and Ignis immediately blushed deeply at the lie to his king. “Yes. Yes. I’m aware. Just running a tad bit late to my usual liking. I just got caught up in some other business that I was attending to and lost track of time. Yes…Yes…I’m on my way right now.”

Ignis hit end on the call, and at this point in listening to the conversation on the phone you had sat up on the couch, breathing deeply as you looked at the tactician now trying to come to his senses. Quickly he straightened himself up as best as he could and you could not help but giggle inside at how flustered the poor man looked. He now turned his attention back to you, and striding over to you once more, he held out his hands and pulled you up to your feet. Your legs had been weak and so you stumbled into his chest, but he quickly embraced you and held you upright. You once more looked up at him to see him gazing down upon you, and his eyes were once more filled with the most loving and longing look that anyone could ever hope to be looked at like. Once more his thumb trailed itself over your lower lip, and the sensation continuously made you go weak in the knees each time with desire.

“I…I…” he began, smiling at himself for not finding the words to say. “My apologies for leaving you on a note such as this. But I do hope you know that if given the opportunity, I would never leave this room for the remainder of my life.”

Your eyes widened and your heart strings tightened at his words, and it was all you could do to not let out a sob of utter happiness. Trembling once more, you smiled up at him, biting your lip bashfully. “No. No apologies Ignis. Your duty comes first before anything else. Now hurry it up before you get yourself fired by your King,” you said playfully with a gentle laugh.

Ignis chuckled at this as he brought his lips down to kiss your forehead tenderly. “Perhaps if only this once my duty could falter,” he murmured, almost to himself, and pulling back to look at you once more, a gentle smile crossed his lips as he brought his lips down to yours once more and kissed you tenderly, causing your knees to go weak and your body to set ablaze again. “I shall look forward to seeing you later this evening, Y/N, and it shall be a battle to think of nothing else until I shall see you again later. But…” he said, sighing deeply, “we must part for now as business calls. I….”

It was you this time that stood up on your tippy toes to kiss him gently on his lips. “It’s ok. I understand. Because I’ll think of nothing else either…”

And achingly slowly, he parted from your embrace and grabbed his coat from the couch. Then, turning to look at you once more with all of the longing in the world in his eyes, he exited the room and left you alone, standing there breathlessly.

And now the flame within your hearts would blaze on more brilliantly than ever.


	10. You've Got The Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *A shout out to Nissan Cup Noodles for providing me with the brain energy to write this chapter as well as embracing me with the ultimate flavor experience!* :D
> 
> I really do hope at this point that you have taken the time to listen to each of the songs that I present to you at the beginning of the chapters that serve as inspiration for the foundation of the narrative as well as the chapter titles. This song in particular by Florence I felt not only suited the Reader but also Iggy as well, and I think that this song is a reminder of how powerful of a driving force love can be.
> 
> As always, comments are super appreciated and drive me to want to write more. The feedback so far has been nothing but kind and you all make me feel really proud of myself. I'm thrilled to know that so many of you are enjoying what I write. 
> 
> Please enjoy and let me know what you think. :D
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air_

_I know I can count on you_

_Sometimes I feel like saying, "Lord, I just don't care."_

_But you've got the love I need to see me through_

 

_Sometimes it seems that the going is just too rough_

_And things go wrong no matter what I do_

_Now and then it seems that life is just too much_

_But you've got the love I need to see me through_

_\- Florence and the Machine – “You’ve Got the Love”_

To say that your time in Altissia was one of the happiest times of your life was an understatement.

Despite the trip beginning on a more somber and solemn tone, the remaining few days you spent in the city had been filled with laughter, love, and hope. Later that evening when Noctis and Ignis returned from their meeting with Camelia and met your companions at Maagho’s for dinner (Noctis refused to talk about business for the rest of the night, although he said unfortunately he would have more to attend to the following day), Cid once more began to share stories of his younger years with King Regis as well as his experiences with clients at Hammerhead during the duration of his career. Soon enough, the conversation turned to Noctis, and Cid seemed to playfully slander the hell out of the now King from his times of youth.

“I swear, I would have never believed this kiddo here would have turned out to be what you’re seeing today. The boy didn’t even know what the heck a gil was when he rolled into my shop that day, “ Cid said, scratching his head as he took a bite out of lasagna. “The boy was lazier than hell, but ya done good now, Noct. You’d make your dad proud.”

Noctis blushed deeply while everyone had a good chuckle at his expense.

At some point during your meal, Weskham came out to introduce himself to you personally. “It’s a pleasure to see that despite all this tragedy we’ve faced, after many years its reassuring to know that hope lives on and our patrons have returned here once more,” he commented. You gave him a hug for this, especially feeling more grateful now that you came back to your home to face all your fears.

Meanwhile, as you all dined happily and shared stories, you and Ignis kept casting affectionate glimpses at one another as you sat side by side one another at the dinner table, and when hands weren’t used to hold napkins, forks, spoons, knives, they would wander underneath the table to graze fingers and hands over each other’s legs. At one point in time as you were in the middle of swallowing your wood-smoked sea bass, Ignis’s hand wandered up way too high on your upper thigh, and you felt yourself almost choking from the sensation of his heated hand upon your inner leg. His eyes immediately went wide with concern and he had asked you if you were alright. Once your fit had calmed and you looked at him with a knowing blush at what he’d done, Ignis looked away slyly as he continued to eat his fettini de cernia, and a small smile had fashioned itself in the corner of his lips.

 _Oh I’ll get you for that_ , you thought playfully.

Unfortunately he and Noctis had continued to meet Camelia continously during your stay (as Shield, Gladio joined them to keep an eye on things in case something got out of hand) as they went from each district in the city to the next and jotted down notes on Camelia’s plans for the city renovations. And so, you’re time with Ignis was much more limited than you had hoped. However, when he had returned to the Leville to meet up with everyone again at later parts in the day, Ignis would steal a passionate kiss from you when no one was within the room, and you both would find yourself in absolute breathless tremors at the feel of having contact with one another. Somehow you both managed to straighten yourselves up before anyone came back into the room to catch you in the act, and something about the way that Ignis valued the privacy and intimacy of your meetings made your heart flutter and your stomach tighten in pleasurable knots.

“Until later…” Ignis would murmur huskily as he caressed your face, and the blush in his face brought you absolute delight.

Upon one of your returns to your room, when you entered your private suite to change your clothes, you felt yourself gasping when you spotted upon the bed one of the Moogle plushes from one of the various street vendors. Rushing over to the bedstead and picking it up within your arms, you noticed a ribbon around its arm with a note attached to it.

You opened up the little envelope and read, now finding tears of happiness forming in the corner of your eyes.

**_Hoping that this will continuously bring joy to you like it once did so long ago. – Ignis_ **

You sighed blissfully, hugging the Moogle close to your chest.

_Always, Iggy…_

In one of the many hours in which he was gone, you and Prompto were sitting out on the stone steps while Iris and Cid shopped around when Prompto decided to pull out his camera for you and flip through his pictures he captured. You smiled at the excitement in Prompto’s voice as he scrolled from one piece of artistic photography to the next.

“Don’t mind the pictures of all the broken down structures,” Prompto said as he looked at you, worried about hurting your feelings and bringing up a sore subject again. “But I wanted to document the before and after of how the city looks now versus what it will look like when it’s all renovated. Ya know, to keep up hope and all.”

You smiled at this. “That’s a really sweet idea, Prompto. It’ll be exciting to see how it all changes…” You leaned over to look at the screen of his camera. “Now what else did you get photos of?”

Several of his photos consisted of all of Noctic’s fishing catches and you couldn’t help but be in awe at how striking some of these sea creatures were. Prompto also had taken photos of every single thing that he ate, which made you laugh. “Food here is so much different than in the Crown City! Ya can’t blame me!” he explained. As he continued, you couldn’t help find yourself entertained at several of the shots he took. One included Cid taking a nap with a magazine over his face in one of the chairs back at the hotel suite. Another consisted of Gladio posing next to one of the marble female statues strewn throughout the city, flexing his biceps as if flirting with the figure. There was a selfie of Prompto in front of some street musicians, making the peace sign with his hands, and the next one you saw made you squeal with utter delight.

“Yeah, right?” Prompto said. “Gladio has been shipping these two together for years now. He still approves, but who knows if and when one of them is gonna make a move.”

The photo in discussion was one of Iris and Noctis sitting side by side on a set of stone stages while they ate their gelato. The smiles upon their faces and the way they looked at each other absolutely melted your heart, and the larger part of you was praying more than ever that one day the two of them could share a happy life with each other, despite their individual duties and responsibilities

“How sweet,” you murmured, smiling broadly at the photo. “Definitely keep that one to show to them. Iris is going to want a poster of that.”

“Yeah…” Prompto almost said dreamily. But now, he turned to look at you with a playful grin on his face. “Which leads me to this next photo, which I’m sure you’re going to like….”

And once you cast your eyes upon it, your heart swelled with utter joy.

It was such a simple photo that a stranger who looked at it might not share any sentiment about it at all, but for you? It meant everything. In the photo, you and Ignis were standing in front of a stone railing, looking out at the sunset that cast itself over the city skyline. The hues of the atmosphere were of warm pinks, oranges, and purples, but even more beautifully presented was the body language of the subjects. Ignis and you both had your hands leaning upon the railing and each of you had your heads turned to look at one another with your physiques slightly facing one other.

The photo made your heart clench and fill with warmth, and you turned to Prompto with a grin and blush upon your face. “Definitely keep that one too,” you said breathlessly.

*******************

And as all good things seem to do, your brief stay in Altissia came to an end, and everyone was back at the mainland of Lucis. Upon returning to Cape Caem, the two vehicles escorted to Lestallum to drop you off back home, and your heart swelled with grief at knowing that you would once again part with your friends until the next time you could see them again.

“Thank you all for everything,” you said as you went around to each of your friends, giving them the biggest hugs you could muster. “Again, I can’t name the last time I’ve felt this happy.”

“It’s no big deal,” Noctis said as you hugged him last. “I’m hoping that once things settle down a little more back in the city with our major project we’re looking into, we hope that we can do this more often. But as you know, duty for a king always comes first…”

You nodded at him, seeming to understand more than anyone that principle, having all of your friends be a part of the royal faction. “I totally understand. And trust me when I say that I think your dad would be proud of you for the awesome job that you’re doing.”

Noctis inhaled deeply as you said this, and he smiled back, giving you a final squeeze.

Ignis now came to stand next to you and picked up your luggage for you. “I shall escort you back to your home,” he said with a smile on his face.

Everyone nodded to him. “We’ll be waiting here for ya, Iggy!” Iris said. “Y/N, I’ll stop by next weekend to come hang out with ya, ok?”

You nodded and waved to her, and you and Ignis began to walk your way up through the winding streets. Your walk was in silence and you felt your heart racing as Ignis’s arm continuously brushed yours. Before you knew it, you were in the alley way of your apartment building and were now standing outside of the main entrance to your living quarters.

Ignis sat your bags down and turned to you, his expression warm upon his face and his eyes attentively looking into your eyes. You swallowed hard as you smiled back, doing your usual tuck of the hair behind your ear. _Astrals, no matter how many times he looks at me it’s like it’s always the first_ , you thought to yourself. Clearing your throat you now spoke, your voice slightly shaky and your legs jittery as you tried to stand calmly on two feet. “I have to say, this trip has been the most pleasant surprise of my entire life,” you said, smiling at him. “I had an absolutely most wonderful time.”

“As did I,” Ignis murmured as he walked up to you now, his frame mere inches from yours as he looked down upon you and placed both of his hands upon your shoulders. “And I can assure you that many more as such are needed in our lives. I know that I certainly look forward to the peace and relaxation. That is, minus anybusiness needed to be attended to.” He chuckled at himself and titled his head to look at you. “It warms my heart to see you smiling like this, Y/N…”

You blushed deeply, shifting slightly on your feet. “Well, I suppose I can thank you for that, pulling a fast one and helping me get out of work,” you said cheekily, daringly placing your hands upon his chest. “Whatever can I do to repay you, Mr. Scientia?”

Instantly his eyes seemed to set ablaze and a devious grin spread to the corners of his lips. “Hmm, well, I think I can think of more than one way…” His words trailed off as his hands now traced from down your shoulders and the soft skin of your arms, now placing themselves upon your waist. Pulling you more closely to him so that your hips were flushed right up against his, he brought his face down to yours and pulled you in for the most delightfully sensual kiss you could imagine. His mouth danced over yours as you kissed him back, and a soft moan escaped your lips and your eyes fluttered shut as you trembled within his grasp.

A slight groan escaped from his throat as you felt your body being pushed back slightly up against the wall behind you. Ignis pressed his body more tightly against yours and his grasp around your waist almost seemed to tighten painfully, much to your delight however. His lips left yours as he now traced his lips to your ear and began to kiss at the sensitive nerves there. You squirmed against the wall and your knees began to buckle at the sensational feeling. “Ignis…” you murmured, now utterly breathless. You had realized that the more and more you two shared your private encounters with each other in the last few days, it appeared it was getting harder and harder for him to keep his hands off of you, and your loins tightened at just this very thought.

Ignis began to nuzzle your ear with his nose and he let out a sigh, the breath from his mouth tickling your ear and sending shivers down your spine. His body was quaking against yours and electric energy seemed to be surging from his body to yours, and it almost seemed as though he was refraining from releasing some inner daemon inside of him.

 _Please don’t hold back. Don’t be afraid, Iggy. Oh please don’t stop_ , you begged in your mind, but logically you knew that his companions were waiting for him and duty was to be calling to him soon once more.

Ignis now placed his hand on the side of your face and rubbed your lower lip with his thumb, and he rested his forehead upon yours to brace himself. Looking into your eyes again, his thumb now trailed itself down the skin of your neck and over the curvature of your collar bones. He sighed once more. “Oh Astrals, do I hate to part like this,” he said with pain in his voice. “But as you know –“

“You’ve got a job to do,” you said with a smile in your voice as you looked up at him. “I understand Ignis.”

Nonetheless, Ignis sighed deeply once more and seemed more frustrated than ever. You couldn’t help but find intense interest in observing that as time went on between the two of you, the once calm and collected advisor became more verbal in expressing his feelings, and the walls of his reservations and formalities around you had slowly been starting to crumble.

And yet, he was still holding back, and part of that scared the hell out of you.

“Within the next week or so I will once more be making a visit to Tenebrae to continue our research on the magitek technologies,” he said now, moving away slightly from you to give you space to breathe. “I cannot divulge too much information as of now, as you know, but I can assure you that once I return and we shall hopefully find out more information, you will certainly be the one that I look forward to discussing our findings with the most.”

Your heart skipped a beat as worry plastered itself across your face. “Are you sure you guys are going to be ok? You know how much you scared the hell out of me with your recent visit, right?” you said, now placing your hand upon his cheek.

He chuckled as he placed his hand upon yours, the other now caressing the curve or your waist. “I can assure you that I will be more prepared this time. Ravus and I know what to anticipate more properly, especially given the knowledge from our findings from our last exploration.”

It was you who this time smiled, and taking his hand now, you kissed his hand chastely and brought it to your cheek. “Promise?” You whispered.

Pressing his body to yours once more and kissing you deeply, you felt his form tremble against yours as if he didn’t know the answer to your request. But with one more kiss to your ear and forehead, he breathed in deeply as he held you against the wall.

“With all my heart, my darling.”

*************************************

Much to your complete and utter delight, Iris kept her promise and visited you that following weekend. While you had immersed yourself in your job more than ever once again (you had become an expert just this week alone at installing cable lines inside of housing plots), your disquietude over Ignis’s wellbeing consumed your very essence; thus, having the distraction of sisterly companionship was more than welcome.

After the two of you watched an animated film of _Justice Monsters Five_ (it was a horribly tacky production but nonetheless amusing and convivial), you decided to head out the town for some dinner. It was once again another alluring evening and you were more than happy to be free from the confines of your apartment with the nervous energy that coursed through your veins. As you headed towards Partellum Market, you and Iris looked about the sights and sounds of jovial civilians, and you both sighed in unison.

“Minus the political parts of our trip, I find it hard to believe that just a week ago we were living a life of bliss and carefreeness,” she said dreamily.

“Yeah, I know, right?” You said in response, stretching your arms above you and yawning as you walked into the crowded market square. “Not that I’m complaining about work or anything, but I got a little bit spoiled with having that many days off in a row. The last time I really had a vacation was back when I was a teenager. You could say that it’s certainly been overdue.” For but a moment your heart panged at the thought of your cherished moments shared with your parents on holiday, but refusing to dampen the mood of such a chipper evening, you quickly masked your sliver of sorrow with a small smile.

Iris giggled in response. “Tell me about it. It’s been nothing but busy busy busy back at the Citadel this week with everything going on. Not that this surprising at all. You’d think by now I’d get used to working with the parliament but every now and then I have my moments of realization where I realize how good I had it as a kid. It was always Dad and Gladdy that were stuck with the royal business, especially with their roles as Shields. So, needless to say, at this moment I’m pretty happy to be here right now not worrying about everything.”

“Is everything ok?” you asked her, concern in your voice.

“Yup!” Iris said cheerfully as she eyed up the food stands in front of you. “Everything is just fine. Trust me. And I know I can trust you when I tell you things but well… we kinda have something going on right now that I’m supposed to keep sealed lips on. I can’t really go into much detail.” She sighed again. “You understand that, right?”

You smiled softly at her as your belly grumbled, and as the aroma of roasted meat danced across your nostrils you decided you were craving some prairie-style skewers for dinner. “Oh gosh, more than anyone. I can never hold that against you or anyone. Business is business and that’s something you have to uphold,” you said in response. Instantly your mind leapt to thoughts of Ignis and your chest began to ache at how terribly you were missing him at this very moment more than ever now.

“Yes, business is business indeed,” Iris said now, still deciding on what she wanted to eat as she picked up samples of ready-to-be sliced and steamed produce. “And speaking of, you might laugh at me for saying this, but I’m really just starting to appreciate how fortunate I am to have some stability in life again, not that things are always stress-free at the Citadel, of course. However, it’s having peace of mind in knowing that things are all alright now, unlike they were years ago that make me grateful for knowing that I can wake up each day and walk into that place, not fearing for what is to come. I really missed that feeling.”

You immediately thought of the stories she told you of her exodus from Insomnia and to Lestallum back when the tragedy had struck, and you couldn’t have sympathized with her more than ever at this moment. Stability for you two had always been what you wanted after your parents were stolen from you and your life was uprooted.

But she continued her thoughts out loud to you. “Even when we were in Altissia last week, that fearful part of me couldn’t help but feel like something was going to go wry at any moment. Being exposed to catastrophe and darkness for so long? Jeese, it kinda makes you paranoid. But in the end, things turned out ok. They really did.” Iris stopped in front of a vendor cooking egg and crab fried rice, and she immediately licked her lips, seeming to have finally decided on her dining choice for the evening. “Like for instance,” she said, taking some gil out of her pocket and handing it to the attendant. “I knew that Iggy had some errands to run and you were going back to the Leville to lay down after we all went fishing, but still. It was weird…We were all just kinda worried about you two, given the circumstances of what happened to you and the guys the last time they were in Altissia years ago…”

You coughed as your heart skipped a sudden beat. “Yeah…about that…” you murmured, the creeping blush through your cheeks now almost painful, and despite the blazing setting sun shining down upon your face, there was no way to mask the sudden emergence of your little secret plastered all over your face.

Iris quickly took note of this as she took her plate from the chef. “Hmm? What is it, Y/N?” She asked, the inquisitiveness in her voice more apparent than ever now. You handed your own money to the vendor and grabbed your skewers, your hands now trembling with a nervous titillation.

“Well you see,” you began, swallowing hard as butterflies began to sail through your stomach. “You guys didn’t really need to worry, because when I got back to the hotel, Iggy was there, safe and sound. I showed up and you see…we kinda…well…we…”

Iris’s eyes widened as the corner of her lips began to bend upward. “You what?” She inquired impatiently, her grip on her food dish tight.

You were blushing more fervidly now, not believing you were out in the open and were about to admit to your tryst. “We…we…well, we kissed.”

“What!?” Iris shrieked, and several people within the market jumped at the sudden shrillness of her voice. Your companion taking your free hand, Iris harshly yanked you a little ways away from the shoppers and towards some benches out of earshot. “And you’re just telling me this _now_?! Oh my gosh, Y/N! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Iris’s eyes were wide like a newborn baby Chocobo’s and you were attempting your best to qualm her excitement over such a riveting newsflash.

“Oh come on, Iris. You know that I don’t like airing my private life like its news!” You said, slightly exasperated, and this was certainly true. You had never been one to openly disclose with others your private airings like a Cockatrice trying to impress its Basilisk mate, as you always believed there was something sacred in just keeping certain things unknown. And for Ignis? Apparently, this had been the same; your rendezvous in Altissia were done in complete private and while your companions were no strangers towards your affection towards him, he had chosen to keep his wandering hands and affectionate utterings to himself when you were in their company.

Iris scowled at you as if disenchanted by your withholding. “But yeah, this is _super_ important though!” You both sat down on a bench and Iris was now almost too excited to consume her meal. “Holy Astrals. You kissed Ignis. He kissed you. I can’t freakin’ believe it. You have no idea how excited I am for you right now. Ignis Scientia. Holy crap.” She looked at you, a huge grin forming on her lips. “So then….how was it?” She asked brazenly.

“What was what?” You asked in return, completely dumbfounded as you felt yourself burning into a crimson color as you attempted to eat a skewer with tremulous hands.

Iris laughed jovially and shook her head. “The kiss, silly! The kiss! So how _was_ he? You’ve been pinning for Ignis for how long now? For years? Did he live up to everything you thought he would be?”

Your initial agitation of being drilled with questions suddenly dissipated as you sat down your plate and found your leg bouncing with provocation. Then, biting your lip, the echanted and elated youthful girl at heart immerging from within your soul, your mouth finally turned into a broad smile. “ _Gods_ Iris, it was everything and more. I could have died a happy woman right then and there on the spot.”

Iris shrieked again, causing more folks around you to turn and stare awkwardly in your direction. “Oh my gods, you have no idea how excited I am now! This is such a big freakin’ deal! No wonder you’ve been acting all super bubbly lately. Ah! This is such good news!”

Iris now hungrily began to eat and chew her fried rice, and as she did, you looked down at your plate, a nervous feeling washing over you.

_I am happy. More than happy….ecstatic…but then why am I so afraid?_

Iris quickly picked up on your sudden change of mood. “Oh come on now, what is that look for?” She asked, setting down her plate again as she gave you a wry smile. “You’re blossoming and you’re soaring in the clouds. So why are you looking so down like that?”

You looked Iris deeply in the eyes and sighed, the blush of your cheeks slowly dissipating but nevertheless leaving their mark upon your face.. “I don’t know, Iris. It’s so silly, but I guess it kinda goes off what you said before. Things are so normal now and I’m just afraid that I’m going to wake up at any moment to see this town swarmed with daemons and we’ll be living in darkness again. I’m scared that this with Ignis is just too good to be true and that I’m just dreaming all of this right now.” You paused and sighed once more as you stared at your hands, heat suddenly coursing down to your loins, and that girlish blush reemerged again. “The way he looks at me…the way he’s held me when it’s just the two of us and how he’s kissed me like I have nothing to worry about in this world. I don’t know what I did to deserve his attention. And I feel a part of him is just holding something back and it’s making me feel afraid that he’s going to walk away, like I’m living in this delusion of sorts.”

You looked up from your hands to see Iris giving you the most motherly look a twenty-five-year-old could produce, but quickly her expression softened as she took your hand and smiled with amusement. “Believe me, Y/N. You’re not crazy for how you feel. I’d be nervous if I was you too. I know I’ve told you this a _million_ times, but believe me when I say this: Never in my life have I ever seen Ignis behave the way he does when he’s around you. I couldn’t help but notice the way he acted around you. Heck, it made my heart sore. He’s…he’s become a new man of sorts since he’s met you. Something in him is coming out that I’ve never seen before. And I think I noticed that for once in his life, he’s finally starting to loosen up a bit. You never even knew him when he was younger and how stern he was all the time.” She paused, seeming lost in her thoughts, and she squeezed your hand more tightly now. “He’s just been through a lot in his past, and I think it’s just taking him time to finally let go and let himself live. Because honestly? Since he was young, I don’t believe he ever gave himself that pleasure. If it feels like he’s holding back now, you just have to give him a chance. Believe me. He’ll give himself to you fully in no time.”

*****************************************

And all the time in the world you would give to him. Despite your current distance away from one another while Ignis was away at Tenebrae, his phone calls in between affairs had you smiling broadly like a foolish little school girl, and you always ended up checking your surroundings to make sure no one was caught staring at you blushing like a mad woman. While still holding his reservations, Ignis was becoming more and more affectionate with the verbiage of his language, and at some points during your conversations you would find your toes squirming in your boots and your chest heaving at the simple things he said.

“I am…missing the feel of your lips upon mine more than ever,” he would murmur to you, his articulate accent rolling of his tongue like honey as he spoke to you over the distance, and you felt your spine shivering with delight.

“Heyyyy! Eos to Y/N! You hearin’ me here! You’re gonna get oil all over yourself if you’re not watchin’ yourself!”

Instantly you snapped out of your inappropriate thoughts to see Cindy Aurum staring at you with her head titled, and as you tried to make sense of what she said to you. You looked down at your hands to see that oil was leaking out of valve that you were attempting to tighten and was spilling on the ground.

“Oh shit! Gods, I’m sorry Cindy! I wasn’t paying attention!” Quickly your hands fumbled with a wrench and you managed to stiffen the pump that you were currently in the midst of helping install.

Cindy laughed at you and she wiped away some grease from her delicate face. “Naw, don’t you worry, Y/N. Ain’t no big deal! Just checkin’ to make sure you were with us and not floatin’ around the clouds around Ravatough!”

You laughed at her remark as you focused back in on your work. Your latest job today required you to head out to Hammerhead to assist Cindy in installing the power outputs to a brand new series of gas pumps as well as run brand new wiring throughout the newly renovated marketplace. Now that the light had been brought back and the fear of Niflheim invasions were no more like that experienced in the war many years ago, travel throughout Lucis had resumed and Cindy was finding more and more customers arriving at Hammerhead than ever before. To accommodate the expanding market, she had decided to expand her business at the lot to make room for more customers as well as more room to provide service for those who were in need of repairs.

As you resumed your work, you took a moment to admire the woman who was now focused on removing some bolts from around the pumps. You had known Cindy for over ten years now, having been one of the many hunters who helped her escort precious cargo and goods between the various depots across the land. In those ten years, her once curly short bob of a haircut grew out into a luscious wavy ponytail, yet she still donned the classic Hammerhead baseball cap upon her head. She wore a full yellow jumpsuit that left very little to the imagination in terms of displaying her curvaceous breasts, and you couldn’t help but feel in awe at how the gorgeous grease monkey goddess was able to keep such a stunning physique after all these years. Not that you were so bad to look at yourself, but still; there was a reason a lot of male patrons would travel out of their way to have Miss Cindy work on their vehicles.

“Hey there, Y/N, you hearin’ me again? You’re looking funnier than a Tonberry in a dance off with a Cactuar! You feelin’ alright?”

Cindy’s sparkling olive green eyes were staring directly into yours, and you couldn’t help but feel yourself blushing. “Yeah, I’m quite fine Cindy. Just been thinkin’ about a couple of things. But you’ve got my full attention now.” You paused your words as you finally finished repairing the valve, and the pump was finally now ready to be used for full working order. “What’s next on the list for us today?”

Cindy took her baseball cap off for a moment and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Next I’m gonna have you help me run the power lines into the garage. We purchased all new lightin’ that’s gonna help me work later hours in the dark. Then we’ll take a break and get something to eat at Takka’s. Sound good?”

“Yeah,” you said as your words trailed off back into your thoughts. As you looked way out over the horizon, you spotted in the distance the towering skyscrapers of Insomnia, and you felt a sigh escape your lips. _Iggy, I wish you were home safe_ , you thought to yourself. _Hopefully you’ll be back soon._

Cindy followed your eyes to where you were looking and a broad smile formed on her lips. “Ahhhh, I get it,” she said cheerfully, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I’ve seen that face before. Yer makin’ sense to me now.”

Quickly your gaze snapped back to her face, and you felt yourself blushing at the way she starred at you. “What? What is it?” you asked now as you felt nervous under scrutinizing gaze.

She giggled. “Well ain’t it obvious? Clearly you’re in love!”

“Huh?” You said, blushing deeply as you began to fumble around with the pump next to you in order to look busy. “W-What makes you say that?”

Cindy laughed as she put a hand on your shoulder. “Oh come now, Y/N, I’ve known you for how many years now and you think I wouldn’t notice a change in you? Yer actin’ mighty high and fine like the sun is shinin’ in that heart of yours. And you know what? That makes me pretty darn happy, because you deserve to be happy.”

You blushed as you wiped away some grease from your own face and now smiled back at her. “I do, don’t I? But, I don’t know, Cindy. I’m pretty damn scared about it if you ask me. How many daemons have I fought in the past and yet what I’m feeling now terrifies me the most more than anything. I’m just…afraid that this is all too good to be true.”

Cindy’s brows knit together as she began to think. Sighing deeply, her expression turned serious as she looked you deep in the eyes. “Lemme tell ya something. Something I’ve never told anyone ever before, not even Paw Paw.” Your attention was fully drawn to her now as she continued. “You know me. I’ve been nothin’ but dedicated to my work my whole life. Workin’ on cars has been my one big love and passion, but I’ve been so focused on this garage that I missed out on somethin’.” She paused again, and a small smile crossed her lips. “I missed out on a chance on fallin’ in love. I was so afraid to give up this love for another that a really great guy passed right by me and I was too blind to see it. And even today this day I’m still hopin’ that there is a chance that he might give me another chance if I muster up some courage.” She now looked far into the distance at Insomnia, and her eyes widened.

“You…you mean….” You said slowly. You knew exactly who she was talking about.

She turned back to you, grinning. “There’s a certain sunshine boy that use to always and still does came by to help me all these years. That boy would go above and beyond to risk his life to help me, and how silly do I feel now to have been takin’ that for granted. And who knows what he’s thinkin’ now and where his heart is, but I can easily say that I’m hopin’ I could get a chance…”

You smiled to yourself, knowing very much how to this day Prompto still doted on and admired her, but in this moment you could tell that it wasn’t your place to divulge that information,

“I guess what I’m tryin’ to say, Y/N,” Cindy said more firmly now, “is that don’t be afraid to open yer heart. Don’t be afraid to let go, otherwise ya might be missin’ out on chances that you’ll later regret. Life’s too short for ya to be afraid.”

And boy did you know how right she was about that.

**************************************

A stark cry escaped your lips as you found yourself shoved harshly up against the wall. An expert mouth descended upon your throat and began to bite and nip at the sensitive flash, teeth scraping and grazing down the length to nip at your clavicles at the base of your throat. A guttural groan of ecstasy tore up through your throat as a hardened swollen length pressed its way invasively against your heated loins, and you writhed and squirmed in absolute rapture as painfully sinful pleasure rippled through your body.

“Oh Ignis,” you whimpered, wriggling against him and begging as he once more nipped at the defined bones of your collar bone.

Ignis raised his head to gaze sinfully into your eyes, his own blazing with purple fire and hunger that seemingly always drove you wild.

“Yes, my dear?” he asked almost innocently, and yet, not a syllable uttered was chaste. Soon his mouth descended quickly upon your breasts and bit at your nipples, the twinging sensation of straight teeth causing you to arch your back in response. You placed your hands upon his head, pulling and tugging at the tousled tresses of hair that lay messy across his forehead, and you were panting to the point of exhaustion before the true entertainment for the evening even began.

“Ignis, please, don’t tease me,” you whined as he continued his savage assault upon your breasts, and you bucked your hips in response as his tongue made its way around the undersides of the sensitive mounds.

He pulled his face away once to study your reactions and grinned at you deviously, cocking his head to the side with interest. “But darling, we have only just begun the festivities,” he articulated smoothly, going back to biting your neck and pressing his heat harshly up against your own.

You whimpered once more as you raked your nails down his back, and his breathing hitched as your nails grazed the scars that littered themselves upon the lean and defined musculature of his back.

“Ignis, _please_ , I can’t take anymore. I need you now…” You begged, panting heavily as his hands grasped your hips harshly. “Please, I’m begging you…”

Looking at you once more with the most devilish smirk upon his face, he sighed deeply. Then, pausing for a moment, without giving you a chance to move, he grasped your hips more firmly, spun you around, and more slammed you up against the wall with your breasts pressed firmly to paint, the force of such a motion jarring your body in your unpreparedness. Even more so, you yelped out in shock as he sunk his teeth into the back of your neck and began to grind his engorged manhood between your legs, the velvety length sliding between the slick folds to your heat, and you once again whimpered with absolute pleasure and circumvention.

Oh please…I need you now, Ignis…Please?

“Well what kind of gentleman would I be to leave a lady waiting so patiently?” He said alluringly in your ear as if reading your mind. Nibbling your ear and holding on to your hip with one hand, you felt him grab his shaft, place the head of it against your entrance and –

“RING RING RING RING RING,” went the ringtone to your cellphone. You shot up in bed, panting and shaking heavily as you fumbled in the dark to locate your phone on the bedside table, and struggling to grasp it in your sweaty hands, you hit the ‘answer’ button on the screen.

“H-Hello?” You said breathlessly as you faltered to regain your senses.

“Hate to wake you up again like this, Y/N, but today I’ve got another big job for you,” said the voice of Holly on the other line.

Your heart still heavily slamming in your breast, you pushed back your covers and swung your legs up around the edge of the bed, and you ran your hands through your hair you as you instinctually began your morning hunter routine. “Y-Yeah? Oh jeese, I can’t wait,” you said somewhat sarcastically, a smile in your voice as you replied to her through strained words.

“And it’s a big one,” Holly said continued, “Only this time it’s for a client who needs our help. And as always, you’re the girl to do it. Make sure you’re super prepared today. Your ride will pick you up at the outlook at seven! Good luck!”

But before you could ask her any questions, Holly hung up on you, and now you were left standing in the dark, staring out into blank space as if the rapidity of such a phone call had actually manifested itself.

“A client, huh?” you muttered to yourself. “I wonder who it could be…”

You sat down your phone on the bed and placed your head in your hands, still trying to gather your breathing that struggled to function in your lungs. _That_ dream had been one of the most fervent and impassioned that you had yet to experience, and as you once more visualized every single touch and nip and buck of the hips of your lover, you flushed deeply once more and your loins coiled as you braced your hand on the bed.

While you of course at this point in time were no stranger to these fancies and frolics that pervaded your mind every single night, as you stood there in the dark with breasts heaving, toes curling into the carpet of your floor and with the liquid of your arousal beginning to drip from your heat and slicken your inner thighs, it had now only just occurred to you in this very moment one single thought:

 _Just what kind of lover_ was _Ignis?_

You covered your mouth as to hold back a whimper, your face flushing more deeply and your legs trembling as you attempted to take steps out of the room and towards your bathroom. Ever since you two began to make intimate communions with one another and he became less reticent with his sensuality and affections towards you, you could not help but feel delighted at that boldness of such notions to you in your sequestered moments alone. However, as your thoughts began to linger on said moments where his lips would ghost across yours, his hands would skim down the slender curves or your waist, and his hips would flush against yours with just the right amount of heated pleasure, it had only occurred to you just now in in this moment of breath the level of expertise Ignis possessed in the field of romance and how intensely he could make you feel, just by kisses and touches alone….

 _What more could he do, and how would he do it_?

Your mind drifted back to one of your more recent conversations with Iris, and the implications of her words had you squirming as you stood upon the bathroom mat and dried your face:

_“From back in the day to even now, a lot of these women would try to flirt with Iggy, but him being him, he just seems to either ignore it, or kindly brushes it off in obliviousness or disinterest. When I really think about it, he’s never mentioned a word to me or the guys about a hint of attraction towards someone. His whole life his, his love life remained this mystery to all of us and Astrals even knows if he thought about women at all with how he behaved…”_

_Then how is he so…Astrals…oh gods_ …you thought as heat trickled down your spine and made your calves and toes go numb. Having had very little opportunity yourself in recent years to indulge in blissful trysts as you focused mostly on your plight to survive, this sudden exposé and mystery to another puzzle piece missing of Ignis’s past left your thighs sliding against one another with moisture, the realization of potentially having a much more experienced lover in your arms sending a nervous heat coiling in the depths of your belly.

It was as though a Midgardsormr was constricting your chest as you now found yourself standing in front of the bathroom mirror, biting your lip to the point of breaking flesh and blushing even more to a painful threshold. Turning on the faucet and splashing your cheeks with icy water, you quickly tried to push away the unabashed, perverse, and sinful ponderings that plagued your mind . “N-No, Y/N, no I can’t think about that right now…Why am I thinking about that now, as much as this is going to eat at me?” you said shakily panted breaths. “I have to be serious and stay focused. I can’t be letting these thoughts cloud my judgement on the job right nw. G-Gods only know what exactly is in store for me today…”

And soon, you would find out.

*********************************

While you certainly were not running late to get to the Outlook, due to your fumbling hands and clumsy feet this morning, you struggled more than usual to get prepared for the big jobs that Holly sent you out on. And now, with yourself clothed in your best hunter garb and your bag and katana swung over your shoulders, as you approached the Outlook you immediately dropped all of your belongings on location as you spotted someone you were not expecting to see.

“Ignis! Oh my gods, Ignis!”

The tactician had been standing against the Regalia, staring out over the Outlook at the sunrise when he turned around upon hearing your voice. Immediately a broad smile crossed his lips and he motioned himself towards you when you came flying towards him and crashed into him with a tight embrace. You looked up at him, almost feeling like an emotional wreck at the sight of him, and you smiled widely as he looked down upon you.

“Oh Astrals, Iggy, I missed you so much! I didn’t think you’d be back! W-What are doing here?”

Ignis chuckled as he pressed a warm kiss to your forehead and squeezed you more tightly against him, and he sighed deeply, almost not believing himself that he was standing there. “And I’ve missed you terribly my dearest. I’ve actually been back for a day or so now, but I had to report back to Noct in the Crown City on some important findings Ravus and I discovered back in Niflheim.” He paused for a moment to lift your chin and plant a gentle kiss upon your lips, and the contact alone was enough to make you go weak in the knees. “We had formulated a plan of action of sorts and realized that we needed an expert in the field to help us get us into a specific location. And so, other than for the purposes of seeing you after all this time, I had contacted Holly in request of your services to be the one who will help me with our job today.”

Your eyes widened, your heart now pounding in your chest as you were more interested than ever as to what exactly it would be that you two would be doing. “Oh Iggy…and just what exactly is it that we will be doing today?”

Ignis smiled audaciously down at you. “Well, I say why don’t we get your belongings so we can embark and tell you about it on the way there?”

Nodding to him, he grabbed your bags for you, put them in the back seat of the Regalia, and you departed from the southern exit of Lestallum.

You were more than grateful for the blessed weather, the sunrise warming and soothing you as you began to find yourself bouncing your legs during the drive to your destination. Turning on some quiet music (he chose some classical, as he could tell you needed something to calm your nerves.), Ignis reached for the cup holder on the front dash to pick up his mug of Ebony, and you delighted in the sight of watching him drink it. You examined his face to see that he looked more tired than usual but nevertheless handsome and lively, and you felt yourself smiling stupidly at him. Ignis took note of you starting at him, smiling at you now and placing down his coffee. With a relaxed sigh, he placed his hand upon your left knee and squeezed gently, and the touch alone was enough to make your heart leap out of your chest.

Ignis cleared his throat and now spoke as he turned his attention back to the road. “So in terms of our business,” he said smoothly, and now your complete focus was on him. “Do you recall many months ago the business I had here in Lestallum with Jeanne in terms of the meteorshards?”

You nodded, knowing that it was almost impossible to forget anything that the man said. “Yeah,” you replied, “and you mentioned that Noctis had plans for them back in Insomnia.” But now you realized that all this time had gone by and the subject had never been mentioned again. “Does our mission today have anything to do with them, I’m guessing?” you asked.

“Precisely,” Ignis said, giving your leg another squeeze. “It so happens that upon our visit to Niflheim once more, King Ravus and I came upon some startling and interesting information through our search of Zegnautus Keep.” Your eyes widened at the thought of him being there, and taking note of your reaction, he continued. “While searching through the files on their database in the control room, we came across some startling but potentially useful information: blueprints. And blueprints of sorts, that if we manage to obtain them, can be used for our own beneficial purposes.”

Your breath caught in your lungs at this. “Blueprints…for what, exactly?” You asked him.

“Magitek soldiers and machines,” he said bluntly, his expression going somewhat serious. “And if it is indeed true that these specific blueprints can be located, it can mean much hope for all of us across Lucis. You see,” he said, pausing to look at your intrigued expression, “one of the factors that made the Niflheim Empire so fearsome of a force is that their army did not need the aid of human soldiers. The Empire created the magitek and their mechs to devastate opposing troops as well as strike fear within the innocent lives of Lucians. In short, they did not need man-driven power to win their wars. But as you can see that the war is now officially over, this land is in much need of restoration to its former state. But to do so, as you know from your own personal experiences with EXINERIS, this requires much man power that we simply do not have as of yet due to the lower population.”

Your mouth hung open as you began to put two and two together. “These blueprints…you want to find them so you can use them to develop the technology to create that manpower.”

Ignis smiled now. “An absolutely correct conjecture. But, unlike the mindlessness of the Niflheim units that thrived upon the mutations from the Starscourge…”

“You want to use the purity of the meteorshards,” you said quickly, excitement now in your voice.

Ignis’s smile broadened even more. “Exactly. And if we make out luckily today, we should be able to locate these blueprints within their hiding place so we can develop our own machines that will aid in the reconstruction efforts.”

You felt utterly speechless. _Brilliant…absolutely brilliant_ , you thought. But quickly, your brows knit with confusion. “So wait…then exactly where are these blueprints if they aren’t located at Zegnautus?”

You had just excited the Coernix Bypass as Ignis turned to smile at you once more, apparently delighted in your inquisitiveness. “In the Causcherry Plans, not too far from the Disc of Cauthess, is a stronghold called Pepetouss that has been sealed off for years. I recall myself and the boys driving past it on several occasions and we even ventured out of the Regalia to explore around this structure, but we found that we simply could not enter. I was led on to believe that all these years it had simply just been an abandoned Niflheim base, as it hasn’t seen signs of life for decades now. But according to what Ravus and I found at Zegnautus, the location of these blueprints is apparently within this facility.”

You raised your eyebrow at this. “Really? Not that I don’t believe you or Ravus, but why on Eos would the Empire leave such important plans all the way out here? Wouldn’t it be safer to keep that information back home in Gralea?”

Ignis smirked as he looked at you again. “That is what they would want us to believe, but of course we know better…”

Your heart began to race more as you realized the importance of what would potentially be happening today. But again, your mouth dropped open as realization dawned upon you. “You said the facility hasn’t been functioning in years, as if the power had been shut off to the main doors…then that means…”

“That means,” Ignis said with a smile in his voice, “that you will be the one to help us enter it.”

You leaned back in the seat of the Regalia and took a deep breath. “Wow…” you said breathlessly. “I mean, wow Iggy. Not that I’m not flattered or anything, because shit, I really am. But you really think I can get us in? You couldn’t find anyone else who was more qualified for this type of stuff?”

Ignis squeezed your thigh reassuringly, and your throat tightened at the smile that came across his lips. “Other than my fellow Crownsguard members and the King himself, I can think of no other who I trust more with my life and feel who is more capable of success.” Your heart clenched at his words, and you placed your hand over his on your leg, almost at loss for words. But he continued. “Besides, while in Zegnautus Keep Ravus and I happened to find the plans themselves for Pepetouss and the entire workings of the structure. All I need you to do is help me get the power back on to the facility.”

You laughed now, feeling slightly relieved. “I guess that’s good then,” you said, pausing as you tucked a lock of hair behind your ear. “Iggy…I…I missed you. I’m so glad your back, and I’m excited that I get to work with you again like this once more.”

Ignis took a deep breath, almost suddenly overwhelmed at your words to him, and he smiled warmly. “And there is no one who I would rather have as my partner.”

***************************

“Well shit. That’s a big door,” you said breathlessly as you now stared up and down the sealed entrance to Pepetouss Stronghold. As you stood there with your mouth agape, you could not help but feel intimated at the vast size of the metal and cement that blocked your entry to the information that you and Ignis so desperately sought.

“Perhaps this will help you a bit,” Ignis said at your side now, handing you the blueprints and manuals to the facility. Your eyes quickly scanned the documentation as you flipped through each layer of information, and now a confident smirk was placed upon your lips.

“Ok, I was doubting myself there for a second. Turns out this isn’t going to be as bad as I thought. The control panel to the facility is built right into that side panel by the door there. Not too smart of a place to be putting in security access codes, don’t ya think?” Ignis nodded to you with a smile as you took a few steps closer to be face to face with the entryway. “Just because you’re large in size doesn’t mean I’m going to be intimidated by you!” You said haughtily to the door. But immediately you realized the double meaning of your words and felt yourself blushing profusely. _Oh Astrals, Y/N, get your mind out of the gutter_! You thought to yourself, panicking from embarrassment. _This is not the time to be thinking about –_

Whether or not Ignis picked up on the double entendre to your words, you were not sure of, but regardless, he walked up beside you now, brushing his hand against yours and a sly smile upon his face. He turned to speak to you now, a slight blush in his cheeks. “Well I say let’s put our wits to the test and show this door that neither of us are intimidated by its….’size’,” he said cheekily, and laughing, you nodded in response.

Your eyes took a moment to scan over the plans that included an in depth instruction manual to the access pad at the front gate. “Can you hold this for me, Iggy?” you said to your partner in crime, handing him the documentation.

“Certainly,” he said, and now his eyes were attentively focused on watching you look from the access pad to the plans. Taking out some pliers, screwdrivers, and wrenches from your bag, you carefully managed to open the front plate to the panel and began to intricately work your way around the tiny wires that appeared to not have been touched in ages.

“Hmm….” You murmured to yourself as your hands worked expertly at the mechanism.

“What is it?” Ignis asked softly, trying not to take you away from your focus.

“The wires are a bit rusty, but I don’t think they are in too bad of condition that I can’t work with them. Just give me a second here…” Your hands continued to work delicately as you unscrewed a bolt from another inner plate, finding a few microchips dislodged from their sockets. “Ah ha…” you muttered to yourself, putting the pieces back into place. Then taking your pliers, you grasped onto one of the tiny wires and redirected it back to it source, and immediately the silence of your work was interrupted by a loud beeping.

“ACCESS PANEL – ONLINE.” Said a female robotic voice.

“Hell yes!” You cheered, rather unprofessionally but not caring regardless. You grinned up at Ignis who was smiling at you broadly, clearly impressed with your skills. “That wasn’t too bad now, was it? Now, if I’m correct, all I need to do is just hit a few buttons and –“

And as you looked down at the plans once more, read the numbers provided, and input the code into the panel, another loud beep pealed in the air.

“ACCESS CODE – GRANTED.”

“Most impressive!” Ignis said very enthusiastically, and you could tell by the tone of his voice that he genuinely meant it. “I knew that there was no reason to doubt you,” he said, taking your hand for a moment.

You smiled more broadly at him now, then turned your attention back to the panel. “Now all we have to do is hit this button and we should have the door open for us.” Pressing down upon a rather large lit button, the panel beeped once more, the doors before you grinded open and…

“Huh…” you said, frowning. The doors had only opened but a mere inch or two.

Ignis crossed his arms. “Most likely due to the lack of the facility being in use all these years, I would have to say that the mechanisms for this structure are a little worse for wear. But nothing that a little bit of elbow grease can’t fix.” You looked at Ignis curiously now as he cracked his knuckles, and the sight of the gesture absolutely thrilled you. “Just a bit of a budge should do the trick and we shall be inside in no time.”

Ignis braced himself in front of the two doors and placed his hands on either side. You watched him closely as he grasped each side of the door with his palms, focused his energy, and then with a loud grunt he pushed at the doors with all of his might. Your eyes went wide and your mouth dropped open as you felt an indescribable energy surge through the air and witnessed him slowly pry the doors apart with his own hands. With a loud grind of metal and steal, the hinges on the door frame loosened and the doors slid open with ease.

You stood there agape as he turned back around to look at you with a grin on his face. “B-But…how?” you asked with shock, and quickly your mind went back to several months ago when he had loosened that pesky valve that had caused you so much trouble.

 _I…I don’t understand it_ …you thought to yourself. _Just how does he have that strength?_

Ignis smiled smugly as he walked over to you now and pulled you into his arms. “There is a reason we are constantly training back at the Citadel,” he murmured to you, and his words made your spine tingle. “It’s important to remain strong and fit for whatever situation arises…”

You blushed deeply, now wondering if it was _he_ who had a double meaning behind what he said, but you laughed in response, unsure of what to really say back.

 _Bullshit_ , you thought. _There’s something more to this that you aren’t telling me…_

And with Pepetouss Stronghold now wide open for the taking, you and Ignis cautiously headed into the facility, shutting the door behind you by hitting the codes on the inner panel. Both sets of your eyes scanned the area before you, and for what you saw, you could say that you were more than disappointed. Around you lay about various open shipping containers and empty crates, and from what you could tell upon first glance, there truly wasn’t anything of interest to see.

“Hmmm…not quite what I was expecting,” you said as you and Ignis continued to scan the area around you.

“But, looks can be rather deceiving,” Ignis said in response. “Look here.”

He motioned towards a particularly interesting part of the map within his hands. “If we head straight ahead towards the wall here, there is a hidden doorway within the floor. That should lead us into the interior beneath us. Not quite what we’d expect by looking at this place first glance.”

You both walked over to find the exact spot on the plans, and there upon the floor was a latch that was almost invisible to the eye.

“Well would you look at that,” you said in awe, and with his strength, Ignis pulled at the secret doorway and opened the latch, revealing a ladder that heading into the dark depths of the interior.

“Well, ladies first?” you asked, stepping ahead of him to go down, but quickly he held out his hand to stop you.

“I think I’ll take my chances and go first,” he said with a wink, and you laughed in response.

Now, with your gear secure over your shoulders and the light clips upon your attired turned on, you ascended into the unknown below you.

Once you and Ignis hit the first underground level, immediately you felt a sense of apprehension wash over you. While the uncomfortably dim emergency lights were on (they must have turned on once the control panel had been reconnected), you still could hardly make out your environment around you. Ignis took quick note of your slightly labored breathing and wrapped his arms around you.

“Are you alright?” he asked you gently, looking down at your face in the dark.

“Y-Yeah,” you said. “I’m just getting bad vibes over the fact that maybe we’re going to be a little bit in over our heads.”

Ignis chuckled as he brought his hand to your face and caressed your cheek, and then lowering his head to your face he placed a chaste kiss upon your lips. “I can assure you that with you and I working together, there is nothing that we can’t accomplish. “ You sighed deeply as you looked up at him a smiled, and soon he referred back to the plans and manuals within his hands. “According to our documentation, the control panel that houses our information should be on the third floor beneath this facility. Open my prior reading of these instructions, we do not need to establish power to each floor, as it is only necessarily that we have power connected to the main frame network. But regardless, we should tread lightly, as the structural integrity of this place seems to be rather precarious at the moment.”

“R-right,” you said in response breathlessly. “So shall we head on then?”

“Indeed,” he replied.

Unlike your venturing through the Balouve Mines which had been overwrought with rickety and rusty staircases and bridges, Pepetouss seemed to be much more intact. However, your hunter instincts once again kicked in and told you to never trust your first judgment of your surroundings. And so, as you and Ignis continued to make your way through the winding facility, you couldn’t help but feeling anxiety over the fact that nothing in particularly seemed to be odd.

Or so you thought.

“Not gonna lie,” you said to Ignis as you walked passed more and more containers that seemed to be filled with shards of metal and other odd bits and ends, “but I was really thinking we’d run into something by now. Not that I want to have a life or death experience of course.”

“I share the same sentiment,” Ignis replied as he eyes continued to dart about, “but do keep in mind that perhaps the Empire cleared this place out knowing that not doing so could raise suspicion. It has in fact not been used in at least thirty years.”

“I suppose you’re right,” you said, sighing deeply as your nerves were on high end. “I don’t know. “Still, I can’t help but feel that something is –“

And as if you spoke too soon, the piece of metal grating in which had just walked over had become unhinged from its bolts due to your weight, and you went plummeting down into the depths below.

“Y/N!!!” Ignis screamed as you fell, and as you hit the ground beneath you, you cried out in pain and your breath was forced out of your lungs due to the impact. Laying there for a second, you felt your head spin as you quickly feared that you had broken something.

“Ugghh….” You moaned, sitting up slowly. You winced in pain, but moving your joints, you quickly found out that nothing had been broken. “That was a fall…” you muttered to yourself, wincing once more as you attempted to stand up.

“Y/N! Gods, Y/N, are you alright?” Ignis yelled frantically down at you.

The panic is his voice hurt your heart, and slowly pushing yourself up onto two feet with a groan, you found that you were honestly more than ok, despite the impact from your fall.

“Y-Yeah, I’m ok!” you called up breathlessly. “Just a little shaken is all!” Looking up through the darkness you could see the gleam of Ignis’s flashlight above. “It actually was not that far of a fall at all!” Now as your vision began to adjust to the darkened room around you, you’re eyes quickly widened in terror and awe about you. “But I-Iggy! I do think you need to jump down here as fast as possible!”

“O-One moment! Ignis said, stuttering unlike his usual self. Within seconds you heard him land gracefully with a loud thud upon the metal flooring, and he rushed over to you frantically and pulled you into his arms with a tight embrace. “Oh Astrals, I’m never letting you take the lead after that. I’m so sorry, I-“

But quickly his words were cut off as he followed the direction of where you were pointing, and his eyes too expanded at what was lined up against the wall in front of you.

“Magiteks,” you said breathlessly.

Standing upright within their pods against the wall ahead of you were a small infantry of about twenty magitek soldiers. But from what you could see upon first glance, these looked like soldiers in which you had never seen in all your years of hunting.

“Are…are they…?”

“Prototypes,” Ignis said equally breathlessly. And turning to scan around the room, he breathed out heavily and sighed a sigh of a relief. “And thus it looks like you fell right to where we needed to be.”

Turning around you saw on the opposite wall a massive control panel and screen that seemed to plaster itself on the entire wall. Ignis looked down at the map in his hands to confirm that you were indeed in the right place, and slowly walking towards the panel now, you felt a groan escape your lips.

“Holy Ramuh, that’s a lot of buttons,” you said as you glanced over the plates. An exasperated laugh escaped your lips. “And you honestly think I can get this up and running again?”

Ignis walked over to you and placed his hand upon your lower back as he too looked over the machinery that was before you. “I have no doubts about it,” he said, although he too seemed a bit overwhelmed. “As long as the complexity of these instructions is no worse than that of what we encountered already, we should be able to repair this to working condition in but a moment and obtain the information we came here to get.”

“R-right,” you said, now taking the manuals from his hands and setting to work. He once more began to watch you work as you carefully read each of the instructions and moved from one side of the panel to the other. Unscrewing some bolts and adjusting a few wires here in there, it only took a few minutes until you heard the female mechanical voice speak to you over a sound system.

“LEVEL THREE POWER CONNECTIONS – STABALIZED. SYSTEM LOADED. ACCESS GRANTED.”

You stared up at the gigantic monitor that lit up and begin to display loading codes, and one by one the lights within the room blinked on.

“Holy shit,” you said to yourself, and Ignis once more grasped you in his arms.

“Did you expect anything less of yourself?” he asked, smiling down at you.

You laughed. “Honestly? Yeah. Not gonna lie. That’s some pretty complex stuff there, even for that equipment being that old. Those Nifs certainly were ahead of the times.”

“Indeed,” Ignis said, frowning now as he walked over to the control modules. “Now this is where my part comes in, as you have already done so much work. I’m familiar with how these systems function, as this appears to be the same technology that Ravus and I encountered back in Gralea. If I just place this here,” he said pausing, holding out a memory stick, “I can quickly transfer the data onto this drive. But first I have to locate it…”

As Ignis began to work his magic, you slowly walked around the room, your eyes taking in every sight around you. In all your years of experience of working for EXINERIS, nothing could have astounded you more at the complexity of the technology that was scattered about the room _. No wonder the Lucian-Accordian Allied Forces suffered from so many casualties all those years ago during the war_ , you thought, remembering from your parents’ stories of how the Niflheim empire once menaced all of Lucis. Your eyes once more fell upon the magitek prototypes, and instantly a chill ran down your spine as you gazed upon their lifeless forms standing upright within their pods. No…something just isn’t right about this…

“Ah ha!” Ignis said now, and turning back around and heading over towards him you saw more code scroll across the screen and the female voice spoke to you once more.

“PERMISSION GRANTED. TRANSERFING OF DATA HAS BEGUN. TRANSFER OF DATA 2%.”

“Way to go, Iggy!” you said, smiling at him as you watched the monitor flash code and text. “How long do you think the transfer will take?”

“Not too long,” he said, sounding very proud of himself. “I would say no more than five minutes. Despite this technology being as old as it is, it is still rather advanced for its age and so it runs very efficiently compared to modern operating systems,” He paused as he looked at you deeply. “Now, until the meantime, while we wait…”

He took a step forward, but quickly both of you stopped moving and breathing. “What…w-what was that?” you whispered, your hair now standing on end. Something had dropped upon the floor, and it fell pretty hard.

“Oh….Oh Astrals…Oh bloody hell,” Ignis muttered, and holding out his arms, a flash of crystal blue light shrouded each hand and he now held his daggers within each grasp.

_Oh shit…_

Slowly drawing your own blade, you turned around to see what Ignis was looking at and gasped in horror.

Slowly creeping towards you, screeching and twitching with glowing eyes were the magitek prototypes.

“Oh crap! You gotta be kidding me! Those are just like the ones back in Niflheim, right?” you muttered, and now you held your blade out in front of you and braced yourself. Ignis nodded to you, his face plastered with a look of blood thirsty warrior. “Indeed,” he said sharply. “Turning the power back on must have jumpstarted the energy source to their pods and has reanimated their forms. How unpleasant.”

You held your katana tightly in your grasp. “Ok, we can do this, right? This isn’t so bad!” You trembled slightly as you watched the miniature army begin to lift up their axes and blades, but channeling the inner warrior within you that hadn’t seen the light of day for a while, you spread your legs in a warrior’s stance and gripped your katana more harshly. “You got my back, Ignis?”

“Always,” he said smoothly. And it was with those words that the two of you began your furious assault upon the MTs.

While your experience with handling magitek soldiers had been limited, you still had enough knowledge of how exactly to fight the pests. Aiming your blades at their joints, you quickly began to dismember several of the MTs before they could lay their weapons upon your body. As you toppled each fiend, a wisp of miasma would exit their lifeless corpses as they screeched in death, and little by little their metallic bodies began to litter the floor before you.

“TRANSFER OF DATA 13%.”

As you looked out of the corner of your eye, Ignis on the other hand quickly and smoothly began to take out the left side of the room with ease, summoning forth a breathtaking magic element that imbued itself within his daggers and quickly laid waste to several of the troopers. Their joints frozen in place, some of them were unable to lift their blazes at Ignis, who swiftly sliced their throats and beheaded their forms.

“TRANSFER OF DATA 31%.”

Some of the MTs began to twitch uncontrollably as they rushed out of you, and as one leapt at you through the air like a Coeurl, you swiftly dodged it by rolling underneath its feet and slicing it as it landed.

“Are you alright!?” Ignis yelled, his gaze frantically looking to you as you planted yourself back on your feet.

“Perfect!” you called with a grin, now slashing into another magitek as you spoke. “And you?”

“Never better,” Ignis called back, equally smiling now.

“TRANSFER OF DATA 49%.”

The onslaught continued on and you felt yourself wearing out due to this sudden overexertion you hadn’t experienced in so long, and so as you quickly dodged an MT, you pulled out a potion from your back pocket and crushed it between your hands, instantly feeling revitalized. You quickly took a moment to watch as Ignis leapt and twirled in the air with precise motions as he laid waste to the Nifs, and you could not help but feel inspired by his drive and vigor to fight, which only drove you on more yourself.

“TRANSFER OF DATA 61%.”

You continued to fight on and never faltered when you saw a second wave of MTs appearing from behind a large storage container.

“Damn it, Iggy! We’ve got another batch!” you called as you hacked and slashed at what was in front of you.

“Got it!” He called, and leaping into the air with a high jump that absolutely astounded you, he slashed gracefully and killed two soldiers in one swipe before they even saw him coming at them.

“TRANSFER OF DATA 73%.”

As you hacked at the neck of an MT in front of you, you quickly found your waist being wrapped around by a heavy cord, immobilizing your one arm against your body.

“Huh?” you said, quickly turning your head around to see a magitek swordsman’s grappling hook of a hand now pulling you closer to it, its body twitching as it lifting its sword up to slash at you. “Like hell you do!” You yelled at it, slicing at the cord, kicking at the solider in front of you, and then swiftly slashing at the two in one motion.

“TRANSFER OF DATA 84%.”

“Y/N, watch out!” Ignis called, and whipping around your head once more, you saw a magitek assassin now charging at you full force with both blades ready. You hastily tried to free your other arm from the grappling hook that had wrapped itself around you, but the steely rope was too tight around your waist. Planting yourself firmly on two feet onto the ground, you readied yourself for the potential blow, lifted your katana and –

Smash. With a leap into the air, Ignis had driven his now summoned spear down through the spine of the assassin, and permanently laid it to rest.

“TRANSFER OF DATA 95%.”

Ignis rushed over to you, and managing to use his spear, he pried the cord from around your body, and you sighed a sigh of relief at the release of pressure from your body.

“Astrals, Y/N, are you alright?” Ignis said, dropping his spear and pulling you into his arms. Taking in his musky scent of cologne, Ebony, and battled strewn sweat, you inhaled deeply and sighed with relief.

“TRANSFER OF DATA 100%. FILES TRANSFERRED SUCCESSFULLY.”

“I’ve never been better, Ignis,” you murmured as you looked up into his face, and within seconds your lips were upon his and you were kissing him with all the passion that has been coursing through you, spurred upon by adrenaline and bloodlust. A moan escaped Ignis’s mouth as he kissed you back fervently, his hand snaking around your back and pulling you closer towards his heated form.

He loosened his lips from you as he placed a hand upon your cheek, and desperation and worry were in his eyes.

“Gods, I’m glad you’re ok. I would never doubt your abilities but I was so frightened. It was foolish of me to bring you here with the potential dangers of what would live beneath here. I’m such a fool. I’m sorry, I –“

But you cut him off as you placed your lips back on his. “Ignis, it’s alright,” you murmured, now holding him close to you. “Now why don’t we grab that data and get on out of here before-“

_Creak._

_Oh no…_

Both of your heads snapped around when much to your dismay, approaching you with squeaky and rusty limbs was the figure of a reanimated MA Vales prototype model. Lifting its turrets to fire a series of missiles at you, it readied itself to aim at its targets.

“No…this ends now!” Ignis yelled. Standing in front of you as a shield with his feet planted firmly into the steel floor, he smashed his hands together to reveal his daggers imbued with electricity, and charged at the machine that simply wouldn’t stand a chance.

Before the MA Vales could lay its targeting function upon Ignis, he has zipped around it at lightning speed, slashing it furiously with electrified daggers, and hacked at this ball bearings of the legs as it slowly began to short circuit. Then summoning his lance, Ignis reared himself forward, leapt into the air, and cried out.

“It’s over!”

Smashing down into the machine, it quickly began to short out and Ignis rolled out of the way, pulling you by the arm and quickly pulling you down to the ground to shield your body with his as the MA Vales exploded in front of you. You and Ignis covered your heads as random bits of machine debris scattered itself around the room and once the smokiness cleared, you both realized that you were finally at peace.

 _He’s….he’s simply amazing…_ you thought as Ignis lay over you, his head turning and scanning the room to make sure that nothing else was left wandering about. Then, grabbing the side of his face to look at you, you pulled his face down to yours and kissed him with love and admiration. Quickly he responded by kissing you back, and when your lips parted, you pressed your forehead to his and sighed.

“I think you could say that was a job well done, huh?”

Ignis chuckled as he kissed your forehead. “Indeed. Not too intimidating after all, was it?”

************************************

It was later that evening when the sun was setting in the sky when you and Ignis had finally arrived back in Lestallum, both of you utterly exhausted, ragged, and worn. Despite your fall upon your back that left you tender and achy, you overall felt great due to the fact that not only did you help Ignis accomplish some pretty important business that was going to end up changing lives, but you got to witness once more the breathtaking prowess of your lover’s battlefield skills.

And it was now that you stood in front of your apartment complex, more than ready for bed, you turned to Ignis with a smile upon your face.

“I bet Noctis and Ravus are going to be super stoked when they look through all of that data we collected,” you said, tucking your hair behind your ear as you looked up at him. “Just to think what you can do with all of that information now…”

“Indeed,” Ignis said, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned upon the wall of your apartment, “and once we set forth with doing our own research, we’ll be able to make a vast amount of differences in the lives of the Accordians and Lucians who have suffered from years of destruction.”

You nodded at him, but feeling too tired to speak, you now moved over to him and rested your hands and head upon his chest. “You know, despite almost dying again today, I don’t think I would have wanted to spend it any other way.”

Ignis chuckled at this, now wrapping his arms around you within a gentle embrace. “Neither do I. Although…” he paused now, resting his chin upon your head, “I think to end it properly a nice bath and some tea would suite me quite well.”

You pulled away from him slightly to look up at him, and before you could control what came out of your mouth, you brain forced you to speak the following words aloud.

“Ignis…I…I know how tired you are. How tired we both are….I don’t want to make you drive all the way back to Insomnia tonight being so exhausted. Would…would you like to just stay here tonight?”

_Gods…oh gods…did I just ask him that?_

Realizing now what you had just actually said, your heart started slamming madly in your chest and you began to tremble. _Stay the night. Here. With me. Just the two of us. Oh gods, why did I say that? I’m not ready for this. I’m-_

“I think that would be lovely,” Ignis said, now stretching his arms, and your eyes quickly glanced over how broad his chest looked when he spread his limbs. “But I do hope that doesn’t inconvenience you at all. I know that you too also must be up early to rise for work.”

“Oh n-no! It’s not an issue at all! I have blankets and spare pillows a-and some extra clothes for emergency situations in case I have guests over and-“

He silenced you with a kiss then picked up your bags, smiling cheekily at you. “Then I say let’s make ourselves at home and call it a night and relax, shall we?”

Nodding to him, you fumbled with your keys to the apartment entrance, and as you two headed inside you found yourself skipping steps as you made your way upstairs and awkwardly opened to the door to your apartment. Letting him inside, you locked the door behind you, immediately finding your heart slamming inside your chest. You turned on the lam by the couch to set a warm and comfortable ambiance, and now heading over to the hallway closet, you began to fumble around within the linens to find the spare clothes.

“H-Here you are, Ignis,” you said stammering slightly. “I’ll let you take the shower first.”

He held up his hand to take the clothes from you but shook his head, smiling. “It’s quite alright. You go first because I’m sure the hot water will do your back well. I shall make a phone call back to the Citadel while you bathe, alright?”

You stared dumbfounded at him for second. “Y-yeah, that works just fine too,” you said, smiling nervously. Quickly rushing down the hallway (you didn’t even realize how fast you had been moving), you quickly grabbed some of your better pajamas and headed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind you more harshly than you intended. Your hands planted on the door behind you, your chest was rising and falling madly and your breathing was uneven as you tried to process the logic, emotions, and hormones battling each other in your mind.

_Oh gods…oh shit….I can’t do this._

You quickly jumped into the shower, almost falling in the process as you turned on the hot water, almost too hot for your comfort. Instantly the water began to roll down your head and back, and you clutched your chest as you felt your legs trembling.

 _Ok, stop overthinking this_ , you said to yourself. _You know how much you want him. But oh gods, I don’t know if I am even ready for that yet. Would I handle it? Is he even thinking about it? Oh gods, he must be thinking about it with the way he kisses me. Oh Shiva, tell me what to do right now because I’m freaking out_! You turned the faucet up even more, the hot water now almost scalding your skin, but you didn’t even care. _Ok, Y/N, just calm down. Iggy isn’t one to force anything. Who knows what the heck he’s even thinking. Just…just calm down. Whatever happens….happens…right?_

As much as your body struggled to function for you, you had managed to finish your shower, get dressed, and pat your hair mostly dry. Looking as presentable as possible post-shower, you exited to the bathroom and walked back down through the hallway and into the living room to see Ignis standing by the window, just finishing up his phone call. “Yes Noct, I will see you first thing in the morn. Good night.” Hitting the ‘end call’ button on his phone, he turned to look at you now with a gentle smile upon his face, yet something in his eyes seemed a little bit mischievous. “Are you feeling better now?” he asked you, planting a gentle kiss upon your forehead.

Your eyelids fluttered at the contact of his lips, and swallowing hard, you smiled up at him. “Y-Yes, much better in fact.” You paused, motioning to the clothing that he had sat on the couch. “But now it’s your turn. I promise you I left you some hot water.” He chuckled at this as you grinned. “I’ll make us some tea and get some blankets while you shower, ok?”

Kissing you again on the forehead, he nodded and headed to the bathroom to attend to his own nightly routine.

You finally were able to breathe properly as you heard him shut the door behind him, and you now made your way back to the linen closet and pulled out some of your comfiest blankets. Laying them about the couch in a neat fashion, you turned the radio on to a jazz station, music that was very reminiscent of the musicians who would come to play their songs right here in Lestallum. Then heading into the kitchen, you rummaged through your cabinets and did your best not to drop the mugs that you were now holding with shaky hands.

“Ok, take a deep breath, Y/N. You’re fine. You got this. Everything’s ok. I mean, it’s not like you and Ignis are finally and officially alone together.” An exasperated laugh escaped your lips as you continued to tremble and shake, and you fumbled with the stove knobs as you set the water to boil. You braced your hands upon the counter as you inhaled deeply.

“Y/N? Are you ok?”

Shocked at how quickly he showered, you now turned around to see Ignis standing not too far behind you and you almost choked on your breath at the sight of him. He was now all freshly bathed, the t-shirt and sweatpants in which you picked out for him almost too odd (but delightful) of a sight for you to handle. He rummaged a towel through his wet hair, and you had to fight back a moan at the sight of the tussled locks, but what really had you stare in awe was something that you don’t think you had ever really witnessed before in person.

Ignis wasn’t wearing his glasses yet, and it allowed you to truly take in just how beautiful his green eyes really were.

You swallowed hard again as you smiled back at him. “Yeah, better than ever,” you said to him as your tea kettle began to whistle. “Just a bit sore, but sitting down will do me some good. What flavor tea would you like?”

“Surprise me, dear,” he said with a grin as he sat down upon the couch. Reaching into your tea collection, you recalled one of the many benefits of peppermint was the reduction of joint and muscle pain, and feeling in the mood for something on the sweeter side, you opted for that.

“Sugar, honey, or milk in your tea?” you asked him, trying to keep your voice calm.

“Just plain,” Ignis replied as he watched you move in the kitchen. Dropping some sugar cubes into your own, you now made your way unto the couch, and Ignis flipped back the blankets and placed them over your laps.

You handed him the tea, feeling yourself blushing as he took a sip. “Ahh, how did you know that peppermint was one of my favorite flavors?” he asked you with a coy grin on his face.

You laughed at this, taking a drink from your own. “A lucky guess, you could say,” you said, your grasp upon your mug so tight that you swore you were going to shatter the porcelain.

The both of you leaned back on the couch now, melting into the cushions and blankets that covered you, and you both stretched out your legs onto the coffee table as you drank your teas. Without even realizing you were doing it, you rested your head upon his arm and shut your eyes, sighing deeply. He shifted next to you, his hips almost melting into yours, and you shuddered in delight at the contact. He in response rested his cheek upon the top of your head, and his warm breath fluttered down onto your face.

You sighed deeply as heat flushed through your body, but the tenderness of his company was too much to enjoy that you relished in every moment you sat in quiet reflection with him.

Ignis chuckled next to you, and with your eyes fluttering open , you turned to look at him, a happy and sleepy expression upon his face as he gazed at you.

You raised an eyebrow at him, smiling back at you. “What’s so funny, mister?” You said playfully, now realizing just exactly how tired you were.

Ignis sat down his empty mug, and noticing yours was empty too, took it out of your hands and gentle placed it upon the coffee table. “It seems that the fatigue that I’m experiencing is much more than anticipated,” he said with a yawn, and you felt your heart explode at just how adorable this was. “I apologize that I am not more verbal at the moment. You do know how much I enjoy our conversations together.”

You giggled at this, melting into him once more. “Naw, you’re fine Iggy. I mean, when you cross off ‘kill fifty magitek soldiers’ from your to-do list, you can certainly say that we had a lot on our plates to handle today. So believe me, I’m equally exhausted as you.”

“Indeed,” he murmured, and now Ignis shifted against you so that his one arm was wrapped around you from behind, “and one can say that the gratification of success is all the more reason to feel at peace right now.” He paused his words, and looked to you seriously, and the look in his eyes made butterflies flutter through your stomach. “I….I’m glad that you were beside me today, Y/N. Your expertise in the field as well as your companionship in the undertaking was an inspiration to me. It has been a long road these last few weeks, but having you with me today shall be the fuel to get me through tomorrow’s next unknown enterprise.”

You were utterly speechless at the sweetness of his words, and you felt that no matter what words came out of your mouth, nothing could quite express the sentiment equally. “I….me too, Iggy. And I would gladly do it all again….” Fluttering your eyelashes, you smiled at him as you nuzzled your face into his neck, placing a kiss upon the curvature of his jawline.

You heard his breathing hitch, but with is usual self-restraint, he instead smiled at you and pulled your more tightly to him. He leaned over slightly to shut off the lamp on the table next to the couch, and now the two of you were shrouded in a comforting darkness. Maneuvering the two of you upon the couch so that you were laying upon your sides, Ignis pulled the blankets up around your bodies and pressed his form more closely to you to keep tight against him. Instantly you had to fight back a gentle moan at the feel of his hardness pressed to your behind, but given the chasteness of his movements and sentiments, part of you knew that he was not going to act upon the apparent desire that was raging inside of him. As you let out a sharp breath, Ignis intertwined his legs with yours and nuzzled his face in the crook of your neck, placing kisses there, and the feel of his warm breath upon your skin drove you mad and made your loins coil.

_Gods have sweet mercy upon me…_

Ignis yawned once more and the sound of it made you almost die from cuteness overload, and subconsciously, he snaked his top around your small frame and placed his large palm upon your stomach. Unlike your breathing which you had to control, Ignis’s was calm and soothing, and you couldn’t help but smile at how blissful he seemed right now. Slowly though your blood began to cool, and placing your hand upon his that was on your stomach, you took a deep breath and allowed your frame to melt into his.

_Heaven….this is what heaven feels like._

As your mind began to lose focus and you felt your eyes drift off into slumber, you quickly were pulled back to reality when Ignis placed one more kiss upon your neck, and it was what he murmured into your ear next that would have allowed you to die a happy woman.

“I shall see you in the morning,” he murmured quietly. “Rest well, my love...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this whole Pepetouss Keep is an actual thing, but in the game it's actually not labeled as anything at all (look at the Causcherry Plains and you'll see for yourself). The name came from a map which I assume was a scan from a player's guide, but they must have gotten rid of it once the actual game was released. I went back into the game last night and had the boys explore around it, and as I state in the story, there is no way to get inside of it. Who knows though that if they make an update to the game and allow us to get inside here to explore, perhaps we'll find a secret facility underneath. 
> 
> Also...how this chapter ends? Who here agrees with me that this would be the absolute best way to end an exhausting day? Talk about sexual tension! Iggy is so in love and yet he doesn't even know how to comprehend it!


	11. Hiding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I freakin' poured my heart and soul into this chapter. This took me four days to write and after cursing myself out and calling myself a terrible writer, I actually am happy with how it eventually came out. For everything that I intend to include in the rising action of the story, I was in major need of a transition chapter to get to that part, and so this is what I came up with. 
> 
> I apologize once more to all of you waiting patiently for the real intense sexy smut, but to really emphasize just how much Ignis's barriers are breaking down as well as the vulnerability that he has been hiding, I really wanted to establish this intense emotional bond that he has developed with the Reader. This is going to make "that moment" all the worthwhile and more passionate and sensual between the two.
> 
> While the next few chapters will be a little harder to write (They will be ridden with important backstory and details), at least this point in the story I know exactly where I am going with everything and how I am going to get there. 
> 
> As always, thank you so much to everyone who has been going on this journey with Ignis and the Reader, and your love and support has made me so happy and really love telling this tale for you all to enjoy.

_Tell me I will be released_

_Not sure I can deal with this_

_Up all night again this week_

_Breaking things that I should keep_

 

_I know that you're hiding_

_I know there's a part of you that I just cannot reach_

_You don't have to let me in_

_Just know that I'm still here_

_I_ _'m ready for you whenever, whenever you need_

 _Whenever you want to begin_

_-Florence and the Machine – “Hiding”_

You slowly groaned as your eyes came to an open, a sharp pain shooting through your spine and legs as you realized you were lying flat upon your back. Your eyes adjusting to the darkened room around you, you sat up achingly slowly to take in your surroundings. Cement and shattered stone and rubble lay scattered about everywhere as if the structure in which you found yourself had just collapsed in upon itself. Metal and wire twisted itself around each other as you found yourself gazing up the endless ceiling spread above you, the dim white lights of the emergency lights casting a soft but eerie glow within the room.

 _I must have fallen,_ you thought to yourself, another sharp stab of pain jolting down your spine. _Where am I?_

Slowly you brought yourself to your feet, whimpering in pain as you almost lost your balance upon the rubble in which you stood. Your head spun as you took a deep breath, now looking down upon yourself to see your clothes dirty and in tatters and your arms slightly cut with lacerations. And yet despite your pain, adrenaline immediately began to course through you as you spotted a figure lying upon the ground about twenty feet away from you.

“Ignis…Ignis!” you cried, running over to him now. Instantly you were shocked to see his face younger and scar free, his hair tossed about in his apparent fall and his clothes caked in dirt. The top buttons of his shirt had been ripped open and his breathing was labored and ragged, and quickly you knelt down to him and grasped him in your arms.

He did not speak to you but only merely reached up to touch your face with his free hand, his other clenched tightly with a fist. “Oh Ignis, are you alright? Are you ok?” You felt a tear stream down your face as you began to inspect and feel his form, finding nothing to be broken or out of place. Once more you frantically scanned your surroundings, and yet no matter hard you tried, you simply could not make any deductions at where you were. Pulling Ignis’s body gently closer to your chest, you felt yourself panicking. _Oh gods…what do I do? How do I get us out of here?_ Slowly you sat Ignis up, his expression upon his face filled with pain as you moved him “It’s ok, Ignis. I’ll get us out of here. I’ll figure out a way. I’ll…”

But before you could finish your words, from across the room you began to see a blueish glow permeate the room, and you knit your eyes together to try to concentrate on what it was. As your vision came into focus, you slowly found your eyes widening with disbelief.

_Is that…a crystal?_

“I only wish to punish the Crystal who cast me aside in favor of that insufferable fool…” lulled a daemonic voice from behind you as if reading your mind, and whipping your head around you saw once more the terrifying shrouded figure that plagued your dreams for so many nights now.

“No…you’re not hurting anyone!” You screamed back at it, ignoring its words. “Get away from here! Leave us alone!”

But the figure only advanced upon you even further as it sluggishly reached out its hand and laughed at you.

“No….no….” Ignis muttered, now stirring within your arms, and his fist clenched more tightly and you noticed his hand now trembling. His eyes opened with a rage and he gritted his teeth as he lifted his head to glare back at the beast. “….I will….pay that price!”

The figure cackled back at Ignis, now summoning a blade within his grasp and lifted it over his head to strike. “Then do take care not to hurt yourself…” He said slowly, about to bring the blade down upon the two of you.

“No…no…Iggy! IGGY!”

“Y/N? Y/N? I’m right here, dearest….”

Your eyes quickly stirred awake to find a pair of strong warm arms engulf you tightly and a lithe and toned body pressed up against your back. Your heart was slamming in your chest as you moved slightly and your eyes shifted to the darkness in the room to see Ignis looking at you with his brows knit and his eyes filled with concern.

“Oh Iggy…..Iggy….” you murmured, now slowly rotating around on the couch to face him, burying your face in his chest as he wrapped his arms around you once more. “I…I was having a bad dream,” you said, now feeling embarrassed at your admission. Nightmare was more accurate.” I’m sorry I woke you…”

Ignis chuckled softly now as he lifted your chin in his hand and placed his lips upon yours with a gentle kiss that sent your heart fluttering. “It’s quite alright dear. It’s not a worry at all. Although it saddens me that you seem to constantly have these dreams that plague your nights. I wish I could put a stop to them,” he said tenderly. Kissing your head, he sighed deeply. “The day shall be arriving soon before us anyways, and so I don’t mind being stirred from my sleep earlier than intended, if that means getting to enjoy it with you and see your face.”

You blushed in the dark, now realizing just how almost unbearably intense the body heat was that was radiating off of Ignis, and you shifted under the covers anxiously. Tucking her head under his chin, you bit your lip as you noticed how intertwined your legs were with his, and there was absolutely no escape if you tried to stand up, as if you would even want to. “Just how early is it anyways?” You asked him, your words tight within your throat.

Ignis reached over you to pick up his cellphone from the coffee table. “Exactly 5:07, my dear. Not too early, I would say,” he said playfully.

You groaned and laughed. “Ugh, you’re crazy! Not too early? When are you usually up back at the Citadel?”

Ignis stretched against you, and the feel of his body moving against yours almost made you moan out loud. “Hmm? Oh I would say around this time. But, given the success of our mission yesterday as well as the simplicity of my schedule for our King today, I suppose I….could reward myself and _indulge_ a little longer…”

You gasped as you felt yourself being pushed gently onto your back on the couch with Ignis’s frame now pressed over yours, and he immediately began to nuzzle his face within the crook of your neck. He inhaled deeply and shut his eyes once more, his lips pressed delicately to your neck. Instantaneously your heart began to slam in your chest once more as you enveloped your arms around him and shifted your legs to fit between his, and it was in this position that you could truly grasp just how incredibly solid and muscular his lean frame felt against yours. Taking one of your hands, you began to play with his hair, and you shut your eyes again in attempt to mask just how incredibly comfortable yet aroused you were feeling.

And apparently he was feeling the same, due to the protrusion of his hardness pressed firmly against your body.

_Oh gods…oh my…._

Your heart was pounding in your chest and you wondered if Ignis was able to hear it beating loudly within your breast. You did your best to level your inhalation, and after a few moments, you both were immersed in a peaceful silence once more. The feel of his warm breath upon your neck sent delightful shivers down your spine as he rested his other hand upon your collar bone, and there was absolutely nothing more wonderful than being smothered by his weighty frame as you lay in peace. But before you could doze off once more until it was time for you to actually awaken, Ignis’s voice broke the silence.

“I….I am feeling complete happiness right now,” he murmured quietly. You slowly opened your eyes to see his sleepy face with a smile across his lips, and you felt your heart burst into a million pieces at the genuineness and sweetness of his voice, and part of you wondered if he was aware he spoke his feelings out loud. Smiling and burrowing closer to him, you gently stroked your fingers through his soft sandy blond tresses of hair.

Ignis started to shift slightly over you, and the sensuality of his movements made you bite back a whine and your loins tighten. Lifting his head now, he raised himself up over you slightly with a grin upon his face, and just the way that he looked at you at this moment was enough to make you want to faint with giddiness. He brought his one free hand up to caress your face while the other was firmly planted into the couch on the other side of your head, then lowering his head back down, he brought his mouth down to kiss you gently upon the lips.

A sigh escaped your mouth as you kissed him back and you shifted yourself upward slightly to get a more sound position from underneath him. You snaked one hand around the back of his head to press his lips more closely to yours, and as you parted lips Ignis immediately moved his mouth towards your ear and breathed out, the hot air from his breath tingling your ear and sending shivers down your spine.

You quivered beneath him as he pressed his body more firmly against yours, and continuing to move his mouth, he trailed his lips from your ear to the curve of your jawline and down to the base of your throat. He was shuddering now as he allowed himself to graze his teeth over your delicate skin. You let out a sharp gasp, and the response caused his own breathing to hitch and his body to straddle you more firmly now, his hardness now more obviously felt through the fabric of his sweatpants. Pulling back to look at you, his mouth was parted slightly and his eyes were filled with a heated gaze, and beneath him you quaked at the hungry look in which he gave you.

_Oh Astrals…_

Pulling you against him once more, you felt him trembling, his face buried within your chest. His breathing was labored and you felt the tenseness of this muscles that rubbed against your delicate frame.

_Iggy, please….what are you thinking. Tell me…_

Lifting his head once more with a warmth in his eyes, he parted his lips. “Y/N…I…I….”

“RING RING RING RING RING.” The shrill sound of his cellphone ringtone filled the air and you both found yourself laughing exasperatedly, Ignis shaking his head as he once more reached over you to grab his phone from the coffee table. Pressing the ‘answer’ button on the screen, he brought the phone up to his face and talked as he lay over you.

“Gladio. Ah yes, yes. I do know. Yes. The documentation and manuals are all set for when I return. The files will be ready to go for processing.” He paused, and while you obviously were not trying to eavesdrop on the full conversation, you could still hear Gladio’s rumbling voice on the other line. Now that the sun had risen slightly, you were now able to see Ignis’s face more clearly, and whatever Gladio had said to his friend on the phone caused him to blush. “Oh Gladio, I would never dare…” Ignis said almost sinisterly. “Whatever kind of man do you take me for?” You felt yourself going red, now clearly curious over what the Shield had suggested, but Ignis talked on. “Certainly. Yes. We shall begin the training the moment I return. You and Prompto know all these procedures we discussed, correct? Ah yes, well good. I will be back in Insomnia before you know it. Until then.”

Ignis hit ‘end’ on his call, and with a sigh, a smile spread across is sleepy face. “Perhaps my indulgence shall have to wait a little bit later,” he said with a grin, and you laughed in response, not sure of whether he meant sleep or being affectionate with you.

“Sooooo…. what exactly do you guys have in plan today? Other than checking the files that we obtained yesterday?” You asked him now, and with Ignis removing himself from your frame and untangling your legs, he sat upright and helped you up into a sitting position next to him.

“Ah yes, how could I have failed to tell you,” Ignis said, reaching for his glasses on the table next to the couch and putting them on his face. “One of the other main reasons we have been so swamped at the Citadel, other than our exploits to Niflheim, is due to the fact that we have been in the process of training new Glaives as well as hiring those to assist in the functions of running the Citadel. So restoring the parliament, if you will. And given our new success with the plans we have uncovered, we will have less physical bodies working on the restoration efforts as more of the populace will be able to focus on careers and holding particular offices. So today we shall be clearing our first batch of personnel as they begin the first day on the job.”

Your eyes started to widen slowly, and Ignis smiled now as ran his fingers through his hair. “Which means everything else will be less hectic for you and….” You said, excitement coursing through you now.

“Yes. The work load will be less stressful for all, which means more time for…leisurely things.”

You blushed once more at the double meaning of his words, but excitement quickly overcame you, realizing what Ignis was implying. “So this means that you will have less responsibility with taking care of everything…and won’t have to be going away as much as you were?” You asked imploringly, hoping to not get too far ahead of your assumptions.

“Precisely. And needless to say I am more than looking forward to a little bit more normalcy and peace in my life,” Ignis said with a chuckle, and now he took your hand, his expression becoming more serious. “I…I am so sorry. I feel that have constantly failed you with false promises of seeing you more, even though I know that is not the case. But even so, each time I leave you….it breaks me to see the look in your eyes when we part. I am just praying that we shall find reprieve soon enough.”

His sudden admission surprised you and you felt your heart break a little bit. While it was something that you made apparent to never hold over his head (because gods, was it attractive that he worked his ass off so much), you always tried your absolute best to hide the disappointment of knowing that you would be parted for a bit. _But did I make this sadness too obvious?_ You thought to yourself, now feeling shameful. Smiling reassuringly at him, you squeezed his hand tightly. “Ignis…please…please understand that I understand what you have to do is important. I would never hold that against you. In fact, you have no idea how much I admire your devotion to Noctis and the kingdom. He’s….he’s lucky to have you. He really is. We….we all are…” you said, your voice trailing off you studied his face. Within his eyes there was a sense of pain and guilt that you tried best to comprehend, and as he looked to you, you reached out to touch his face, your fingers delicately trailing over the scar that placed itself over his left eye.

_Ignis…I wish I knew what did this to you…When will you ever tell me?_

But you smiled now, placing a kiss upon his lips. “No apologies, “ you said to him once more cheerfully, and with those words he seemed to finally let go of the breath of air he was holding in. “Given a little bit more time, we will all be less stressed and things will be back to the way things were meant to be. It’s all ok. I will wait forever for you if I have to...”

Ignis looked to you for a moment and smiled, your reassuring words seeming to give him strength. “You’re absolutely right. Needless to say, within the next few weeks I can assure you that our time with each other shall be more frequent and less restrained...or so I hope. I shall pay whatever price to ensure that it happens so we can see each other more.”

Pay the price.

 _Pay…the price…._ you felt yourself saying in your mind. Your attention flashed back to your dream and immediately recollected those exact same words that Ignis had said to the daemon. _Price? What price did you pay?_ Suddenly you felt your heart slamming in your chest, recalling all of your previous nightmares, and you had to withhold a sob from escaping your lips. _These dreams…oh gods, if these dreams are more than what I think they are, than what does this mean about Ignis? What…_

But before you could allow yourself to divulge deeper into your twisted thoughts, Ignis’s voice pulled you back to reality. “Now dearest, I say that unfortunately it appears as though the dawn has fully come and duty follows. Why don’t I make us both breakfast before we must part ways for the day?” His gaze upon you made your heart flutter, yet somewhere deep inside of you, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of anguish at the very thought of the moment when you two walked separate ways.

Biting your lip and nodding to Ignis, you smiled at him, excited at the prospect of working with him in the kitchen. “Y-Yeah, sure. I would really love that a lot.”

May the gods allow you to see him again soon enough.

**********************************

“Just a little bit more to the right! Yup! Yup! There ya go!”

At this point in time you were full-on embracing your supervisorial position at EXINERIS. Today, your main goal was to assist a new employee in how to properly install cables that led outward from the plant and into the streets. With the new housing developments fully established (and immediately almost all of them found residents to occupy them), you were able to work on improvements at the plant itself . Much of the technology that you had been working with had been outdated, but naturally due to the darkness, so much energy had been exerted in establishing power to the outposts and refugee sites that maintenance on the structure itself took a beating. It was time to make some enhancements to better utilize the energy put forth by the Meteor.

And now, as you watched the new girl make her way over the precarious cable walkways that loomed over the plant, you couldn’t help but feel a satisfied sigh escape your lips.

 _Training these girls will help me too, so maybe I will feel a little bit less stressed as well_ , you thought, recalling Ignis’s words to you from earlier.

“Alright, everything looks pretty good!” You called, yelling up to the new girl with a thumbs up. “We’ll take our lunch break now and then I can make my way up there myself afterwards to inspect up close and personal on how you did!”

“T-Thanks,” the young woman said shakily, still apparently not accustomed to such heights. “I’ll be down in a jiffy!”

“Take your time!” You yelled up. Smiling once more, you leaned against the railway and stretched your arms above you when you felt the buzz of your cellphone in your pocket. “Hmm?” you said to yourself, taking it out to look at it. A curious smiled spread across your lips the moment you opened the message.

**Soooooo watchin’ doin’ this weekend?**

The message in question was from Prompto, and while the two of you were no strangers to texting, you still could not help but sense a bit of mischievousness in the tone of his words.

 **I don’t know. Depends on who’s asking!** You said back playfully.

 **Oh come on! That’s really not a good answer! You gotta give me more than that!** He typed back, and you couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

**You know me, Prompto. Outside of EXINERIS and you guys, I wouldn’t say that I have too many people lined up to be making plans with me. So to give you an answer, I would have to say that I’m not doing anything at all. Why do you ask?**

There was a moment’s pause, and you waited patiently for his reply.

 **Ooooo you just made my day! Great! This is great! Woo hoo!** He said, and you chuckled once more at his enthusiasm. **So how about I come and get you first thing on Saturday, let’s sayyyyyyyy, eight?**

You raised an eyebrow and smiled, now your curiosity totally piqued.

 **You mind tellin’ me what this is about and where exactly you will be taking me?** You asked, and you were hoping that Prompto wouldn’t think that you were scolding him for being so mysterious.

**Noooope. You mad, bro? You’ll just have to see for yourself! Besides, it’s fun keeping you in the dark. Just make sure you pack your overnight stuff so you have everything you need, kay?**

You couldn’t help but smile once more, your heart now clenching in your chest. Why was it that your friends continuously decided to throw curveballs at you and do such amazing things for you? But before you could text back, Prompto had sent another message:

**Besides, if I tell you, you might want to tell someone else and that will equally ruin the surprise.**

Now you were _really_ curious.

 **And just what might I ruin?** You said back to him. **You can’t leave a girl hanging like that, you know!**

And he replied back:

**But it’s so much more fun that way! So yeah, eight on Saturday, you got that? I’ll pick you up bright and early at the usual spot!**

You couldn’t help but shake your head and smile. Prompto had never necessarily been an early bird from all that Iris and Gladio told you about him from his days of youth, so you couldn’t help but admire his spurts of enthusiasm here and how much he seemed to have grown up. But now, once more, you felt your heart clenching. After all this time of living in Lestallum, while you mainly used the cable cars to transport you to different outposts across the land, you were no stranger to using the company’s caravans and trucks to travel to your intended work destinations for that given day. But now, seeing once more that your friends were going to go out of their way to come get you and take you wherever it was that they intended to, it made you feel more frustrated with yourself that you didn’t actually have your own car.

**Prompto, I feel so bad though. Making you drive here to take me wherever we’re going? I feel like a burden…**

It took him a moment to reply:

**No no no no never! Travel is never an issue! Besides, it’s really not THAT far, and I myself don’t get to drive as much as I’d want. So this is a treat for me too. Let me have my fuuuuuuun.**

You laughed out loud as you texted back.

**Ok ok, fine! But just one hint to help give me a clue and get me through the remainder of the week until then?**

And he said back:

**It will make you happy. ;)**

And boy, would it ever.

**************

“Hey yo!!! Y/N! Heyyyy!”

As you sat and gazed out upon the glowing Meteor of the Disc of Cauthess, you turned your head around from your seated position to see Prompto skipping in your direction. Smiling broadly, you jumped up now as he rushed up into your arms and swung you around, squeezing you in the process. As he sat you down, you did your best not to stumble from getting dizzy.

“Good to see you too, Mr. Argentum!” you said breathlessly, clapping him on the shoulder playfully. “How was your ride here today?”

“Perrrfect,” he said, seeming to beam. “You ready to head on out?”

You crossed your arms and tilted your head, raising an eyebrow at him. “I mean, I’m ready as I’ll ever be, given that I have no idea where I’m going today. You mind telling me where I’m being kidnapped to?”

Prompto laughed as he picked up your stuff, and you began to follow him to his car which was a classy old-school black convertible. While nothing could ever compare to the grandeur and beauty of the stunning Regalia, Prompto had a pretty sweet ride of his own.

“Mmmm…nah. Not tellin’ ya. Not until we are at least halfway there, so you will find out in just a bit! Now why don’t we get on out of here and so you can stop wondering and find out for yourself?”

Laughing, you nodded to him, hopped into his car, and the two of you set on out.

Passing through the winding tunnels of the north entrance to Lestallum, you couldn’t help but be curious over Prompto’s mysterious demeanor, and so knowing that he was not going to offer you any more information that you tried to pry out of him, you enjoyed your ride to your mystery location in the proverbial dark. As the two of you rode, Prompto gave you updates on the current events of the week. The processing of the data obtained from Pepetouss Stronghold had been more than invaluable to the Insomnian researchers, and given the detailed scripts and coding that had been provided with the data, the creation of the new building equipment could start much sooner than anticipated.

“Iggy told me how amazing you were with how you handled everything on your mission,” Prompto said to you, sounding in utter awe. “I really wish I could have seen it. It’s been so long since you and I hunted with one another that it’d think it’d be pretty cool to get to do something like that again. You’re pretty awesome, Y/N.”

You found yourself blushing, trying not to be too arrogant over your achievement, but even still, you still felt proud of the fact that you helped Lucis take one step closer to restoring itself to its former splendor.

Apparently the training of the new Glaives had also been a success thus far, as the boys and some of the veteran Glaives personally oversaw the training of each and every soldier who would be joining the ranks to protect the future of Insomnia. “Yeah, it’s pretty badass watching a room full of newbies warp strike everywhere,” Prompto said blissfully. “You’d go nuts over it. It’s like watching something right out of a fantasy video game.”

You smiled at this and recalled the times that you got to work with some of the Glaives on your hunts while Noctis slept, and you had to admit at just how breathtaking it was to see them in action. But still, once a newbie yourself in the field of hunting, you could only imagine what the young Glavies must be feeling at the moment. “Hmmm, well, perhaps one day I will be lucky enough and get a chance to see them in action. Well, that is, as long as it’s all for fun. Not that I want to deal with a war again any time soon…”

Prompto turned slightly red and grinned, not saying anything to your comment, and you couldn’t help but feel that there was something suspicious about the way he was acting. You tried your best to ignore this has you gazed out at the rocky and rolling hills of the Rydielle Ley.

One of the even more interesting things that you had learned from Prompto was that not only he helped train the new Glaives, but he himself as well as Gladio and Ignis had interchangeably trained one another to help each other master new weapons in each other’s fields of specialty.

“Watching Gladio fight with a gun?” You said incredulously. “Now that’s something I gotta see.”

“Mmm hmm!” Prompto said, smiling cheekily now. “And I’ve even started to learn how to use swords! It’s been a challenge because I’ve always been so much clumsier than everyone else, but….I’m a work in progress! I’ll get there.” He paused as he glanced over at you with a smirk on his face. “You should see Iggy with a broadsword though. Holy crap. I thought Gladio was only strong enough to wield one of those heavy-ass weapons, but man, was I wrong. Iggy’s strength has really increased as he’s much stronger than he used to be. The big guy better watch out for Specs!”

Your eyes widened at this. “Really? Like one that Gladio uses?”

You recalled the incident back at Pepetouss and how Ignis was able to pry open the fortress’s doors like it took no effort at all. _So he wasn’t always this strong_? You thought. _What did he do to get so powerful then?_

“Yup!” Prompto said, and you hadn’t realized how quickly time had passed as you noticed you had just coursed past the Astor Slough and slowed to a park at the Astor Coernix Station. “It’s freakin’ awesome, man. There isn’t a single thing that Iggy can’t do. He’s a jack of all trades, that’s for sure.”

You felt yourself blushing now, just knowing how perfectly true that statement was, and there was something about the visual of watching Ignis slash with a massive blade in his hands while moving with his usual grace that sent heat to your loins and made you feel giddy. But swallowing hard now, you raised an eyebrow as the car was now fully parked and Prompto grabbed his camera from the back seat.

“Just a second,” he said with a grin. “It’s a tradition now that I take a picture of a Catoblepas when I drive by here. I don’t know why, but maybe it’s because it reminds me of the time I once made Noctis pose in front of one and it scared the crap out of him.”

Following Prompto out of the car now, you both walked over to the outlook at the parking spot as he snapped a couple shots of the stunning scenery before you. You smiled as you took in a deep breath and inhaled the fresh air of the beautiful day that presented itself before you. It had seemed so long ago now that you and your dearest companions had been enjoying your time here, and it was now that you turned to Prompto, unable to suppress your curiosity any longer.

“So, are you gonna maybe tell me now exactly where we are going? I’m going to burst if you keep me waiting any longer.” You said playfully as he snapped one more picture.

Prompto looked up from his camera as the two of you now headed back to the car. “Oh? Oh yeah, I suppose I could tell you…”

You raised an eyebrow as you both sat back in the car and Prompto turned on the engine. “And?” you said impatiently.

Pulling out of the station now, Prompto himself looked ready to erupt with excitement as he kept his eyes on the road. Speaking very nonchalantly, he burst out his words in an almost single syllable.

“Well….I’m taking you to Insomnia!”

“What!” You shrieked, your heart now racing. “Really? Are you kidding me? You’re not joking with me, right?” You asked incredulously as your heart now slammed excitedly within your chest.

Prompto began to giggle like a child. “Nope. No joke. We’re _all_ gonna spend the day chillin’ and ‘laxin’ and enjoying life, because we all more than earned it and things are starting to settle in back at home finally. And you haven’t been to the city in months now and we all really miss you. Like, a lot.”

Your mouth was wide agape as you found your leg bouncing with excitement. “I…I can’t believe it. Prompto, you have no idea how excited I am. I’ve…I’ve been dying to come and visit but you know how everything has been so chaotic with you all, and it just didn’t seem possible. I’m…I’m stoked…I’m speechless too…”

Prompto grinned as you continued on the trek forth but for a moment his expression became serious, and he glanced away from the road momentarily to look at you. “Have you…ever thought of maybe moving there with all of us?”

Your heart stopped dead in its tracks. “W-what?” You said breathlessly. “I…I…wow, Prompto. I never really even thought about it, to be honest…” Your voice trailed off as you instantly got lost in your own head. Truth be told, given the circumstances of everything that had happened to you in over the last ten years, the thought didn’t even seem plausible. You had spent so much time focusing on not only rebuilding your own life after everything had fallen apart as well as saving and protecting the refugees that came into the city that you had almost felt it was your obligation to remain there and continue on your work. You were so devoted to your career at the plant that you almost felt like you were absolutely needed there, but in all retrospect, what was _really_ stopping you from leaving? “I…I guess you could say I haven’t really thought about it since it feels like the only place that I have ever known for so long…”

Prompto grinned and hummed. “Well I’m just throwin’ it out there. I know the city is always looking for workers to fix everything up, especially after all the devastation it suffered. Besides, you are missed by a certain special someone more than you really realize. I’m just throwing it out there…”

You blushed deeply, not expecting Prompto to be so forward. While it was no stranger to him that you had it hard for Ignis after all this time, it really made you curious now: Just how much did Ignis really mention you to everyone else back at the Citadel?

You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear now. “Oh is that so?” you said bashfully, trying to hide your grin.

“Oh you have no idea Y/N. I’ve never seen Iggy so alive before. When he isn’t talking business, you’re all he ever seems to mention. And it’s gonna freak him out when you walk in those doors today.”

“Freak?” You asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why is he going to freak out?”

Prompto grinned mischievously now. “Because he has no idea that you’re coming to spend time with him and us today. He thinks he’s scheduled to train all weekend with the new Glaives, but Noctis lied to him about that. But within the next hour or so, we’re all free from our duties for the day, so I can’t wait to see him react when he finds out that he’s actually going to get to spend time with you unexpectedly!”

As Prompto spoke, you felt your face muscles clenching as you fought back an ugly cry. “You….you guys think of everything, don’t you?” You said, letting out a happy sob, and Prompto put a hand on your shoulder for comfort.

It was now at this point in the ride that you spotted within your view the rolling dusty plains of the Weaverwilds, and gleaming within your view was the metallic, shark-shaped overhanging of Hammerhead Station. Even though you knew you were just a short distance further drive to Insomnia, you felt yourself smiling now and wanting to equally do a favor for Prompto.

“H-Hey, Prompto, you mind pulling over at the station? I gotta get a quick drink and check to see with Cindy if all of the cables we installed are still working just fine. I’ll make it quick.”

Prompto immediately began to blush and he swallowed hard. “O-Oh yeah, t-that would be perfectly fine,” he said, stammering bashfully. As you reared around the road, he pulled into the station slowly, his hand shaking upon the wheels as he halted to a stop in front of the gas pump.

“Fill up our tank while I head into the market and get ourselves some drinks.” You said, jumping out before Prompto was able to respond. You quickly headed across the plaza and walked into the Hammerhead store. You did your best to take your time as you looked through your choices, and deciding on two Crow’s Nest brand Jettys, you paid for your drinks and peaked out of the store windows to now find yourself smiling broadly.

Outside was Cindy standing next to Prompto, a glow upon her face and her cheeks rosy as she appeared to be talking excitedly to the gunman, who seemed equally flushed but nodding furiously to what seemed like a request. Then, Cindy gave Prompto a large squeeze of a hug and a peck of a kiss on his cheek, and she sauntered back to the garage, waving happily at him. Prompto, seeming almost as if things were too good to be true, standing there with the most adoring grin on his face and his mouth hanging open.

 _Mission success…_ you said to yourself.

If you were going to find your happiness today, then so should everyone else.

*******************

Words could not convey how wonderstruck you felt as you and Prompto drove through the towering metallic structures that were the skyscrapers of Insomnia. While this obviously had not been your first visit, you were more so impressed by all the changes and progress the city had made since you attended the Royal Ball months ago.

“Yeah, it still amazes me too,” Prompto said sincerely as he noted your expression. “We still have a long ways to go with fixing a lot of the inner districts, but thanks to you, we’ll be able to get to that in no time at all.” As he said this, you took note of several crumbled structures that had yet to be cleared and removed from the city, and you felt your heart break at the sight.

 _May the gods allow this city to be what it was once more_ , you thought.

And now, looming up ahead was your destination, and you felt as though your heart was going to burst out of your chest. As the royal ball had taken place in the evening, you didn’t really get a chance to appreciate just how amazing the Citadel looked painted in front of the shining and sunny sky of Lucis, and you could not help but feel a sense of intimidation of what it would feel like to be inside the structure once more for a more causal and relaxed setting.

Prompto pulled up to the security gate, and with a nod and a thumbs up, the attendant opened the gate and let you two pass through. Your felt yourself trembling with anticipation and you rung your hands together, trying to hold in your enthusiasm. _I can’t believe I’m here. I really can’t. Iggy, I’ll be seeing you so soon that it feels like a dream…._ How would he react once he saw you?

“See? That drive isn’t so bad after all, is it? We’ve already made it!” Prompto said happily, and as snapped out of your girlish daydream you didn’t even realize that you were already inside the main frame of the Citadel as he pulled the car to a stop in the private parking garage. He grabbed your bags from the back seat as you too exited the car, and you felt your heart leap with joy at the sight of seeing that you were parked right next to the Regalia.

“We’re…we’re here,” you said almost dumbfounded.

Prompto laughed at you. “Duh! That’s what I just said, silly! Now follow me here and I’m gonna take us to the training hall. Iggy is gonna lose his shit when you walk in. I can’t wait.”

You felt yourself overwhelmed with eagerness as you followed Prompto hurriedly through the winding and vast hallways of the inner workings of the home of Noctis. It was now that you were able to truly appreciate the refinement, grace, and class of the architectural integrity of Insomnian architecture, but even still, at this moment in time there was only one thing on your mind.

_Iggy…._

You wondered just how no one managed to get lost in this massive castle, and so you kept up with Prompto’s steps as you continued to walk at a feverish pace. “Ok, we’re almost there,” Prompto said, almost skipping now. “I’m gonna walk in a head of you, but you’re gonna know when to follow, ok?” Within another minute or so, you saw an ornate doorway at the end of the hallway, and from behind you could hear the clinging and clanging of swords, spears, daggers, and shields. You grinned at the delightful sound, the warrior in you appreciating the beauty of the noise more than ever. “Just stand back right here so he doesn’t see you,” Prompto said with a toothy grin on his face. He motioned for you to stand at the side of the door where you wouldn’t be seen, and sitting your stuff down out of view, Prompto opened up the doors and walked in. You now listened carefully.

“Ah! Prompto! Back so soon from your errand I see.” The voice of Ignis said, and you tried to stifle a giggle at how aloof the tactician actually would be. “Class, take but a brief moment and we shall resume.”

You heard the slight bustle of chatter as the Glaives took their break.

“So how did everything work out?” Gladio’s voice now said, and something in the tone of his voice completely hinted at the fact that he was hiding this secret from Ignis as well.

“Preeeettttyyyy good,” Prompto said smoothly. “No complaints, that’s for sure. Noctis will definitely be happy when I tell him that Cindy has in the new rims that he’s been wanting for the Regalia.”

“Ah, well he surely has been requesting them for quite some time now. He will be most delighted when they are officially installed…”

You withheld a giggle once more. Ignis really was clueless, wasn’t he?

“Yuuuup. And you’ll never guess what else I managed to bring back as well…”

You could almost visualize Ignis’s puzzled expression upon his face, but as your rounded around the door and now moved within the training hall, you saw Ignis now slowly turn in your direction and stop dead in his tracks upon seeing you.

“Y-Y/N?” he stammered breathlessly, and unlike his usual grace and tactfulness, his lance fell from his hands and clattered upon the marble floor.

Gladio chuckled and now motioned towards the Glaives. “You guys are done for the morning. Enjoy the rest of your day until this afternoon!” And as if the Glaives were almost in on it too, they rushed out of the room with their gear in hands with grins upon their faces as they passed by you.

Now, the room hushed once more, Ignis’s breathing was labored as he rushed over to you and pulled you tightly into his arms and up against his chest. “Y/N? What are you doing here?! I-I’m surely not dreaming right now, am I?”

You giggled at his stumbling words, and it was now Gladio who spoke as he crossed his arms. “Nope, you’re not dreaming, Iggy. She’s here in the flesh.”

“Yup! We figured we’d surprise you and her equally so we went and picked her up to spend time with you and everyone else today.” Prompto said, grinning as he scratched his beard.

“B-But the Glaives! What of their training and the schedule we had set forth? I-It was my responsibility to work with them for the remainder of the day!” Ignis now looked you deeply in the eyes with his mouth slightly agape from astonishment, and you couldn’t help but want to laugh at how overly faithful he was to the jobs Noctis set forth for him each day.

“Yeah….Noct kinda cancelled that for you. Libertus is the one in charge for the remainder of the day, so you as well as the rest of us are off.” Gladio said, coming over to clap the tactician on the shoulder. “You gotta take a break everyone once in a while, and this is our way of saying relax. Now Prompto,” Gladio said, motioning to his friend, “why don’t we go tell Noct and Iris that Y/N is here so we can plan the rest of the day?”

“S-Sure!” Prompto said with a grin, and soon the two companions walked out and shut the door behind them, leaving you standing there alone with the man who missed so much.

“Oh Iggy…” you murmured, staring deeply into his eyes as he held you close.

“Y/N…”

Instantly he brought his lips crashing down upon yours and you immediately responded with equal fervor as your melted against his body. You snaked your arms around his neck as you pulled his face as humanly close as possible to yours, and with a groan and a shudder, he broke the kiss and began to nuzzle his nose against your cheek and ear.

“I…oh gods how I’ve missed you…” He murmured, and the look in his eyes was absolute proof of that.

You smiled up at him and giggled. “Rough week?” You said playfully. “It’s only been a week since I last saw you.”

He chuckled now, pulling you close to his chest, and it was at this moment that you felt yourself blushing deeply as you became aware of his appearance. His pompadour was slightly messy from his training of the young Glaives and his skin had a slight sheen of sweat over it from his exertion. He donned the classic Kingsglaive combat boots with leather pants, but the form fitting muscle shirt that he wore with the Crownsguard logo sported across the front and back allowed you to truly appreciate his impressive, toned, and lithe physique.

And in this state, you were able to fully examine the faint scarring that painted itself across his body left which left you utterly breathless.

“T’was not too terrible of a week,” Ignis said now in response as he gently stroked your back, and this made you shudder. “Not overly chaotic, but nonetheless eventful. We’ve gotten word that we might have a little bit more on our plate with our research than we originally intended, but it is nothing that we can’t handle if we have patience. I must say though, that I had thoughts of you to help me get through this all...”

You smiled now and sighed deeply against his chest. “I know the feeling, Iggy. I really do. I’m just….glad to be by your side again…”

“As am I by yours….”

The moments seemed to pass as you simply stood there within the comforting silence of each other’s embrace when Ignis pulled back from you and looked you deeply in the eyes. Despite the energy that coursed from his body to yours and the apparent excitement to see you felt within his kiss, there was something pained within his eyes, as if he had lost something forever. But before you could question this, he broke the silence. “Now my dear, from my apparent aloof understanding, it seems as though our companions have much planned for us all today. Now why don’t see what the fuss is all about?”

Laughing, you nodded to him in response. “Sounds good to me,” you replied dreamily. Reaching down, Ignis picked up his lance and you grabbed his remaining gear and slung it up over your shoulder, and holding onto his free hand tightly with yours, you exited the hall, now awaiting the adventures of the day.

*****************

Needless to say, no matter how many times you had seen him in this manner, you still could not ever get over seeing Noctis dress down so casually. As you entered the main hall with Ignis you had found him standing there alongside Gladio, Prompto and Iris, sporting a white t-shirt with dark washed jeans, sneakers, and a baseball cap. “Gotta remain incognito every once in a while,” he said with a wink as he read your expression and greeted you with a big hug. “I gotta say, Y/N, with everything Specs told me about that happened at Pepetouss, all I can say is that I’m more than grateful than what you do for all of us.”

You blushed deeply as you hugged him back. “Oh come on, don’t embarrass me,” you said playfully. “I’m just doing my job.”

“Well a kickass job you did indeed,” Gladio said with a grin.

Iris now engulfed you in her delicate arms. “I’m so happy you’re here today,” she said cheerfully. “We have so much that we want to show you today. Our favorite restaurant from years ago finally just reopened this week and we’ve all been dying to go back so see if it lives up to our expectations. It used to have the best food in all of Lucis,” but she quickly paused, seeing the downtrodden expression upon Ignis’s face, and she quickly added, “except for Iggy’s cooking of course,” she added with a wink.

You all laughed and decided to sit around while Ignis and Gladio washed up from their training session. As you waited, you, Noctis, Prompto, and Iris talked about some of the major projects that he had intended to work on within the next few weeks once the construction machines were once developed and created. As you chatted, you were surprised when the fiancé of Gladio made her way into the hall, and immediately you could not be overwhelmed at just how drop dead gorgeous the woman truly was.

 _Damn, Gladio is a lucky man_ , you thought to yourself, realizing how you felt really insignificant and average around her.

She greeted you with a hug and said how she would be joining you all for lunch, but in lieu of not wanting to interrupt the once more reunion of comrades, she said that she would be spending the majority of the day doing major planning for the wedding that was to occur in only just a few months.

“So much to do, so little time,” she said blissfully. “Flowers, décor, how many guests….I suppose that’s what I get for not making Gladio do any of the work,” she added with a wink.

When the remaining of the entourage joined you once more (Ignis looked dashing as ever in a white button down shirt with a blazer and jeans, and you had to prevent yourself from gawking at him _too_ much), you had all set out to the restaurant that everyone had hoped was still the claim to fame like it was in its former years. Thankfully, to everyone’s liking, it was better than everyone had imagined it. You definitely had to agree that the food was much to your liking as well, as you Karlabos cream coquettes were absolutely divine. As you dined on your meal, Ignis turned to you with a smile and asked, “May I try?” and spooning the food into his mouth yourself, he began to chew. His expression turned curious as he swallowed. “I do dare say I can recreate this!” he said, grinning at you widely.

After lunch, the gang decided to take you sightseeing around Insomnia, and you were more than delighted to be experiencing fully firsthand the city in which the ones you cared about so much grew up and lived through their youth. As you were escorted through several parks planted with the most luscious and fragrant flowers, trees, and shrubs, you could not help but be reminded of the beautiful Altissia. Several other locations of your visits included one of the famous art museums that held thousands of years of ancient Lucian culture, and you could not help but be more than amazed how the facility avoided destruction during the time of the fall of Insomnia. Other points of interest in your ventures included various architectural structures and statues that had recently been laden throughout the city as memorials and reminders of hope, and Prompto made sure as always to document the entire journey with his amazing photography skills.

“And this?” Noctis said, motioning towards a school in front of him. “This is where all of us went to high school wayyyy back in the day.”

Your eyes widened at this, once more not only surprised that the school was sparred any damage in the fall, but also more so at the fact of all people, the prince at the time had decided to partake in a public education.

“Didn’t it make you feel weird at all though,” you began, “that is, having everyone stare at you? You must have drawn so much attention being royalty surrounded by a bunch of everyday kids.”

Noctis chuckled as he looked to Prompto, who now blushed. “Just ask this guy here. He’ll tell you all about it. He stared at me so much that I’m pretty sure that that was the starting factor in our friendship.” Noctis went over to clap his best friend on the back, and it could not help but warm your heart at the thought that after all these years, their friendship had remained stronger than ever.

As you gazed upon the school, trying to envision the memories that these four brothers had shared, Ignis came over to take your hand and held it tightly. “T’was so long ago, that it only seems but like a mere memory,” he murmured to you. But he turned to you and smiled nonetheless. “And here is to hoping for the future of Insomnia that shall be educated and enlightened here like we were in the past.”

Ignis cleared his throat as he turned to the remainder of the group. “I do say that I look forward to prepping tonight’s dinner. I shall have to embark upon the market in order to buy the proper ingredients for our meal, if that is alright with you all.”

Gladio seemed to grin mischievously, taking Ignis’s words as a hint. “Sounds like a plan to me, Iggy,” he said, giving his companion an understanding look. He now turned to everyone else. “Let’s head back now, boys and girls. Y/N, we’ll get your stuff for you. Iggy, we’ll meet you at the man cave, ok?” He said, giving his friend a wink.

Ignis seemed to blush slightly now and nodded to Gladio. “Certainly. I shall text you when we are on our way back.”

Your friends now looking to you with smiles now, everyone seemed to bound off before you could say goodbye, and now it was just you and Ignis standing alone outside of the school’s courtyard. You shyly twiddled your thumbs together as you smiled up at him. “So, where shall we do our shopping, good sir?”

Ignis wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you in for a heavy kiss. Your eye lids fluttered shut and you melted into his body, and quite frankly you could care less at the thoughts of the pedestrians that now walked past you, staring at you two. You snaked your hands up to his chest, breathing heavily. “Hmm…that didn’t seem to answer my question,” you said with a smirk.

Ignis laughed heartily now, and hearing the happiness in his voice brought you utter delight. “Then perhaps I shall continue to give you the incorrect answers,” he said with a sinful grin upon his face, and before he could lean down to kiss you once more, you both heard the buzz of his phone in his pocket. Taking it out to look at it, he seemed to have read a message that brought a smile to his face.

You raised your eyebrow curiously. “What is it?” You asked, trying not to pry too much.

“It appears an order I had placed has been completed much sooner than I anticipated. We shall stop by this shop before we attend to our own shopping needs. Now come along, my dearest,” he said, sounding vary vague with a playfulness in his voice, and you followed excitedly after him.

Despite how much walking you were doing, you found that you could not have enjoyed your afternoon any better than you currently were right now. As you walked through the city streets (some in disrepair still, others not), you found yourself soaring in spirit as you and Ignis walked in absolute comfort of each other’s company, your hands intertwined with one other’s and his grasp warming your very soul. As you walked, Ignis pointed out to you everything that you had passed, from stores that once stood to projects that were currently in the works.

“Well here we are,” Ignis now said, stopping in his tracks. “I do have to ask you to stand out here momentarily while I go inside,” he said, and you raised your eyebrow suspiciously at him and crossed your arms.

“What? Are you making some illegal trading deal on the black market that you don’t want Noctis to know about?” You asked him playfully.

Ignis chuckled, shaking his head and planting a kiss upon your forehead. “Oh no, my dear. Although I do intend for this transaction to remain a secret to all at the moment. Have faith in me darling.” He kissed you once again as he opened the door to the ‘store,’ and out of respect for his secrecy, you tried your best to not peer into the windows of wherever he was browsing.

A few moments had passed and he immerged with a small bag in hand, and once more you raised an eyebrow and opened your mouth to speak.

“Ah ah ah,” he said almost scolding you in a delightfully playful way. “In due time you shall find out.”

You frowned but nonetheless took his hand once more as you continued on your adventure.

Another twenty minutes or so had passed as you felt yourself continuously nestling yourself against Ignis as the two of you walked, and your heart seemed to flutter as your daydreams once more ran wild. _This…this all just seems so normal_ , you thought to yourself blissfully as you spotted up ahead a bustling marketplace that reminded you so much of the one in Lestallum. _If…if only this could be every day. Gods, what I would give for this to be every day of my life…_

Ignis squeezed your hand now as the sound of vendors’ and shoppers’ chatter filled your ears, and you could not help but feel delighted in Ignis’s excitement upon his face. There was something so enduring about the way the aspiring chef eyed up the freshest of fruits and vegetables and the finest cuts of meats and sea catches as you walked past each stand.

“Hmmm….” Ignis said now, his hand upon his chin as he gazed upon a pile of Leiden peppers and a fine cut of Jabberwock sirloin. “I….I think I’ve come up with a new recipe…”

You giggled, remembering how Prompto told you that Ignis had such a knack for coming up with new culinary delights on the spot. “Oh?” You implored. “And what exactly did you devise?”

“Ah, that you shall find out in a bit,” Ignis said as motioned to the vendor which cut he wanted, and you laughed once more at his mysteriousness. You began to look around yourself and motioned to Ignis your delight at seeing the various fish sprawled about, and he too purchased some of your choice. Also on your grocery list was some Aegir root, a small sack of fine Cleigne wheat, some wild onions, a bag of saxham rice, and a small sliver of Tenebraen oak to roast the fish over. Looking to one another now, your arms full of goods, Ignis spoke to you. “I do say that we shall feast finely tonight, don’t you agree?”

And once more you continued your walk in utter bliss and happiness as you wound through the Insomnian streets. Ignis continued to share stories of his youth and his memories of the boys when they were young. You were very surprised to hear that despite Ignis seeming to take on the role of the “responsible” one within the group, there had been apparent moments where he had helped Noctis sneak out of the Citadel to practice warp striking through the city. He also shared his experience of his very first camping trip with the boys and how it ended up with him falling in a swamp, and something about the usual poised Ignis covered in mud and mucky leaves made you laugh hysterically.

But it was now in the middle of your trek through the sun setting streets that Ignis had stopped in his tracks, and you paused to turn around to see him staring at a particular statue. Turning back around to stand next to him, you looked at the statue he gazed upon in question.

You felt the muscles of your heart clench and the air around you had instantly became very heavy. Although you had never met the father of Noctis, you had seen on many occasions portraits of Regis as well as photos of the once regal king. And now, as you stared up at the looming statue before you, you could not help but feel that it was actually Regis who stood within your presence.

“He was a great man,” Ignis said quietly, almost to himself, and you looked up into his face to see his expression pained and sorrowful. “What fate befell him he did not deserve, and he had fought more than anything that Noctis would have a happy and fulfilling life, one that would be as normal as a king-to-be could ever possess.” He paused now, sighing deeply, and you carefully took his hand and gave him a gentle squeeze. “I am sure that he would be more than proud to know that his son became a greater man than he could ever imagine…”

And it was now at this moment that the weight of Ignis’s words seemed to hit you full-fledge right in your heart. You felt your shopping back slip slowly from your hand as your head now panoramically shifted to all that you saw before you. Empty lots were in one direction. Rubble in another. Luscious trees to the right. Children laughing by a fountain. A park bench empty of a soul that once sat there. A tear strolled down your face as you covered your mouth to hide your sudden despair.

“Ignis…Ignis…oh gods, I’m so sorry.”

It was Ignis who now was surprised by your words. “Why are you sorry, Y/N?” he asked softly, concern in his voice.

Your lip trembled as you looked at him. “All this time…all this time and I have never even taken a moment to spare to think of what you went through,” you said, feeling shame and sorrow in your heart and soul. “I-I know that you weren’t here the day of the invasion, but still. This? All this? This was once yours. This was your life, and it was stolen from you. And never once did I take a moment to think of the pain that it had caused you. You lost the king. You lost the comfort of your routine life. You…you almost lost your best friend. I’m…I’m so sorry…”

The muscles in Ignis’s face tensed as he bit upon his own lip, and he embraced you tightly within his arms, sighing deeply. “This was not your burden to bear. You have had your daemons to face in your life, and you should not once feel guilty for only trying to survive through what has hindered your happiness.” He paused to look down at you as he placed a warm and gentle kiss upon your head. “I had my own burdens to bear that were my responsibility and mine alone. It was my calling. And there are sacrifices that I have been willing to make to ensure that what was once lost could be brought back to life. Sacrifices for the greater good.”

_Sacrifices…_

“And so,” he said now, lifting your face by your chin to look up at him with a smile on his face, “please shed no tears at my expense. You needn’t not worry about me, I assure you.”

Yet something in the twinkle of his eyes might have said otherwise.

*************************

It was now later in the evening as the sun was about to break from the sky that you and Ignis arrived back at the Citadel, groceries in one arm and hands held together in the other. You began your walk down the sprawling hallways of the upper floors to the Citadel. You could not help but feel your curiosity be piqued at this moment as you headed to your intended destination.

“So….this ‘man cave’,” you began, giggling at Gladio’s terminology from earlier. You had thought you would never hear members of the Crownsguard talk about such a thing, but then again, were you really surprised, knowing your friends so well? “What exactly was Gladio talking about?”

“Ah yes, ‘man cave’,” Ignis began as he brushed his body up against you as you walked, and not only were you more than delighted at his touch but it also sounded so odd having him utter that expression from his lips. “After the defeat of Ardyn and once we were able to fully reclaim the Citadel for ourselves, it came much to a surprise to all of us that upon further exploration of all of the corridors that Ardyn had left most of the rooms of the Citadel untouched. Much of what Noctis had accumulated in his youth had been taken from his own personal apartment and brought back to the Citadel here, as we thought that he should be residing here once his marriage had been forged with the Lady Lunafreya, but…that had not been want had transpired.” Ignis had gone silent for a moment as he took a deep breath and spoke once more. “Needless to say, Noctis was more than surprised to find his possessions intact, and in memorium of his youth, he took one of the empty apartments of the Citadel and used it to house such belongings.” Ignis now grinned, as if a rebellious young boy was emerging from within him, “I have to say, even in my own opinions, Noctis has quite the arrangement set up in here.”

You had apparently arrived to the ‘man cave’ as Ignis let go of your hand and fumbled with the keys that were in his pocket. You now feeling excited to see what all of the fuss was about, Ignis inserted a key into the door to Noctis’s getaway, and as you entered, you could not help but find your jaw drop in utter amazement.

“Holy crap. You weren’t kidding, Iggy,” you said breathlessly.

And a ‘man cave’ it was indeed. You had walked into a sleek living room adorned with plush black sofas and armchairs and a large flat screen TV stood against the main wall. In the farther corner of this vast room was a bar stocked with various amounts of wines, spirits, and other adult beverages. Another corner contained a sleek and modern kitchen, and you could see various private rooms separating themselves from the center getaway. But what fascinated you so much were the varying amounts of old vintage road signs that seemed to be plastered on the walls, almost as if these were reminders of the journey Noctis had shared with his friends.

Everyone, who had been sprawled out on the furniture, acknowledged your arrival and immediately took the shopping bags from your hands to help unload them. As you stared around at the private apartments, Gladio came up to stand by you with a beer in hand, grinning at the equally badass place. “Yeah, in the last few weeks when we’d be out of the city, we would come across some of these discarded amongst the rubble,” Gladio explained, motioning to the road signs. “That, or the business would get new signs and they’d give these to us. They remind us a lot of the good time we all shared together.”

You began to walk around the room in complete amazement as everyone began to settle back in, and Ignis came up to stand by you more, brushing his hand against yours. “That sign, over there of course, is my favorite, “ he murmured in your ear, and as you looked over to where he was pointing, you found yourself blushing at an old EXINERIS sign that gleamed brightly on the wall under the ceiling lights.

You casted him a glance with a smirk on your face. “I wonder why…” you said, placing your hand upon his chest and fluttering your lashes at him when no one was looking.

The rest of the evening transpired joyfully and peacefully (for the most part) until the boys decided to bust out some of Noctis’s old game systems that had miraculously survived after all these years. While you had always been a fan of video games yourself, this time around you enjoyed watching everyone battle each other in games of Chocobo racing as well as a vintage, original version of King’ Knight, and you were delighted over the 16-bit pixel gameplay. Shouting, screaming, cursing, and many headlocks ensued as everyone tried to rightfully declare themselves the supreme video gamer, but as a huge surprise to you, it was Iris who overall had won the most rounds and gleefully rubbed her skills in her companions’ faces.

After a delicious dinner prepared meticulously by Ignis (tonight’s feast consisted of Crown City Roast and your personal favorite Allural Sea Bass, which was much to your surprised delight), everyone had put on their pajamas and decided to plop themselves on the floor with blankets scattered everywhere as they watched vintage cartoons of Lil’ Malbuddy. As your friends laughed hysterically at the cartoons while they ate chips and drank to their content, you had decided to join Ignis in the kitchen and help him wash dishes. As you finished scrubbing the last pesky pot, Ignis had stood behind you and placed his hands upon your hips and a kiss on the top of your head.

“Would you join me for a moment?” he said in a hushed voice, and the feel of his fingertips upon your hips sent jolts of pleasure down your spine.

Turning around to face him now, you looked up to see him with a gentle smile upon his lips but his eyes hazy and hard to read. “But of course, silly,” you said, placing a kiss upon his lips, and gazing out into the living room, you were happy to see that your friends were either dozed off or were lazily and distractedly playing games on their cellphones.

He took your hand now as he lead you to one of the private bedrooms off shooting the main living area, and you immediately felt your heart start pounding in your chest as he closed the door behind you. He now walked back over to you and engulfed you in his arms, and you felt yourself go breathless over the heat radiating off his body. Pulling back to look at you, he lifted your chin and placed a chaste kiss upon your lips, and shutting his eyes, he rested his forehead against yours in utter peace.

“I…I have something for you,” he said, almost nervously.

You looked up at him with an eyebrow raised as you tilted your head at him. “Oh you do now?” you said playfully. “And what might I ask is the occasion?”

Ignis chucked as he walked over to the dresser in this room in which his belongings had been situated and pulled out from a drawer the bag in which he had carried out from the mystery shop earlier today. As he walked back over to you, you felt yourself overwrought with curiosity as you gazed upon the small bag in his hand. “There is no occasion, my dear, other than the joy of knowing I got to spend a surprise day with you. Although I did indeed intend to give you this upon my next visit to Lestallum,” he said, now taking your hand and having you seat yourself next to him on the edge of the bed, “I figured no time would be more appropriate than this moment.”

Your heart began to race madly within your chest as he handed you the little bag, and you took it out of his hands. “What…what is it?” You asked him slowly, your words trembling slightly as you spoke.

“Ah, dearest, just find out for yourself,” he said with a wink.

And looking down at the bag in your grasp, you slowly pulled out a small little box and turned it over in your hands. Then, ever so slowly, you opened the lid to find yourself gasp in awe. Situated within a small piece of velvet was a beautiful delicate silver chain with a small skull pendant with light purple stones for its eye sockets. Taking it out of the box, you ran the silver chain through your hands and inhaled sharply at the beauty of how the stones sparkled in the dim lighting of the room. “Ignis…this…this is beautiful…” You said as you turned to look him in the eyes, and now your gaze fell upon the pendant which dangled between his own collarbones. “It’s…it’s just like yours,” you said breathlessly.

“Y-yes, my dear. Yes it is. I had Dino Ghiranze craft it for me specially. Apparently he had my order completed before I had anticipated, thus my excitement in getting to pick it up from the shop and give it to you today. It is made from the finest silver as well as a rather rare form of amethyst. As you have been expressing your fears of the dreams that have been plaguing you, I wanted to find a way to help ease your mind as you slept to help keep those daemons at bay…”

You were utterly speechless now, having never received something so beautifully precious in your whole life. “Ignis…this is so sweet. I…I absolutely love it. Thank you so much.”

He took note of the sincerity of your voice and blushed slightly, then cleared his throat.” For a while now I’ve been wanting to give you something special that would also serve as a reminder that I am always thinking of you when we are apart.”

You smiled at him sweetly now. “I will never take it off ever then,” you said, your words choking in the back of your throat. Then placing the pendant delicately in his hands, you looked him deeply in the eyes. “Will you…will do me the honors and put it on for me?”

“Certainly…” he murmured. Turning your back to face away from him now, you resituated yourself on the edge of the bed as you felt a pair of warm hands now grace your shoulders and come together to clasp the necklace together at the back of your neck. For a moment there, his hands lingered, and you felt your body start to tremble as a silence pervaded the room. You heard him inhale deeply, and before your body could respond you felt his lips place themselves at the joining of the clasps. A harsh breath escaped your lips, and the contact surprised you so much that you had inadvertently placed your hands behind you to brace yourself, only to find them now upon Ignis’s thighs. You heard his breathing hitch as once more another kiss was placed upon the back of your neck, and soon you found his lips trailing themselves over to your right shoulder and then nuzzling his nose against the soft skin.

Biting your lip harshly now, you tried your best to contain the moans that dared to escape from your lips as your loins coiled tightly and a heat surged from your core and to each and every nerve of your body. “Ignis…” you said breathlessly, and hearing his name in response, Ignis wrapped his arms around you from behind and pulled your tightly against him, his face nestling itself in the crook of your neck . But it was at this moment that you felt him trembling uncontrollably against you, and all heat that had pooled itself within your core at cooled. “Ignis…Ignis, are you alright?” you whispered.

For a moment he did not respond, and this alarmed you more than ever. Placing one more kiss upon your shoulder, you felt something wet daintily fall upon the bare skin of your shoulder, and it was at this moment that you felt your heart shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.

_Is he….crying?_

After a moment, Ignis inhaled deeply and sighed. “M-My apologies, my darling. Just a tad overwhelmed at the moment. I…I…I am more than grateful than ever that you are in my life. I truly am…”

Before you could respond, Ignis gently pulled you up off the edge of the bed and back onto the plush foam mattress of the bed, wrapping his arms around you securely as his body continued to quiver. Placing your hands upon his that lay upon your stomach, you nudged your body closer to his, utterly speechless over what to say. Another small tear made its way onto your shoulder, but a sigh of contentedness escaped Ignis’s lips as he grasped you more tightly.

Your heart ached so heavily within your chest, overcome with so much love, and yet deep within you, your heart ached at fearing that there was something more to Ignis’s vulnerability than you were aware of.

_Ignis…and you have no idea what you mean to me…but what is it you’re hiding? Why do I feel that you are so afraid? Please tell me. I’ll be patient. I’m here for you…_

“Iggy...” you murmured, trying to find the words to placate his emotions. “Iggy, what’s-“

“I’m fine darling,” he whispered soothingly, kissing your neck once more. “Please, do not fret over me. I’m…I’m happy. Just…please, remain by my side tonight. I shall see you once the dawn rises once more, before we must part again.”

Little did you know that it would _you_ who next time who would be parting from him.

***************************

“Son of a bitch!” You yelled as you sweated profusely in your heavy thermal suit. Your mind had been unable to focus properly on the various assignments Holly had laid out for you as of late, utter exhaust having plagued you over the course of the last week or so. While Ignis’s gift had certainly lessened the amount of night terrors that you were experiencing, when you did in fact have them, they seemed to be more vivid and tear you from your sleep more heavily than ever. It had also not helped that Ignis had given you unfortunate news that unbeknownst to him and Noctis, diplomats from the eastern continents had wanted to make arrangements to visit Insomnia to talk of trade deals as well their own interest in restoration efforts. And so, despite believing that the schedules of everyone would have soon become less chaotic and your time spent with Ignis and your companions would have arrived at a normalcy, another blip in everyone’s intentions had made its way in.

And now you felt more frustrated than ever as several of the valves within the EXINERIS plant began to unravel and burst steam one right after the other. “I swear to Ifrit that I’m not in the mood for this right now!” You screamed, very unprofessionally of yourself.

As you just managed to tighten the last valve that had been giving you more trouble than deserved, you felt the buzzing of the intercom in your earpiece and the sound of a voice now speaking to you that startled you more than ever.

“Y/N! Y/N!” said the frenetic voice of Holly.

“Yeah, what is it,” you said, still attempting to breathe within the heat of your suit. The concern in her voice worried you more than you liked, and anxiously you waited for her to spit out her words.

“I-I need to see you in my office a.s.a.p. Hurry it up the moment you’re done in there.”

You heart sank now. “W-why, is there a problem?” You said, trying not to sound too panicked.

“N-No, nothing is the matter. It’s just best if I tell you this in person.”

You heard the earpiece click to silence, and as quickly as the elevator shaft would take you upwards upstairs, you dashed out of the plant, rounded the corner, and quickly stripped off your hazmat suit. Without even knocking, you rushed into Holly’s office, panting madly with sweat dripping down your body.

“H-Holly, what on Eos is it?” you asked her, trying to catch your breath.

She looked at you, wide and bright eyed as she seemed to stabilize her own breathing. “It’s…we’ve had a request for you. And this time, it’s bigger than anything you’ve ever had to do. I’m…I’m just shocked. And surprised. You made a huge deal in order to get a request such as this.”

And now you felt yourself quavering in your boots, sweat dripping down your body and anxiety now upon you like a full-fledge assault.

“Holly, just please, tell me. Where are you sending me now?”

She could only look upon you with awe. Then taking a deep breath, she finally spoke.

“Pack your bags big this time, kiddo. You’re going to Tenebrae.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently amethyst is known for helping ward off bad dreams (if you are a believer in all that mystical stuff). Also, the Amethyst Pendant accessory in the game gives the wearer +35 strength. I thought that it would be very appropriate to have Iggy’s gift not only ward off bad dreams but give the Reader strength in coping with her worries. 
> 
> I am such a monster for making Ignis cry. How dare I do such a thing? But I suppose he is only human after all and I think he deserves love more than anyone else on the planet.
> 
> Yup, I made Prompto break the fourth wall with "It’s like watching something right out of a fantasy video game."
> 
> The outfit I have Ignis wear while he is out and about with the Reader and friends is his actual original outfit concept from Versus XIII. I think he would look absolutely sexy wearing it with his FFXV character model!
> 
> Throwback shoutout to the old Chococbo Racing video game for the PSOne!
> 
> Yes, Iggy came up with a new recipehhhh of Crown City Roast!


	12. St. Jude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as if I thought Chapter 11 was draining to write, I think this one certainly tops the cake with a Ulwatt berry on top. It is especially difficult to write about an established world where we are not given much detail on, and so I once again had to take creative license with how I thought things looked and worked in Tenebrae, since we only see so little of it in the game, Brotherhood, and Kingsglaive. I do have to warn everyone ahead of time (because I constantly feel like I'm going to be a disappointment with each chapter I put out) that this chapter is much much different than what I've focused on so far in the story. However, I am hoping that many reader's questions on the "dream" concepts will be answered, and I'm praying to the gods that what I wrote makes sense to everyone. 
> 
> One of my BIGGEST gripes about FFXV was the underdevelopment of Luna and Ravus. I am happy that Episode Ignis fleshed out more of his character, but his sister still got the shaft. Looking back and reflecting about the game, these siblings truly do have such an important role in terms of the story, and in terms of how everything plays out in my interpretation of the alternative universe provided by Verse 2, I realized that they both needed much recognition. And so, that is why there is so much focal point on them in this chapter. 
> 
> But yes, the Reader is going to find more reason to love Ignis in this chapter, as if we already don't love this man enough. This brings me to more self reflection on how truly happy I am with how this story has evolved over the last month. Of course, this is a story about two individuals who suffered greatly in life, falling in love and finding the happiness that they so truthfully deserve. But also, I found that this story has come to symbolize more than just that. This is a story about fighting for what is right, coming of age and falling into roles of our destinies and fates, as well as the importance of hope, love, brotherhood, forgiveness, friendship, and sacrifice. As much as this is a tale of the Reader and Ignis, it is equally about all the other characters who have made this game we all love so much so great. 
> 
> Soon enough, with one last final revelation of truth, the Reader and Ignis will truly succumb to the feelings that have manifested themselves within their hearts. 
> 
> Thank you everyone for your support and patience with this story, especially for those of you waiting for the explosive moment that we will see between Ignis and the Reader after that final revelation!
> 
> *This chapter is dedicated to my AO3 friend "RayearthHikaru" who has given me the inspiration for this chapter. Your feedback and been so invaluable during the whole writing process of this story!*
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_St. Jude, the patron saint of the lost causes_

_St. Jude, we were lost before she started_

_St. Jude, we lay in bed as she whipped around us_

_St. Jude, maybe I've always been more comfortable in chaos_

 

 _A_ _nd I was on the island and you were there too_

_But somehow through the storm I couldn't get to you_

_St. Jude; somehow she knew_

_And she came to give her blessing while causing devastation_

_And I couldn't keep my mouth shut, I just had to mention_

_Grabbing your attention_

_-Florence and the Machine – “St. Jude”_

  _…What?_

“T-Tenebrae?” You stammered breathlessly, the color draining from your face as you could only stare wide-eyed at your boss. “Are you serious? Tenebrae?”

Holly slowly nodded, almost not believing her own words. “Tenebrae, kiddo. The real deal.” She paused again, her brows knit upon her face as she stared at you in utter astonishment. “I’ve never doubted you in all these years, but wow…you always manage to surprise me just a bit more each time. What you did at Pepetouss? I wasn’t told specific details about what you had to do there because it wasn’t my business, but word gets around about accomplishments, Y/N. So now that I’m sitting here thinking about it, I guess I really shouldn’t be at all too surprised that the King of Tenebrae wants to see you…”

But you could only just stand and stare as your brain tried to make sense of it all.

_Tenebrae…I…I can’t believe it. But just exactly why am I needed there?_

Holly took note of your bewilderment and continued. “We did specifically get a request for some of our rarer and more refined meteorshards though. Not told why though. Normally we would just ship out our orders to be delivered, but that’s what is shocking me the most. Ravus personally requested that it was _you_ who delivers them to him.”

And now you really stood in shock. _No way…_

“So…so when do I leave? When am I heading out? How long will I be gone?” You asked frantically now, feeling your heart racing in your chest. “Hell Holly, how am I even _getting_ there?”

Holly’s tensed shoulders now relaxed a little as she sighed. “Don’t worry about that. Fortunately for you all those plans are already taken care of. Jeanne is currently in the process of prepping the package of shards for you to take with you. You just need to do your part and get yourself ready to head on out. I was told for you to prep for a couple days, just in case. The airship is going to be here tomorrow at eight to come pick you up. It’s going to meet you out slightly on the outskirts of the southern end of town past the Coernix Station. We don’t need it dropping right in town. You know what happened the last time we had an airship land here. People would probably be panicking and worrying that the Nifs had come to take the town over…”

But as Holly spoke you found your thoughts trailing away from reality and into the depths of the frightened part of your mind.

_Ignis…oh gods…I’ll be so far away from him, even farther than usual. What if something were to happen? What exactly am I going to be doing anyways?_

Holly looked deeply at your face, and something in her seemed pained and sympathetic towards you. “As of right now, you have to keep this on the low-down too, Y/N. I know that King Noctis and King Ravus are on friendly and trusting terms, but I think it would be best to keep the latter’s business private. I know that this is hard for you, but I think you can manage it, ok?”

You sighed now, nodding your head. “Of course, Holly. I…I understand. Is there anything else that I need to know for tomorrow before I head back into the plant?”

Holy shook her head at you. “I think you’re all good. You know how to prep for yourself. As for getting back to work, I’m making you take the rest of the day off. You’re not lookin’ too good right now and we can’t have you getting sick all over the King when you arrive tomorrow. Take it easy, ok? Trust me. You’re going to be fine.”

*****************************

A hushed tranquility permeated the room as you slowly opened your eyes to gaze upon your surroundings. A warm, cream-colored light saturated the room in which you found yourself within, sheer silver curtains billowing quietly in the breeze that made its way into the room as beams of sunlight spread themselves across lush carpeted floors. Your ears adjusting to the sounds outside, you could hear the unobtrusive passing of cars, the jubilation of a song bird, and the rustle of leave-ridden trees.

 _I feel so peaceful, like I’m in heaven_ …you thought to yourself. _Where am I?_

Although your mind was foggy on deciphering where exactly you lay, you came to realize that you lay naked beneath black and silver bedsheets, your body melting into the soft plush support of the mattress beneath you, and with a gentle breath leaving your lips, you soon came to quickly recognize the warm form that lay supine next to you.

“Good morning, my love…” murmured the voice of Ignis, and your eyes came into focus more as you slowly rotated your body to see him propped on one elbow, his green eyes laden with sleep but nonetheless the lively, stunning bright eyes that always managed to take your breath away. His hair was strewn about his head and a gentle smile was placed upon his lips, and as he gazed upon you, you felt the air pulled from your lungs.

“Ignis…” you breathed, feeling a slight blush creep up across the pale flesh of your face. “Where are we?”

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he slowly maneuvered himself over, your body now pressed firmly but gently upon the mattress beneath you, and you were quick to realize that Ignis too was equally naked as he shifted himself over, his legs situated like the pieces of a puzzle within yours. One elbow was propped to the side of your head, the other now delicately and lazily trailing itself over the skin of your hips.

“A private retreat, you might say,” Ignis said smiling down upon you as he placed a kiss upon your lips, “Perhaps my own little portion of paradise. One that I wish to share with you always.”

You raised an eyebrow up at him and smiled. “That’s not a very specific answer,” you said to him suspiciously, “but it’s one I’ll have to accept.”

Ignis chuckled once more as he moved against you, and a soft whimper escaped your lips at the feel of his toned chest pressing against your bare breasts.

“Why, don’t you trust me, my love?” Ignis said hurt, but more so in a playful tone.

You laughed softly now. “I will trust you forever and always. It just makes me nervous if I feel like someone is hiding something from me.”

Ignis hummed, not answering you right away as he brought his face down to nip at your collar bone, and you gasped harshly and arched your back at the sudden sensation. Your legs began to shake as his teeth grazed across the bone, and the feeling of his tongue and hot breath tickling you skin made you whimper under his weight. But Ignis paused, speaking now. “I would never hide a thing from you in the world, my darling. I am your open book...” he murmured.

_Then open up to me, and I shall open up for you…_

Ignis pulled back slightly from your body as he gazed hungrily and attentively at you beneath him, and shifting himself above you once more, he maneuvered you so that now both of your legs had been spread and he situated himself back in between you, his mouth now slowly trailing kisses from your throat, down to the peak of your breast. A sudden cry escaped your lips as you arched your back once more, and trembling, you brought your hands up to the back of his head, encouraging him on. His lips moved delicately over your nipple, once again grazing gently with his teeth and nipping with just the right amount of pressure to make you whimper beneath him.

“I-Ignis…” you groaned, wanting more than anything in the world to watch him perform his ministrations, but you tossed your head back against the pillow in utter delight and ecstasy, almost unable to breathe.

“Hmm, yes, my love?” he said with hushed words, pausing his touches for a moment as his mouth slowly made its way down to your navel.

Now finding the strength within you, you lifted yourself slightly up, finding your legs spread wider now as you made eye contact with the man, your lip trembling as you attempted to speak. “I…I’m afraid,” you said, gasping as his lips placed gentle kisses upon your stomach. He inhaled deeply and took in your scent, but now noting the seriousness of your voice, he shifted over you once more to be face to face with you, and he pressed his forehead against yours.

“What are you afraid of, my love?” he asked gently, his body pressing against yours more definitely as you recognized now the intense moisture accumulating at the entrance to your core, and Ignis’ heated flesh ground itself against it.

Gasping, you kissed him on the lips and nose, burying your face into his neck as you tried to breath. “Tenebrae. I don’t know what to expect. I’m afraid I might do something wrong to upset Ravus. I’m scared.”

Ignis kissed you back and moved his mouth to the nape of your neck and bit down gently, causing you to cry out softly. “Don’t be scared, my darling. You have never reason to be afraid. You are the bravest woman I know.”

You quivered and quaked beneath, your body begging for release now. “Are you afraid?” you asked him, trailing your hands down the flesh of his marred but muscular back.

“Afraid?” Ignis asked huskily, almost confused. “What reason would I ever have cause to fear anything?”

But his answer sounded so odd to you as he now wrapped his arm under the curve of your back, causing you to arch slightly and shift your legs more open, and he once again placed his mouth upon your throat and bit down, sinking his teeth into your flesh and causing you to cry out with a sharp mix of pain and pleasure, and gods were you ever more drowning in delight.

“Because…because….” You attempted to say as you found yourself wrapping your legs tightly around his waist.

_Because I just know that you are, and I pray to the gods you’d tell me what caused it._

And before you could finish your words, you threw your head back and cried out as the man you loved so much slowly plunged into you, and it was at that moment when the barrier had finally been broken and you were joined as one that you found your eyes snapping open to the sound of the alarm resounding shrilly in the air of your apartment bedroom to await your journey for the day.

And yet, despite how painfully fast your heart was beating in your chest, you had felt more relaxed upon waking to the uncertainty filled day than you thought you would be prepared for.

_Gods, let’s just pray that I can be brave like you believe I am, Ignis…._

*****************************

The day was plagued with darkened clouds of grey and a silent wind swept across the landscape as you stood soundlessly outside the southern exit of Lestallum. You inhaled deeply, your hands trembling upon the handle of the case filled with meteor shards.

 _I can do this_ , you thought to yourself. _Why am I really so nervous?_

But your eyes scanned the horizon of the sky, failing to spot any incoming aircraft within the skylines, and you slowly felt yourself panic.

“I’m here early,” you said out loud to yourself, taking your phone out of your pocket. It was only ten minutes to eight and yet your earliness still made you feel as though the airship had come and gone without you, and part of you felt like you had already disappointed Ravus in whatever reason it was that he needed to see you, even before you got a chance to speak with him. _But what will I say to him? How will he receive me? I can’t ruin this for the prosperity of others._

Despite your interest in the Fleuret household that you had fostered ever since your youth, you had now in the present only ever seen Ravus in person once before, way back at the Royal Ball which now seemed to be so many months ago. Even though you failed to get an up close look at the man, you could tell how formidable and intimidating of a figure he could be, and so you tried your best to maintain your apprehension at setting a good example for yourself as well as the EXINERIS name.

And then, it had dawned upon you.

_I’m…I’m going to get to meet Ravus…Luna….I had admired her so much my whole life. Thoughts of her sacrifice helped give me my own strength. And now? Maybe…just maybe…I can tell Ravus just how much his sister inspired me to become a better fighter._

_But would that be bringing up a sore subject? What would he say? How has he coped with her death after all this time?_

“Oh Ignis, I wish I could ask you at this moment what I should do…” you murmured.

You pulled yourself from your thoughts once more to focus back on your surroundings, and you took the deepest breath that you could muster. Your eyes scanned the sky once again, and yet, you saw nothing. Absolutely nothing. Your foot was now tapping on the ground as you stood, your grip tightening and loosening upon the case you held, and as you looked around, you felt something very startling.

Quiet. Absolute quiet. A quiet that was almost too unreal.

Yes, of course you were on the outskirts of town and you were away from the early morning goers and shoppers, and yet in your time standing at the lot, you had yet to see a car pass by or even spot a herd of Anaks and their young grazing in the fields down below you. And as you looked around even more, you felt yourself gasping to see that the clouds were completely frozen still in their spots within the sky and not a single branch swayed within the nonexistent breeze.

Silence. Absolute silence.

_…what…what is going on?_

And then…

A padding of prints.

_Huh?_

The swish of something soft trotting along.

You spun around quickly to meet the sound, and yet you saw nothing.

A gentle whimper behind you.

You quickly turned back around, now overly startled, and yet nothing was there. Absolutely nothing.

_What was is that I just heard?_

“Okay…I’m going crazy now,” you said, trying to keep your cool, adrenaline coursing through your veins. “It’s just the anxiety talking. Keep it together, Y/N…” But as you went to turn back around to check the skies above you, you quickly spotted upon the pavement something most peculiar and out of place. “W-what is this?” You asked yourself questioningly as you bent over to pick up the object delicately between your fingers.

A chunk of black fur.

And as if reality came to slam its fist into your face, the breeze within the trees was stirred once more and birds within their branches soared and tweeted above you. A car drove past you and honked, the driver waving at you in a friendly sort of way, and you almost jumped out of your boots to hear the rumbling banter of a pack of Garulas that grazed outside of the outpost.

_What…what the hell just happened?_

And as if almost unexpectedly, as if almost appearing out of thin air, the grumbling and roar of an airspace engine broke the silence from above and had you trembling in your boots.

_Oh…oh Astrals….is that…._

Slowly, looming above you, descended the metallic and cold ship, its engine glowing red as its hatch sluggishly began to open before you. Planting your feet firmly into the ground in an almost warrior’s stance, you watched as the aircraft landed upon the road, the wind now kicking up around you as you felt your heart pound with anxiety within your chest.

“Gods….that looks just like a Niflheim carrier…” you said breathlessly.

Just like the ones that destroyed your home all those years ago.

But quickly your fear was subsided when, not a small infantry of magitek soldiers appeared from its hatch but a comely attendant dressed in silver and purple garb approached you slowly now, sensing your fear.

“I apologize for the scare!” He called over the sound of the engine growling. “We have been using this Niflheim craft for our transport purposes due to its sturdiness as well as fuel efficiency, so I am sorry if we have startled you! Y/N, correct?” he said. He climbed his way out of the ship, approaching you gracefully.

Blinking stupidly for a moment, you quickly found yourself bowing in apology, not already wanting to seem rude upon first impression. “Y-yes, that’s me,” you said, as best as your words allowed themselves to be uttered.

“Wonderful,” said the attendant, and there was something very sweet and enduring about his mannerisms. He approached you now, bowing slightly, then extended his hand to you. Taking it, he shook your hand, and soon enough you found your nerves calming slightly. “We apologize if we kept you waiting,” he continued. “King Ravus is most surely anticipating your arrival today. Let us board and make you at home. We shall be within Tenebrae within the next two hours.”

“R-Right,” you said, nodding with a small smile, and grabbing your luggage as well as the valuable cargo, you slowly stepped onto the craft, took a deep breath, and awaited the mystery of what would greet you in Tenebrae.

************************

The attendant was more than friendly with you as you began your travels, and as you looked about the ship, you had seen that a small set of soldiers were aboard, guarding the pilot as he maneuvered the aircraft. Their demeanors suggested no hostility, but the warrior within you still told you that you should be on guard.

 _I still can’t believe that I’m doing this_ , you said to yourself as you gazed out of the large window and down at the sights of Lucis before you. In a short time, you would be sailing over the sea and onto uncharted territories, and quite frankly your heart did not know how to handle the apprehension and excitement.

“Do not hesitate in taking a rest, miss,” said the attendant very kindly, pulling you from your thoughts. “I know that these types of travels can be most tiresome and arduous, and I know that you will have much business to attend to with Ravus when we arrive. But please do enjoy the sights as well. The sea is quite lovely to behold this time of year.”

“T-Thank you,” you said, nodding to him, and now turning your attention back out to the window, you watched as the mainland of Lucis disappeared and all you saw were the vast seas before you. Shutting your eyes, you took a deep breath, but you almost startled yourself as you felt within your hand something that you realized you still had been holding onto.

The fur…

You delicately ran it through your fingers, the soft fibers of hair almost soothing to the touch and helping set your mind at ease. _I don’t know what this is from, but it almost seems….familiar…friendly…but how?_

Before you could give your mind reason to think upon the idea anymore, you gently palmed the fur and placed it into your front pocket, feeling worried about losing it on your travels. Taking your cellphone out of your other pocket, your heart now aching, you texted Ignis your usual morning greeting.

**Good morning Iggy…I’ve got a very busy day today. Holly sent me out on some crazy business and I don’t know when I’ll be able to get a hold of you again, but I promise I will be ok. I’ll keep you updated though, alright? I miss you…**

You knew that it might also take him awhile to respond himself, being that he was meeting with some very important diplomats this week, and so, deciding not to dwell on staring at your phone while you waited for him to reply, you put your phone back into your pocket and turned back to look out at the window.

 _Tenebrae_ ….you thought to yourself. _What will you have in store for me?_

Attempting not to rile yourself up anymore, you inhaled deeply. “Perhaps it’s best I take the attendant’s advice and get some rest,” you said quietly to yourself. Taking another deep breath and leveling your breathing, you slowly felt your muscles and nerves relax as you slowly drifted off into a slumber…

***************************************************************

Warmth. Everywhere warmth.

_This feeling…_

Slowly opening your eyes, you felt the wind rustle past you, swishing the delicate white gossamer silks of your white dress. Your heart was filled with warmth as you looked out before you, fields upon fields of soft grasses with the sway of luxuriously stunning blue flowers.

Sylleblossoms…

_Am…I in Tenebrae already?_

The sun shone down upon you, the horizon before you a warm pink fading into yellows and golds, and you watched with delight as stray petals began to whirlwind around you within the breeze, and the child within you attempted to catch some. Your eyes scanned the fields before you, and you felt your heart jump as you spotted a small figure in the distance, apparently staring at you.

_What is that?_

You began to walk towards it, but as you made each step, you watched it turn around and slowly move forward, it turning its head to watch you follow. You took one more step, only to see that it once more moved farther away.

“Wait! Please don’t go! I won’t hurt you!” you cried softly. Taking faster steps now, you began to run after the mysterious visage, it running further and further away from you as you took each step. As you passed a grove of trees, you felt your body stop in its steps as you came to gaze upon a ledge before you, overlooking more fields down below. The figure was gone, but now standing in its place along the edge of the cliff was one that you surely recognized.

“Ignis…Ignis!”

Ignis slowly turned around to meet your gaze as you made your way down the hillside, and as you approached him, a warm smile was upon his face. However, once more, you couldn’t help but gasp as the sight of his eyes ablaze, and you felt your lip tremble at the sight of the now greyish silver markings that tarnished the flesh around his eye sockets. How did he not cry out in agony? Why did he act like this was so natural to him?

“Ignis, what are you doing here? Where are we?” You asked him gently as you came to stand next to him. He wore all leather of the deepest black, a stark contrast to the flimsy and fragile fabrics of your gown.

He reached for your hand and grabbed it gently, the warmth of his bare hand sending heat throughout your body as you joined him in staring out at the sunrise over the rolling hills.

“I am where you are, my darling,” he said as he smiled at you warmly, squeezing your hand and resuming to look out at the field of sylleblossoms.

Not quite understanding his answer, you couldn’t help but be distracted at the flame that blazed in the depths of his usual green eyes. “But…but Ignis…don’t you realize what’s happening to you right now? Don’t you feel pain?” You said, now turning directly towards him, and you placed your hands upon his arms to draw his attention back to you.

“Pain? What pain?” Ignis said, almost confused at your remarks. “I never feel pain when I am around you…” He now reached out his arms and pulled you into a tight embrace, and he drew your body close to his and buried your face into his chest as he placed a soothing kiss upon your head. His hands trailed down to your sides as he pulled you away slightly from you, and gazing deeply into your eyes now, he lifted your chin with his hand, smiling at you once more as he placed a deep kiss upon your lips. You inhaled deeply at the sensation, trying to catch your breath as you felt your eyelids flutter shut. “And I shall remain with you always, my love…”

 **“** Miss Y/N? Miss?”

You felt yourself wheeze as you were jerked awake, your eyes snapping open, and standing mere feet in front of you was the attendant, looking concerned at startling you.

“I am so sorry, Miss Y/N. I did not mean to surprise you,” he said, smiling warmly at you.

Your eyes now came into focus as you stifled a yawn from your mouth. “N-No, it’s ok, sir. I guess I dozed off pretty hard, didn’t I?” You paused your words, now realizing that you didn’t even know the name of the man whom was speaking with you. “What is your name?” you asked him. “I feel rude that I didn’t even think to ask you earlier.”

The attendant smiled once more at you and bowed. “My name is Ventus, miss. I appreciate you asking me this, considering I will be the one to assist you around the grounds when you are in need of it.” He too paused now as he looked out the window. “I wanted to inform you that our craft has landed, and thus we have officially arrived in Tenebrae.”

Your eyes widened at the statement. “Goodness, already? Was I asleep this whole time?”

Ventus laughed gently. “For the majority of the time. But as I said, travels to our kingdom can be quite tiresome.” He now moved to take your bag from you, but you made sure to securely hold onto the case of meteorshards. “Now, I do say that we shall depart and see you to your room. Ravus will be ready for you shortly and I know that he is indeed anticipating meeting with you.”

_Ravus…good gods…_

Nodding to Ventus, you stood up with your case in hand and followed him off of the airship. But upon making contact with earth beneath you as you departed, you felt yourself becoming breathless in awe and you had to hold onto your precious cargo tightly in order to prevent yourself from dropping it.

Before you towered rocky mountainous hills covered in lavish greens and foliage, and you almost had to do a double take to clarify with yourself that what you were indeed seeing before you were not floating island high in the sky. Lush trees as tall as the skyscrapers of Insomnia towered before you, and you could not help but admire the stone architecture of the castles and various structures that stood before you. As Insomnia had been the essence of modernity, Tenebrae was the very essence of antiquity. Scrolling and latticed bridges and silver spiraling towers stood about the land, and breathing in deeply you could smell the aroma of florae, that in particular of sylleblossoms.

Ventus seemed to take note of your awe and stood next to you. “We tend to get this reaction a lot from first time visitors,” he said happily to you. “Unlike the remainder of this continent covered in snow that was once inhabited by the Niflheim Empire, we are most fortunate to be blessed with such foliage and lively nature. Now, shall we make our way to Fenestala Manor?”

*********************************************

On your way to your room, you could not help but feel yourself dizzied by the vastness of the elaborate and intricate interiors of the Fleuret household, let alone the astounding heights in which the island of Fenestala loomed over the caverns of stone below. But as you sat waiting in your room of temporary stay, it was more so the fact that within mere moments you would be meeting the King of Tenebrae himself that had you feeling rather faint.

“I shall return for you when he is ready for your audience,” Ventus had said with a smile. “In the meanwhile, do make yourself at home.”

And make yourself at home, you did the best you could. The hospitality you were already receiving was almost too much for you to handle, the guest room on the ground level of the castle grounds feeling like an elaborate suite right out of The Leville in Altissia. You gazed out of the windows of the parlor doors that led directly to a garden, and trying to focus your anxiety on the fauna outside, you took a deep breath.

Even more so than only ever having seen Ravus in person once, all that you had truly known about the man was anything that you had learned briefly in your youth while you followed the family history of the Fleurets, but your main source of information on the King of Tenebrae and his departed sister had come from Noctis and the gang. You were never one to talk politics in the moments that you got to spend time with your friends, but in your last ten years of friendship with Gladio, Prompto, Iris, and Ignis, you had gathered enough information about Ravus that had your spine tingling, and you had felt your heart aching in sympathy over this noble man who essentially had to become a slave to the Niflheim Empire in order to save his own life and sister. Ravus had also once fostered hateful feelings towards Noctis very much unlike the camaraderie that he seemed to now share with the Lucian household, but that matter was something that you never wanted to pry too much on, knowing how much everyone was fearing for Noctis’s life as they tiresomely attempted to work together to find a way to save him from his prophecy being fulfilled. All you knew was that the relationship the two had shared had once been estranged and hostile, yet something seemed to have changed all that.

 _What exactly happened between Noctis and Ravus all those years ago_? You wondered to yourself as you watched some butterflies dance across a particularly unique-looking flower you had never seen before. Perhaps today would be the day that maybe some of your questions could be answered.

You sighed as you took your phone out of your pocket, and you felt your heart sink sadly as you realized that Ignis had yet to text you back. You knew that he was engaged in such important matters currently, but the bigger part of you could not help feel but grieved over the lack of this temporary correspondence.

_Iggy…_

“Miss Y/N?” said a voice from the doorway to your room, and you jumped as you now saw Ventus standing there, waiting for you patiently. “King Ravus is ready to see you now, if you would like to please follow me.”

_Oh Astrals, lend me your strength to make a good impression here…_

Nodding to Ventus, you followed him out of the room and into long, sprawling hallways. As you made your trek through the manner, what appeared to be several servants would bow at you as you walked past, and as a sign of respect you returned the gesture. You had also noticed several guards and soldiers who would pace the hallways with various weapons in hand, and you felt yourself shivering at the sight of them. _They…they look so much like those Imperial cyborg soldiers_ , you thought to yourself, feeling at unease now. You had your fairer share in dealing with such atrocities over the last many years when you were out on hunts, and quite frankly they were the last thing that you would want to deal with right now.

Ventus seemed to take note of your curiosity. “Our guards and soldiers are fully human,” he said as you continued your walk. “We have only merely adopted their style and technology for their armor and weaponry, as you may know that the Empire had the most advanced technology in the realm. Call it ‘being efficient’ with resources, you could say…”

Nodding to him, you now gazed at the paintings upon the walls as you passed, conjecturing that each face that you laid eyes upon to be a family member of the Fleuret household. Many of the faces seemed to share the same light hair with bright eyes, and you felt yourself saddening at knowing that many of these members have had most likely passed.

 _Lady Lunafreya…you were one of them_ …you thought to yourself.

“Miss Y/N? We are here.” Your focus snapped back to Ventus who was now standing in front of an intricately carved doorway made of silver and gold guarded by two soldiers. “King Ravus is right inside. Please do let me know if I can be of assistance to you later on.”

“T-Thank you,” you said to him breathlessly, and now, him opening the grandiose door for you, you walked inside and felt the door shut quietly behind you.

Before you lay a large sprawling hall with ornately carved pillars and walls and large stained glass windows, and you felt yourself now trembling in your shoes upon realizing how tiny you felt standing within the grand hall of Fenestala Manor. But it was now the voice that spoke to you personally that made you feel smaller and more meek than ever.

“Please, do come closer. I am most honored to meet you, Y/N.”

And there, seated before you upon a throne of silver and white, was Ravus Nox Fleuret, the mighty King of Tenebrae himself.

You approached him, and attempting your best to not quiver and stumble over your own shoes, you made your way carefully over to him, feeling like you were sweating bullets, and once you were ten feet away from him, you found yourself falling to one knee and kneeling in absolute honor and respect.

“K-King Ravus, I am so honored to meet you, I really am. T-Thank you for having me c-come to Tenebrae today. I am truly honored. I-“

“Please, there is no need to be so formal,” Ravus responded, and looking up at him now, you noticed that he was now longer sitting, him making his way over to you and holding out his hand as he approached. Looking up at him and trembling, you took his hand and he helped you to your feet, and you noticed immediately that he had a warm smile upon his face underneath the silver beard that lined his chin. You felt yourself dizzied as you looked up at him, and you realized again just how small you felt, standing before the towering man.

Ravus spoke once more. “I will say honestly that I have been much anticipating our meeting today as well as looking forward to our mission that I have set forth with us. I have heard much about your endeavors, Y/N. It seems that a certain King of Lucis and his royal advisor think much of your abilities, and so they had suggested that _you_ could be the one who would assist me today in a very important task.”

You felt yourself sway on your feet, your mouth hanging open slightly upon the words in which Ravus uttered.

“W-Wait,” you began, trying to rationalize what was just said to you. “You mean to tell me that…”

Ravus smiled at you. “Yes. It was King Noctis and Mr. Scientia that indeed gave me your name and said that you were the most trustful and knowledgeable on the subject matter that I wished to discuss with you.”

_So Noctis…he knows I’m here today. And Ignis? He knows too? They’re the ones that sent me here today? They both believe in me that much to tell Ravus about me?_

You felt your heart swell at the thought as you swallowed hard, trying to find the right words to say. _Noctis…Iggy…I can’t even begin to express how much your faith in me means to me…_ “I…I’m honored. I really am, your Majesty. I just…hope that whatever it is that you are in need of, I can aim to deliver and help you in any way I can.”

Ravus smiled once more, and there was something about the contrast of his billowing coat, armor, and his towering physique to the warmth of his demeanor that just seemed somewhat wonderfully out of place to you. “Please, Ravus is just fine. And you have no need to worry. I trust the King and his word and so I have no doubts that you will be able to succeed in all facets of our assignment for today. Now shall we walk while we debrief, and thus we can prepare ourselves for this afternoon?”

Swallowing hard once more, you nodded to him as you followed him.

You passed through various hallways in silence for the moment, once more taking note of the beautiful paintings and sculptures that littered the hallways and corridors in which you walked. The dark and dull clouds of the morning had finally broken away, now giving room for the sun to shine its bright rays through the vast windows. Stopping in front of another large door, Ravus turned the handle and motioned for you to move inside, and your eyes immediately fell upon the armor and weapons that were displayed around the room. You deduced based upon your examination of the room that this was similar to the training room back at the Citadel, and your eyes quickly fell upon a large map that was displayed upon the wall. Your eyes fell to the tiny Kingdom of Tenebrae that lay north of the vast fallen Kingdom of Niflheim, and you took note of the red markings that seemed to indicate points of interest that may have been scoured of the Niflheim menaces previously.

_Oh Ignis…are these all the places that you had gone while you were here? What did you see? What did you experience while you were here?_

Ravus seemed to take notice of your interest as he came to stand next to you, placing his arms behind his back as he took looked up upon the map that spread itself across the wall. “The Niflheim Empire was more than an unfortunate force to be reckoned with,” Ravus began, his eyes focused intently upon the map now as he spoke. “For centuries our province of Tenebrae had remained somewhat autonomous from the reign of the Aldercapt family, due to the long running line of Oracles that were birthed within the family line, and thus, my people were spared their full reign of terror. However, despite our autonomy, the people of Tenebrae lived in constant fear of potential war with Niflheim, and justly so. The Empire reached far and wide all across Lucis, taking control of whatever it wished and wreaking havoc upon the lives of innocents who did not deserve such treatment. But that is no more.” Ravus now paused as he took a step closer to look at the wall, and there was a sign of hope within his bright eyes. “Never again shall someone suffer at the hands of Niflheim...” Turning back to look at you, his expression was laden with the deepest sympathy. “I was told by Mr. Scientia himself what you had to endure in your youth, and so I know that you know more than anyone else what it is like to be relieved of that burden of fear.”

Your heart swelled at his words as you opened your mouth to speak, and yet you couldn’t just find the words. Ignis…just how much about you had he shared with Ravus on his travels here?

Ravus came back to stand next to you once more, and in the sweetest gesture that you were not expecting, he took your hand and held it up, squeezing it gently. “I am sorry. I apologize for what you had to go through, and as someone who fell pawn to the game Niflheim was playing, I can only ask for your forgiveness in knowing that Noctis as well as myself are working to ensure that no fault ever shall happen again to the innocent.”

You felt yourself utterly speechless as a tear formed at the corner of your eye, and you smiled up at Ravus sadly. Ravus took note of your expression, and not wanting to push the topic even further, he cleared his throat and turned back to the map, determination now upon his face once more.

“Slowly but surely, King Noctis and myself have been working tiredly to ensure that the Empire’s former territory as been cleared of anything precarious that remains a threat, but we are also searching tiresomely for information that we can use to our own advantage to not only restore Lucis and Accordo, but also make the lands of the Empire inhabitable once more to expand our own lands in Tenebrae. Which brings me directly to you…”

Your eyes widened now, feeling like you had no idea what part you could be playing in all of this. Your attention was drawn to Ravus though who began to pace about the room, excitement in each step.

“Words could not convey how ecstatic I was when I was informed by King Noctis and Mr. Scientia of the information that was uncovered upon your search at the Pepetouss Stronghold.   The very information that would be giving us all that much needed hope to restore the lands that were ravaged ruthlessly by the Aldercapt reign. Information that would allow us all to move forward. Not only did you and Ignis recover the blue print plans that we could use to further advance our own technology and machinery, but also, something else of peculiar interest was also found within the documents you had uncovered.”

 _Now_ he had you. “Really?” you said, astonishment in your voice. “There was more than just the original blueprints to the MTs and machines?”

“Precisely,” said Ravus, and now walking over to the map, he picked up a sword that was sheathed within its stand and pointed directly to a small marked point on the atlas, directly adjacent to the southern region of Tenebrae. “This right here? This location here has much of value to us, more than we could have ever anticipated. Within the information that had been gathered at Pepetouss, we have discovered that there is an old storage facility located deep within the woods adjoining the territory of Tenebrae and Niflheim. Located within this facility happens to be rather large surplus of a very valuable and rare material: mythril ore.”

Your eyes widened at this, and your surprise at this reveal of information had you forgetting to censor yourself. “Holy shit, are you serious? Mythril? That takes only the most skilled miners and hunters to know where to locate and dig for it! And the Nifs just had a whole stash of it sitting around?”

Ravus chuckled at your enthusiasm. “Apparently the Empire was too caught up in their own bloodlust and obsession for power that they had apparently abandoned the facility during the wars and let it go to waste. And what fools they were for doing so. Not only is mythril ore invaluable in terms of crafting weaponry, but the new blueprints we found? Many of the machines we want to attempt to rebuild require this resource in their construction. One of the most peculiar things about mythril though is that in order to use it, it needs to be refined properly…”

“Which is one of the many skills we at EXINERIS excel at,” you cut in, feeling anticipation course through you as you felt yourself bouncing on your heels.

“Which is what _your_ task will be once we are done with our mission today as well as the end of your visit in Tenebrae,” Ravus said for further clarification.

Your heart was racing now, you slowly making sense of all of this wondrous information that was being presented to you. But before you could get further lost in your own thoughts, Ravus’s voice continued once more.

“Fortunately for us, the facility was not too difficult to locate. My men had searched within the forests where this facility is located and found it without not too much of a challenge, but there happens to be one setback for allowing us to get inside it to obtain what we need….”

His voice trailed off as he now looked to you, almost expecting you to deduce his dilemma on your own. After a few moments pause, you felt yourself breathe in deeply. “You can’t get inside because there is no power.”

Ravus smiled once more. “Exactly. And there happens to just be only one kind of proper energy source that can fuel up the facility to its proper working function once more…”

The meteorshards.

You took in a deep breath, smiling now that you realized what your purpose was in all of this. “So you needed someone from EXINERIS to come here and deliver you the refined shards to power up the facility. And you need someone with the knowledge of how they work to install them.”

Ravus came over and placed his hand upon your shoulder, and it was now him that seemed to be in awe. “And I could not be more than thrilled to have the experience of someone so invaluable who is going to help me today.”

You smiled back at him, still not believing all of this. But then you wondered. “I just...why me though? You could have had anyone from EXINERIS come and help you do the installation. So why me again?”

Ravus gave you an almost disapproving look, as if you should already know the answer. “If you do recall me saying but mere moments ago, the King of Insomnia himself as well as a very certain advisor believed that there was no else in the land of Lucis who would be more suited for the job. While I did in fact say that finding this facility within the forest was not a challenge based on the information that had been provided to us from Pepetouss, that does not mean that the task still does not have its dangers. We are in fact dealing with former Niflheim territory, not to mention whatever creatures befall us in the woods. So not only will your expertise in the field of energy benefit us, but also your skill within the battlefield. I was told that you were well mastered in the art of wielding katanas...”

 _That makes a lot of sense now_ , you thought to yourself, but you still could not help feeling giddy over how much Noctis and Ignis placed so much faith in you.

“Which,” Ravus began, “brings me to this…” Ravus walked over to a chest that was lined along the outer wall under the map, and watching him curiously, he opened the trunk, reached in, and pulled out something long that was wrapped in silk. Turning back around to face you, Ravus stood before you and held out the object for you. “Please, do take this. I am sure you will be most pleased when you open it.”

Your hands unsteady now, you reached out to gently take the package from his hands, and you slowly began to unwrap the object. The silk fell to the floor, and you gasped as a blade was revealed, sheathed in a fine leather scabbard. Slowly pulling the blade out, your eyes widened as an almost unhuman sound escaped your lips.

The katana in which you held in your hands shone of the brightest silvery steel and just by eyeing the blade you could tell how incredibly sharp its edge was. The metal glinted in the sunlight that scattered itself within the training room, but what shocked you even more was the beauty of its hilt. Carved intricately in the finest of metal, your fingers grazed across the pattern of skulls and sylleblossoms, and the largest skull in its design was inlaid with amethyst stones in its eyes.

“This…this…” you said hoarsely.

“A token as a sign of friendship and appreciation for your assisting me today,” Ravus began. “Our most skilled blacksmiths crafted this just for you as a sign of that gratitude, but I perhaps cannot take all of the credit for this gift. It was Mr. Scientia who requested that it be given to you and customized just for your tastes.”

A tear now streamed down your cheek, unable to believe all of this. _Ignis…Ignis…you think of everything, don’t you? What did I do to deserve such love from you_? You thought as you bit your lip to hold back from sobbing with joy and indebtedness.

“It’s beautiful,” you said breathlessly. “Ravus, thank you.”

Ravus smiled now. “Again, I am not the proper one to be thanking, but I shall certainly accept your kind words. Now why don’t we indulge in a proper lunch to fuel our bodies while we discuss our plan of attack? We can debrief more while we dine over lunch.”

Nodding to him, you sheathed the blade and placed it close to your chest. Now, despite all the fear that you had been feeling these last many hours, deep within you, you now had the strength to fight anything, knowing that Ignis was thinking of you this entire time…

*******************************

A muted stillness saturated the air as you and Ravus made your way through the lush forests towards the outer rim of the Tenebrae territory. A transport had dropped you off at a clearing not far from your current destination, but not wanting to rile up any of the local wildlife or any other menaces that lay deep within the woods, Ravus thought it was best that the two of you make your trek in your current manner. Ravus currently held a map along with the blueprints to the storage facility, yet somehow he was able to remember exactly where he was headed without its assistance. As you followed close behind him, you once more felt your nerves building up. Ravus had more than enough soldiers at his expense to accompany the two of you on this mission, and yet for some reason, he decided to embark on it solo with you.

Unable to contain this thought of yours any longer, you spoke as the two of you maneuvered your way through the thick Tenebraen forest. “Not that I would ever purposely question you, Ravus,” you said now, carefully stepping over the rocks beneath your feet, “but if we are going to encounter potential danger here today, wouldn’t it have been safer to have had some of your soldiers come along with us? There is something a little unnervingly quiet about these woods.” And truth be told, it was odd indeed. Other than the occasional cry or squawk of a bird, the forest remained oddly silent for an environment that provided itself with much means for wildlife to thrive on.

Ravus paused in his tracks and you immediately began to worry that you overstepped your boundaries with questioning him. Yet, he turned around to smile at you, and you soon felt relief at his expression. “Are you saying that you are doubting your own ability, or perhaps mine?” He asked in a playful sort of way.

“N-No, it’s just that-“ you began, but he quickly cut you off as you both continued to move once more.

“I only jest,” he said. “No, you are right. It might seem foolish of a king to set off without assistance, but given the very nature of this task and how essential it is that we pull this off without much interruption, I felt that perhaps having too many soldiers following us might draw any unwanted attention. The more silently and quickly we can do this, the better.” You both made your way forward, pushing back branches to clear your way as you scanned the thickets around you, and yet there was nothing. “Once again,” he continued, “I think that you and I are more than capable of handling this on our own. From all I’ve been told about you, I have no doubts that I can trust with every fiber of my livelihood.”

You blushed now and smiled, you heart once again warming at the thought that Ignis talked about you to someone who was of such importance. Clearing your throat, you said, “You know, I do have to say though: I think it’s really admirable what both you and Noctis do. My whole life growing up in Altissia, all I ever really heard about monarchs is how they tend to send out the grunts to do the dirty work for them. But you and Noct? I don’t know. It’s just really awesome that you both take matters into your own hands. Like you put yourself in the shoes of us common folk.”

Ravus chuckled ahead of you. “King Noctis and I surely have had our fair share of troubles in the past to be more sympathetic to the masses, and so we had both decided that given our own personal tragedies, we would not sit idly by to have others determine our own fates for us…” He paused, your curiosity more piqued now than ever. “But, that is a discussion that we will certainly share for later. It appears that we have arrived at our destination.”

And truth be told you did. Covered in thick mosses and vines that embraced there way over the façade of the structure, before you stood a rather odd-shaped dome that clearly screamed Niflheim design. Your heart began to pound within your chest as you slowly made your way into the clearing of the thicket and approached the door. Standing face to face with the entrance and running your hand over the paneling on the door, you felt a small smile spread across your face as you turned to look at Ravus. “I’m not saying that this is a quick fix, but if this is anything like what Ignis and I worked with at Pepetouss, we should be in here in no time.”

“Excellent,” Ravus said with a smile, now helping take off the backpack that had been slung over your back. Within it was the small stockpile of meteorshards that you chose to carry on your trek, wanting Ravus to be free of any extra weight in case of any attack (he of course was a much more experienced soldier than you). He now handed you the blueprints to the facility as you both began to look at it intently.

Scanning over the designs, you exhaled deeply as a sense of relief came over you. “Ok, this is good. I was right. It seems like a lot of these Nif structures use the same mechanisms, just this one needs a little bit of extra power from the shards to power it up. So…” You now rummaged through your bag as you took out your tool kit, and Ravus took the blueprints as both examined the front panel of the entrance to the dome. Taking a small knife, you hacked at some of the vines and moss that had caked itself upon the control panel, and you sighed another sigh of relief to see that nature did not do too much damage to what you needed to work with. “Ok Ravus, this might take me a moment. Do you mind keeping watch while I work? Hopefully the inside of this thing isn’t worse off than its exterior.”

Ravus smiled and nodded, almost seeming humored that it was _he_ who was being ordered around now, and with his blade drawn, he carefully began to scan the outskirts of the clearing for any disturbances in the woods.

Focusing your attention back to the paneling, you took a screwdriver and began to unscrew the front board very carefully, trying to take note of the screws that had been rusted over. With graceful fingers, you removed each tiny piece of metal and sat it within your tool kit, careful not to lose it. Gently prying the panel off now, you again sighed with relief to see that the inner workings had not been damaged at all, but you took curious note to see a shard in the power supply socket, dull and crusted over.

“Ah ha,” you said, licking your lips now as you continued to work. “This little guy didn’t seem to stand the test of time so well.”

“But surely that won’t be an issue?” Ravus asked, turned around to look at you as you worked.

“No, we’ll be good,” you said reassuringly, and sure enough, you took your screw driver, anchored it underneath the shard, and popped it out without too much trouble. “Now all I have to do is clean this panel out a little bit, put the new shard in, and we should be good to go.”

Taking out some cloths and solvents now, you delicately began to wipe around the intricate wires that miraculously remained in place after all this time. Double and triple checking to make sure that all the wires were without fault, you now took one of the meteorshards from your packet, gently placed it within the panel’s socket, and then immediately jumped with surprised at a voice that startled you.

“ACCESS PANEL – ONLINE.” Said the robotic female voice that you knew so well by now.

“Hell yes!” you said, wanting to pat yourself on the back. The meteorshard glowing luminously within the panel, Ravus now came over to you to look at what you had done.

“Incredible,” he said, almost breathlessly as he took a closer look at the inner workings of the module.

“Yup! You said cheerfully. “Now if I am correct, all I have to do is enter the access code provided in our blueprints and we should be ready to rock and roll!”

Ravus smiled once more has he opened up the manual and located the number access code. He reading the numbers off the paper for you, you carefully typed in the code into the panel.

“ACCCESS CODE – GRANTED.”

Giving Ravus a thumb’s up, you put the front paneling back onto the control panel. “Aaaaand last but not least, all we have to do is hit this button, and we should be able to get inside. Let’s just hope the doors aren’t rusted over like they were at Pepetouss…” Hitting the large green button that glowed brightly now on the entrance panel, you instantly heard the grinding of gears and metal, and slowly but surely, the metallic doors slid open, revealing a large aperture to the inside of the facility.

Ravus seemed more than speechless as he looked at the sight before him now, but turning to smile at you, you could surely sense his gratitude. “This is marvelous. I knew there was no reason to doubt your abilities. Now,” he said, looking back to the manual, “This room in which we are about to enter has one room and one floor only. We should not have to do any searching at all to obtain what we need, but that doesn’t mean that we should not tread carefully. Are you ready to head in?”

Gathering your belongings now, you nodded to him and followed him inside.

Despite being only one central room, you still could not help but feel intimated by the sprawling ceiling that loomed above. It was dark within the room, yet a few subtle beams of sunlight were able to shine down through the class ceiling that had been grown over by vegetation. Scanning your surroundings, you quickly spotted another control panel on the left side of the room, and making your way over to it, you son recognized that the workings of this computer were just like the one at Pepetouss. Scanning the modules of the panel, you spotted a series of switches, hit a few buttons, and heard the familiar voice once more.

“POWER CONNECTIONS STABALIZED. SYSTEM LOADED. ACCESS GRANTED.”

The lights quickly flickered on to reveal the vastness of the storage center, but immediately both you and Ravus became startled at what you saw around you, both of you drawing your blades in the process.

“I-Imperials…” you said breathlessly, and your mind immediately recalled the incident at Pepetouss in which you and Ignis had both been blindsided by the magitek soldiers.

“But they appear to be lifeless,” Ravus said with a grimace now as he began to inspect them. There were only about twenty of them in the room, and yet knowing that you and Ravus combined would be more than capable of taking them on if they became reanimated once more, it was still unnerving to see them standing there lifelessly with rifles in their hands.

“W-We should be careful, Ravus,” you said cautiously, knowing that you didn’t need to tell him otherwise. “Reconnecting the power at Pepetouss did something to awaken the magiteks that Ignis and I encountered. Who’s to say that the same won’t happen with these guys too?”

“But of course,” Ravus said in response, nodding as he continued to walk about the room. But you noticed his eyes widen, and as you followed the direction in which he was looking, you too immediately felt excitement course through you.

“Oh Astrals…” you said breathlessly as you followed Ravus over to what you both had been looking at it. “This…this…this is a lot of mythril…”

Piled within crates upon crates that lay towards the back of the room was the largest stash of mythril ore that you could have ever envisioned, and as you leaned to look into the crates filled to the brim with the material that anyone would pay thousands upon thousands of gil to purchase, you felt yourself shaking your head in astonishment at what you and Ravus had just uncovered. “I..I can’t believe it. And the Nifs were foolish enough to let this just sit around here all this time? Think of what they could have been using this for!”

“I completely agree with you,” Ravus said in equal astonishment. “It appears that we have uncovered more mythril than I had anticipated. Much much more. And thank the gods for that. Everything that we can do with this. How it will benefit all of our people….” He was lost for words for a moment, and reaching into the depths of his coat, he pulled out a cellphone and immediately began to type what you believed to be a message. The sight of Ravus using a phone looked more than odd to you, and you were curious as to what he was doing. Ravus took note of your staring and smiled back you. “Clearly our hands are full with this. I am sending in a message now to let my men know that we have successfully made our way into the facility. Once we secure the grounds I will send for transports to have the mythril sent back to the manor where we can begin our count of the resources. Then we can- “

“UNIDENTIFIED PERSONNEL DETECTED. INITIALIZING EMERGENCY SEQUENCE.”

_Oh gods…no, not again…_

“Shit, Ravus! We’ve got company!” You said frantically, now drawing your new katana as Ravus stood by your side.

“Ugh. Such trifles,” Ravus said, grimacing as the two of you watched each of the Imperial soldiers click and clang as their rusty limbs began to move after all these years of slumber. They began to raise their rifles, and as they did so a small smile plastered itself across Ravus’s lips. “But, nothing that we shall break a sweat over, wouldn’t you say so?”

Not sharing the same amount of confidence as him, you attempted a smile back as you and Ravus both raised your blades and charged. Thankfully due to their age, the Imperial troopers had been slower to move and only one or two managed to make a shot with their rifle as Ravus leapt into the air and began to hack at the soldiers. Attempting to dodge as many bullets as you could, you found yourself maneuvering your way closer to the infantry, quickly rolling behind various pieces of equipment scattered in the room to act as shields. “Take this, you pieces of Niflheim scum!” you screamed, and almost too slow for your advances, the riflemen were too slow for you as you jumped into the air and quickly disposed of several cyborgs in one slash of the blade, you finding yourself utterly astonished at the smoothness of the cut of your new weapon. You safeguarded yourself once more and slowly hacked at the machines one by one, and you felt yourself astonished at the swiftness and grace of Ravus’s attacks. Your mind immediately trailed to thoughts of Ignis and Ravus working together on their Niflheim excursions, and you found yourself in awe at wishing that you could have experienced such a spectacle. _These men…how amazing_ …you thought to yourself as you disposed of the last soldier standing before you. _What it must have been like to watch the two of them fight side by side…_

With a final clacking and crunching of metal, you watched as Ravus quickly dispatched the last rifleman in the room, and you felt yourself sinking to your knees, panting from exertion.

Ravus made his way over to you now, concern upon his face as he held his hand out towards you. “Are you alright, Y/N?” he asked, and it almost startled you hearing him say your name.

“Y-Yeah,” you said, taking his hand and standing up. “Again, not that I’m surprised by what just happened, but still, these Nifs always manage to scare the shit out of me, no matter how many times I fight them.”

Ravus chuckled as he made his way around the room, scanning with his eyes to ensure that no threats remained in the chamber. Taking a look the control panel now, he began to look up at the monitor and the information that scrolled its way across the screen in code. “Believe when I say that in all my years of military experience, I too still feel that same sentiment, especially after the change in my ways.” He paused to look at you, sincerity on his face. “And that is why we fight though, isn’t it? So that others don’t have to cower in that said fear.” Ravus looked back at the panel, seeming to think. “It appears though that we can also gather more information from this facility, other than our intended treasure find. Once we are back outside and fully secure the area in its entirety, I will make the call in to have my men come back here and break this room down, piece by piece for any other valuable information we can use. What’s say we head back out now, Y/N, so we can return back to the Manor to attend to our other matters for the day?”

Unsure of what Ravus meant by other ‘matters’ but knowing that you would be more than happy to get out of this place, you nodded to him, following him out and back outside, and to secure the access to the facility, you retyped in the access code.

“ACCESS CODE – SECURED.”

A series of loud beeps filled the air as you watched the panel turn from green to red, and you sighed deeply, grateful to be done with your work. “It will be easy to get back in here with these instructions,” you said as you turned to Ravus, and you both made motion to move back towards the path. “And if you do have any problems, I can of course come back out with your men, but I don’t think that-“

CRASH.        

Both you and Ravus stopped in your tracks, and a flock of birds shrieked in the distance, and looking up into the sky through the clearing, you could see them fly and scatter overhead.

Ravus stood before you now with his arm shielding you, his blade drawn once more.

CRASH.

Another flock of birds dispersed into the sky, and while you couldn’t identify the creature, you heard the cries of a herd of mammals throughout the thicket of the forest, followed by their stampede of hooves upon the forest floor.

“R-Ravus…” you stuttered, now shaking in your boots as you too drew your blade. “W-What the hell is happening…”

Ravus gritted his teeth now as another loud smash of trees was heard, and he planted his feet into the ground firmly. “I should have known…” he muttered, “how deadly silent the forest was earlier. There is only one creature in this area that causes all the other wildlife to flee in such terror, but gods have mercy on it when it comes to face me…”

“Ravus, what is it?” you said with pure panic in your voice, but before he could respond to you, out of the woods came hurling and tumbling the fearsome beast that you had always feared fighting the most in all of your hunts.

“Gods…gods…it’s a Bandersnatch.”

The creature now loomed before you at the edge of the woods, its body steaming with fiery fumes as it clacked its jaws together and opened and closed its sharpened claws at the sight of you. The razor sharp blades that bordered its mouth were covered in fresh blood and the spikes that littered its back were caked with bark and leaves. You readied your blade to strike, and yet, you couldn’t.

_Oh Astrals, why can’t I move? Why am I suddenly afraid right now!_

Ravus didn’t seem to take notice of your fear as he turned to look at you. “This shall be a quick end for this meddlesome beast,” he growled with gritted teeth. Approaching towards the creature now with confidence in his stride, Ravus readied his blade as you felt electricity surge through the air, and with a crackle, sparks of light began to ignite from his sword. Your eyes widened at the magical spectacle, and in its rage, the Bandersnatch roared, its growls and cries piercing the air as it began to charge.

And yet _you_ were frozen in place as you watched Ravus charge to the oncoming beast, each step of its massive clawed paws slamming into the earth beneath it, its jaws snapping and readying themselves to engulf the Tenebraen king.

“Ravus! Watch out!” You cried, feeling utterly helpless and ashamed now. But just as your fears were about to get the worst of you, Ravus leapt high into the air with such force and strength, his sword sparking and cracking purple lightening, and before the Bandersnatch could react to his motions, Ravus’s sword plunged down through the soft spot at the back of the beast’s neck, piercing through the spine and causing the creature to roar in agony. With a twist of the sword, Ravus pulled the blade from the beast’s neck, and with a final few stumbles, the monster collapsed harshly upon the earthy ground with a large thud, and was no more.

You stood in awe as Ravus jumped off the beast and made his way back over to you, a small confident smile upon his face. He began to wipe his blade upon the crowd, is shaft covered in a sickly green blood, and Ravus, taking note of your surprise, spoke.

“I should have known better earlier than to be more cautious with the presence of a Bandersnatch,” he said, fully wiping off his sword now and sheathing it once again. “My men have given reports of such sightings in this territory, but thankfully, much to our fortune, the despicable creatures are prone to weakness of lightening, and so disposing of it was no hassle. When my men get here, I’ll make sure that they make use of its corpse as they are quite valuable on the market today…” But Ravus paused now, noting your expression. “Are you alright, Y/N?”

You swallowed hard, finding a tear fall down the side of your cheek. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just…startled is all. I don’t know why I froze like that. I’ve fought so many Bandersntach before, but I just….froze. I don’t know why.” You sniffled now, feeling like an utter embarrassment. “Ravus, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what overcame me. I’m never like this on hunts. It’s just…gods, now I feel utterly useless…”

Ravus placed his hand upon your shoulder, concern plastered upon his face. “There is nothing to be sorry or ashamed of. Fear can get the best of us at the worst of moments.” He paused to look you in the eyes. “You are not useless. You have already done more than enough today. Your experience and knowledge has been more than as asset to us than you will ever know. Please, know that you are worth more than you give yourself credit.”

You fought back another sob as you brushed a tear from your face. “Thank you, Ravus,” you said quietly.

Nodding to you, a small smile now made its way onto his face. “I think that we have done more than enough here for today. Let us mobilize our way back to the drop off point so we can get back to Fenestalla Manor. We more than enough deserve some peace for the remainder of the day, and we have much to discuss of importance later on tonight.”

Curious now as to what Ravus wished to discuss with you, you nodded to him in response and followed him with your gear in hand back into he woods, awaiting your next mystery.

**************************

The day had passed peacefully, much to your delight. Upon arriving back at the manor, you were treated to the most deluxe and luxurious bath that you had ever experienced, one with the creamiest of soaps and lotions, and the herbs and floral petals that swirled around the bath water as you bathed had helped pull out all the soreness and tension in your aching muscles.

Upon exiting the bath (much to your dislike) and drying off, you had made your way back to your quarters to have found laid out gently upon your bed a white gossamer dress, and you felt your heart racing immediately as you lifted it up to inspect it.

_This is so beautiful. It’s…it’s just like the one in my dream last night. But…No way…_

Shaking your head and biting your lip, you felt yourself in utter disbelief and denial over such a coincidence. You then noticed a small note in an envelope left upon the bed, and opening it up and beginning to read it, you felt yourself smiling once more upon the kindness you were receiving during you stay at Tenebrae thus far.

_“Another small token of mine as well as the Queen’s appreciation for all that you have done for us. My wife believes that the finest of ladies deserve to be dressed in the refinement and comfort of Tenebraen silks._

_\- Ravus”_

Shaking your head and wiping away a small tear from your eye, you put on the dress and stood in front of the mirror, breathless in utter awe at its beauty. It was only on the rarest of occasions that you were able to dress so femininely (the last time being the Royal Ball), and so you were excited to take advantage of donning the stunning and comfortable garment that swayed smoothly and hung upon your curves in the most flattering of ways.

Not too much longer in the day, Ravus had asked you to join him for dinner within the grand hall. “I apologize that my wife is not here to dine with us,” he began, and it was only at this moment that you had realized the absence of her presence. “She herself is away partaking in her own matters in Accordo, but she should be arriving back home later this evening. She will be most delighted to see you wearing the gown she had made for you.”

Ravus had shared with you stories on the history of the manor has you were served by various servants, and in essence you had feasted upon one of the most delicious meals you had ever eaten (other than those provided by Ignis, of course), consisting of various roasted meats, smoked fishes, and sautéed vegetables. But the food that brought you the most utter delight was a finely made pastry with a flakey crust and filled with Ulwaat berries (which you had never eaten in your entire life), and you were immediately curious as to whether or not Ignis would be able to recreate such a delectable treat.

And now later on as the sun set, both of your stomachs stuffed with just the right amount of contentment, Ravus asked you to accompany him on a walk across the grounds. You two initially began your walk in a slow and peaceful silence as you strolled through the fields of sylleblossoms, both of you inhaling deeply the rich scent as you watched pink clouds roll across the setting sky.

But breaking the silence, it was Ravus who spoke first. “Once again, I cannot thank you enough, Y/N, for all of your assistance today. I do hope that you realize the extent of what you have done for not just my people but for all of those across the continent of Eos.”

You blushed deeply, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as you smiled back at Ravus, feeling utterly speechless. “I could say that I am more than honored to have had you ask me to come here. Never in a million years would I have dreamed to have been able to visit Tenebrae.” You paused now, smiling sheepishly. “Although I feel like part of me didn’t have the option to refuse coming. Holly made it seem pretty important that it was me who came, and with Noctis and Ignis suggesting me, I would have been such an ass to decline.”

Ravus laughed at this, and the sound of his laughter startled you in a good way. As you looked at his face, his eyes weathered by struggle and suffering but nonetheless still alive, you felt your gaze now shift down to his left arm.

 _This man has his own stories to tell too_ , you thought, shivering slightly at the sight of the metal that was attached to his body. _Just what happened to him? It’s seems like we all have a past that we bear each day…_

Quickly shifting your eyes away in hopes that he didn’t catch you staring, you cleared your throat as you spoke once more. “But seriously Ravus. It’s an honor. It’s things like this that drive me. I’m…just glad that I could make a difference…” Your voice trailed off, and now with your own mind filled with various thoughts and questions that you wanted answered, you spoke bravely now. “I just… I feel that helping you with the mythril and delivering to you the meteorshards wasn’t the only reason you had me come here.”

Ravus stopped in his tracks, looking to you with a smile on his face, and you felt your heart racing , wondering what he was thinking in his mind. “You are perceptive,” Ravus said, now moving once again as you continued to make your way across the field in the setting sun. Seeming to get lost in his own thoughts as he looked up into the sky, he spoke. “Tell me, Y/N: have you ever lived your life with regrets?”

Startled by such a question, you raised your eyebrow as you looked deeply to Ravus, now completely curious by such an inquiry. Thinking for a moment and delving into your own mind, you could certainly say that there is much that you wish you could have done better in your past.

_Dad…Mom… I was the reason we were out in the streets that day, awaiting Lady Lunafreya. It was for me that they came with me. But then tragedy struck, and had I been braver that day? Had I thought more quickly so they didn’t have to put themselves at risk for me? Maybe they would be alive._

You cleared your throat as you replied. “I think that I could easily say yes, because I truly believe in my heart that we all have made mistakes in the past that we live with each day…” You paused as you looked to him with a puzzled look upon your countenance. “Why do you ask me this, Ravus?”

Ravus chuckled, brushing a lock of hair back off of his face, seeming almost embarrassed at himself now. “Perhaps I just wanted to reassure myself that I am not alone. “ He stopped moving for a second as he looked out into the horizon, then clearing his throat, he continued, but the way that he spoke almost made it seem like that he forgot that you were standing next to him. “Many years ago in my youth, I will never forget the day when my mother Queen Sylva was visited by King Regis and Noctis. The purpose of this visit was to help the young prince heal from a devastating injury that befell him, and Regis believed that it was my mother who in fact could help with the process of healing. However, much to everyone’s shock that fateful day, the Imperial army, who was seeking its own revenge against the Lucian Empire for maintaining possession of the Crystal, invaded the castle grounds in attempt to murder King Regis and his son. But the scheme did not go according to plan, and it was in fact my mother who was lost to the murder of cold blood.”

You gasped, stopping dead in your tracks, astonishment apparent upon your face. “Ravus….gods…I’m…I’m so sorry. How tragic, and to think you and Lunafreya were so young…I…I had no idea…” You were almost at a loss for words, not knowing the right words to say. But you, having been orphaned yourself, knew better than anyone else what it must have felt like for the Fleuret children. “What…what happened next?” You asked quietly.

“Something that had forever changed my life and fate,” Ravus said almost miserably, and you could see something within him shattering as he spoke his words. “Lunafreya and I were in such alarm and disbelief over what we had just witnessed. It was then that King Regis grabbed upon my sister’s hand with the young Noctis in his own arms, and he urged us all on to flee. But how could I leave my mother like that? What was I to do? I begged with Regis to help, and what did he do? He fled. He fled to safety with his son in his arms and left my sister and I to rot at the expenses of the Niflheim Empire.”

Your muscles felt tight in your throat as you listened to him speak, your head spinning with such horrid visuals of two children staring down upon their now deceased mother. But Regis…

Ravus continued. “It had been ordained by the gods themselves that Lunafreya would be the one to aid Noctis on his journey to reobtain the throne of Lucis as well as to rid of the world of the Starscourge, but I had truly believed deep within my own heart and soul that one who was destined for such greatness could not come from the bloodline of a cowardly king such as Regis. I had sought to seek revenge against the family that refused me help in mine and my sister’s time of need, and so I soon fell prey to the bloodlust coursing through me. I had assumed the position of high commander of the Niflheim Empire once Tenebrae had fallen that day, and it was my sole goal to watch the Lucian line suffer. How could it be that Noctis was destined to rid of the world of darkness? Foolishly I had believed that I was strong enough to do so, and thus I was left with this.” He lifted his left arm, and you now felt confused by what he meant. What did his arm have to do with this?

But before you could ask, he continued. “As High Commander, on more than one occasion I was requested by Emperor Aldercapt to kill my own sister, as she and her forging the covenants with the Astrals stood in the way of the Empires’ goals, but of course I repudiated. Despite my sister’s refusal upon my requests to stop the madness and danger that she was involving herself in, I soon came to realize within myself that she was set in stone on helping the boy fulfill his destiny. I had begged and pleaded with her that she needed to stop throwing her life away for a prince that I felt was unworthy of her love and affections, but she had believed more than anything that it was he who was truly the Chosen King and that I should know more than anyone else what it was like to not be able to fulfill this destiny. But how could I stand by and watch my sister slowly die, as each pact that she made with the Astrals only left her weaker and closer to brink of death? What was I to do?”

You felt yourself quivering now as you listened to Ravus tell his tale, and the information was almost too much to handle. Unable to speak, you looked to him again as you waited for him to continue.

“And so it was at Altissia that I was instructed to slay the Hydrean at the Empire’s expense, but I wanted to do so for my own personal reasons in saving my sister the agony and suffering. I met with my sister who was weakened from the covenants and she had begged of me one last request to deliver the Ring of the Lucii to Prince Noctis, but I refused her, telling her that it was her calling and duty to do so. And so, I had decided of my own plan to allow her to fulfill this. I had decided that day of the ritual that I would have the Imperial troops withdraw so that I would be able to help my sister, but to no avail….my plan had not been executed as well as I had hoped, as by the time I had arrived to the altar to help Lunafreya….it was too late. My sister had passed…”

Silence saturated the air now as a quiet breeze rustled through the fields. You felt that you couldn’t breathe, astounded now at how much Ravus had just revealed to you. But why was he telling you all of this? All these years…all these years, this man suffered for his actions, and yet he was somehow forced to move on from his mistakes. Your throat tightened once more as you felt tears stream down your face, and with your lip quivering, you finally felt the courage to speak.

“Ravus…I’m…oh Astrals, I am so sorry. I feel that nothing that I have to say to you right now will matter at all.” You paused, pushing back the tears away from your cheeks. “But I really do want you to know just how much your sister meant to us all. How much she meant to me.” Ravus, with his eyes full of surprise now, looked to you. You continued. “I…I was there the day that she died. I was only eighteen, but I was living life so blissfully in Altissia. I had been such a huge fan of Lady Lunafreya, knowing all the good she had performed in the world and how she was able to heal those that had suffered from the plagues that ravaged their bodies. She truly was an inspiration to me, and I remember how excited I was that day when I found out that she was going to be giving her speech to us Altissians before the Rite.” A small sob escaped your lips now. “And when the tragedy struck and my world had been turned upside down, I kept Lady Lunafreya in my thoughts as I helped to fight back the darkness and to try to give light to those who had lost it. I just…I just hope you know that despite that she is gone, Lady Lunafreya will never be forgotten…”

There was pause and a silence as another gentle wind swept through the fields. And now, wiping away your last tear, you looked to Ravus to see that it was he who was crying, but not out of sadness but with joy, a small smile upon his face.

“Thank you,” Ravus said hoarsely. “Thank you for reminding me once more of how special she was and what kind of impact she left upon the world. And thus your words are a reminder to me of what I myself needs to keep fighting for…”

Inhaling deeply now, you finally felt you were able to breath, and marching onwards, up ahead you saw a statue situated in the field in the distance. You cleared your throat as you continued to walk, a curious thought now coming to mind.

“Ravus, I….I appreciate you sharing this all with me. I know….I know that this wasn’t easy for you to talk about. But part of me wants to know: why are you specifically telling me of all people about this? What might this have to do with me?”

Ravus, who was now composed once more, smiled softly. “My story has much to do with you, as it also involves a certain someone who I feel has been a huge part in me coping with my grief. This is in regards to Mr. Scientia.”

Your heart skipped a beat and you almost felt yourself stumbling upon the ground. “Ignis? What does this all have to do with Ignis?”

Ravus chuckled as you two slowly made your way over towards the structure in the middle of the meadow. “It has everything to do with Mr. Scientia. It was indeed King Noctis’s royal advisor all of those years ago who had helped me attempt to fulfill my personal mission in saving my sister. Upon seeing the fate that had befallen her, I had fallen into a fit of rage. I had blamed everything on Prince Noctis at the time. His selfishness. His lack of care in comprehending the suffering that my sister had put herself through in order to see his destiny fulfilled. The young prince had acted like a child while Lunafreya had given her whole life to aiding his. Even my mother would have been alive had it not been for him and the Lucian line. And so, seeing the prince knocked out cold upon the ground of the altar, lying next to the body of my deceased sister, at that moment I had almost struck with my blade to end his life, but I was stopped in my tracks.”

You inhaled deeply, and you now recalled the story that Ignis had shared with you back at your stay in Altissia. “By Ignis,” you murmured, almost unable to breath.

“Yes,” Ravus said quietly. “I was so overcome with my own grief and rage that I could not see the logic in the situation. My whole life had felt to have been lost to the Lucians, but it was in truth caused by the pain and suffering brought upon by the Niflheim Empire. I was blinded to this truth, and it was at this moment that Ignis and I had fought through a bloody scuffle that I was able to come to my senses through his rationality to realize this . Had he not talked me into reason, I do not know what I would have done that day. Had he not been there at that moment, I may have lost my life at the hands of the Imperial Chancellor who has showed up at that very instant in my moments of self-destruction and grief. Ignis had provided enough of a distraction to help me break free of the hold that was upon me of Imperial soldiers, and had he not been there to do so, only the Astrals would know what fate would have truthfully befallen me...”

Your mind flashed back once more, remembering Ignis tell you this very same information, and yet something was so odd and unclear about hearing the two perspectives. _But…Ignis said that he doesn’t remember what happened after that moment, yet Ravus says Ignis had pulled the Chancellor’s attention away from Ravus…which one is the actual truth? Something isn’t making sense here._

But before you let your confusion get the best of you, an even greater truth had dawned upon you at this moment, one that almost knocked the wind right out of you. Biting your lip, you felt yourself trembling.

 _Ignis….if it wasn’t for him….what would have happened to Ravus? He…he saved Ravus. He saved the King and the future of Tenebrae…_ You fought back a sob joy, now realizing more than ever at this moment the extents that the man who adored and loved so much was willing to go through to help those who suffered at the hands of darkness. _Oh Ignis…Ignis…_

Ravus looked to you now to look at your face, taking note of your expression. “May the Astrals only know what fate would have transpired for all of us that day had Ignis not made the choice to step up to aid me,” Ravus said quietly. It was now that you had taken your final steps on your walk that you approached the statue in the sylleblossom field to see its shape to be that of Lady Lunafreya’s, much like the one in Altissia, and your heart ached once again at the sight. “I believe it was his bravery and sacrifice of his own safely and wellbeing to protect his prince that day that led us all to be standing here right now, and had it not been for him, gods only know where I _myself_ would be standing now.”

A breeze had passed by you once more, and feeling the approach of another, you both slowly turned around to see that across from the fields, Ravus’s wife had returned home and she was now trailing over to join the two of you. A warm smile placed itself upon Ravus’s face as he looked to you again, his expression becoming wise and serious. “Hope. It is something that had been lost to me so many years ago, but thanks to Mr. Scientia, I was able to come to my senses and realize that hope is never lost. I grieved for my sister’s death, wanting nothing more than for her to live a happy and fulfilling life. That was all I wished for her, and not even for myself. But soon enough, I came to realize something important.” And Ravus paused now as you watched his wife advance more closely, and as she lowered the cloak that had been wrapped around her body, you gasped at the very sight of her.

The petite and lovely woman, so graceful and delicate and regal, now bore a large bump of a stomach, and she placed a hand upon it gently with all the love in the world that one could hope to see.

You looked to Ravus now, your mouth agape, absolutely speechless, and Ravus smiled to you once more.

“Hope is never lost. Love always remains. And so, I say this to you, Y/N. Hope always lies in the darkest of times. Do not shun away from what shall bring you hope, despite the fears that might hold you in your place. You will never know who or what you shall miss in your life if you do so….And you shall never know who will miss _you_ as well if you don’t embrace that light…”

You lost your breath at these very words. _Does…does Ravus know? Does he…does he know about the way I feel for Ignis? Does that mean that Ignis…._

A noise sounded behind you as you quickly turned back around to look past the statue of Lady Lunafreya, and your eyes widened at the disbelieve of what you were seeing.

Ahead of you, thirty feet or so, seated within the swaying stalks of sylleblossom flowers was an animal, but not just any animal.

…A dog?

With black fur with white markings.

Like the fur that you had found in Lestallum.

And standing next to the dog, glowing brightly and softly was a visage that you could not make out, but one that sent warmth through your heart.

“R-Ravus, look,” you said, almost stunned at what you were seeing.

Ravus, turning around now as his wife came to stand next to him, turned to look at you. “What is it?” he asked you.

“I just saw something. See? Over there? Look.”

But when you all turned to look back around in the direction you pointed, there was nothing.

_Huh?_

“These fields are often said to be full of magic,” Ravus’s wife said softly to you, placing one hand upon her stomach, the other wrapping around your neck to give you a gentle embrace. “Sometimes you just have to believe enough in order to see it.”

**********************************

Night had fallen upon Tenebrae, the moon above illuminated radiantly within the sky above, the stars twinkling and dancing gracefully within its presence. Sleep had failed you as you had laid awake late in the silence of the evening, your thoughts topsy-turvy with all that you had experienced and learned during the day. Holding tightly upon a pillow now, you picked up your phone from the bedside table to re-read the message that Ignis had finally managed to reply back to you later in the evening.

**My apologies for making you wait for my reply today. The arrangements with the ambassadors, although chaotic initially, had all turned out for the better. We shall be resuming the meetings first thing in the morning. Words cannot express though how ecstatic I am over how you and Ravus managed to make out today with your undertaking, and what I would have given to have been there to have witnessed you in action, doing what you do best.**

Your heart swelled as you reread this, and you still could not wrap your mind over how sneaky Ignis was in knowing that he knew all this time that you’d be working with the King of Tenebrae.

You now reread the second message that he sent you shortly after.

**My heart swells with joy at the thought of seeing you again soon, my dearest, and I can assure you that that moment will be sooner than we both originally anticipated. If only I could be by your side tonight to kiss you and express to you how much I have missed you. I shall promise to speak with you first thing in the morning. Until then, my darling, rest well, and you shall be in my thoughts as I dream tonight…**

A sigh escaped your lips as longing coiled its way around your heart. “Sooner than you anticipated…” you said out loud. “Thank the Astrals for that…”

You once more attempted to shut your eyes, and yet, something felt strange. _Why is it that I can’t sleep?_ Rising from your bed now, you walked over to the parlor doors to the garden and opened them, staring out into the beautiful wonders of nature that still stirred in the nighttime. Butterflies of the deepest and purest of colors fluttered about the fauna, and fireflies sparkled and danced around the shrubbery. You rubbed your eyes and yawned, and despite how tired your body felt, sleep would still not overtake you. “Maybe some fresh air will do me some good,” you mumbled to yourself as you walked outside to inhale the night air. Shutting your eyes and breathing in deeply, you allowed your body to relax as you attempted to control each breath than left and entered your body, and yet, you still couldn’t help but feel slightly unnerved.

A whimper.

Your eyes snapped open now as you quickly attempted to scan the scenery of the garden before you. “Ok…I know I’m not imagining this,” you said out loud, and you felt your heart racing as you tried to identify another sound.

Another whimper, followed by a soft bark.

“Where is that coming from?” You said, your frustration apparent in your voice. Your eyes scanned the trees before you, and with one blink of an eye, there it was.

The dog with black fur and white markings sat at the edge of the garden staring at you, its head cocked to the side while it wagged its tail.

“T-There you are!” you said breathlessly now, moving closer to it to approach it. But as you took a step closer, the dog stood up and motioned in the direction away from you, wagging its tail once more.

“W-Wait, please don’t go!” you cried, taking another step closer as you attempted to move nearer. “I don’t mean harm! But who are you? Are you following me?”

Realizing how silly you sounded for attempting to talk to a dog, let alone now realizing that you should be more cautious around this mysterious canine, you decided to throw all cares to the wind as you walked more closely to the animal, its tail wagging more fervidly as it began to sprint away from you.

“Wait! Come back! Please don’t run away from me!” Realizing time was like the present and that you couldn’t let this opportunity go by, you began to dash after the dog, managing to keep up with its swift pace as it led you through the garden, a small forest of trees, and down a set of winding staircases. “Where are you taking me?” You cried, huffing as you kept up your pace and grateful that you were in decent shape from all your years of hunting.

The dog simply barked jovially as it led you on its chase, and as you ran across the grounds of Tenebrae, you soon realized that the dog was leading you back to the fields of sylleblossoms where you were earlier that day. The dog sprinted faster now, and you felt your feet slam softly into the soil beneath your feet as you attempted to keep up. Your eyes came into focus as you crossed the darkened fields, and it was now that you realized up ahead that you saw once more the glowing visage of light.

Enshrouded around the statue of Lady Lunafreya.

As you quickly came to approach the statue, the dog stopped in its place and barked at you, its tail wagging gleefully at the fact that you pursued it. “Why did you take me here?” You called. But instead of allowing you to approach it, the dog disappeared behind the statue that was now glowing warmly, and as you now arrived at your goal point, breathless and panting, you gazed up at the statue, the eyes of Lady Lunafreya starting down upon you.

 _Why…why did you take me here? What is this light?_ As if you had lost all control of your motions, you found your hand slowly reaching out to touch the marble, and within one rushing and paralyzing sensation, you felt your breath immediately knocked out of your lungs.

An unidentifiable voice filled every membrane of your skull, each syllable resounding within your ears as you listened carefully to the words that were uttered to you:

_“In order to save the dearest life,_

_He’d suffer through the darkened strife._

_The man had sworn his fealty_

_To the savior of royalty._

_To save his king, there’d be a price_

_Of warrior’s blood of sacrifice._

_A price he’d pay of lucid sight_

_To help return the wanted light. ”_

And then, you found your sight was marred by a blazing flash of purple and you felt yourself screaming in pain and agony, but the voice that screamed in anguish wasn’t your own. Holding your hands to your face, you yelled out in misery as the heat surged across your skin and your eyes boiled within your head, and it was all you could do to withstand the pain.

And then the pain was gone as quickly as it came.

Gasping loudly, your eyes came back to focus to find yourself standing in the middle of the sylleblossom field, alone under the night sky. Nothing was heard in the night air except for the passing of a breeze through the fields of foliage and the occasional chirp of a cricket or hoot of an owl. Utterly breathless, you stood upon your feet, your knees unstable and your body quaking with each inhalation.

_What…what just happened to me? That voice….who was that? What was it trying to tell me? What…was it…_

But before you could question further the ethereal phenomena that had taken command your body, a sense of calmness came over you, and slowly shutting your eyes and lowering yourself onto the ground beneath your feet, your eyes were overwrought with lethargy as your body and mind drifted off into a deep slumber…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ventus is Latin for “wind.” I figured I would keep up with the Latin names as presented in the game, and I can only imagine that living in Tenebrae would certainly always be breezy!
> 
> *Bandersnatch are weak against lightening apparently. How convenient that Ravus just happens to know how to manipulate that element so well. 
> 
> I am not a religious person, but upon doing some research I found a very interesting tid bit about the St. Jude that we see referenced in the Bible. This is from a website about him:
> 
> "Why has devotion to St. Jude continued to grow to the present day?
> 
> In spite of (or possibly because of) all the advances human society has made, human beings find themselves under incredible stress and have difficulty coping at one time or another. Increasingly, people are finding that technology and other man-made innovations are unable to provide comfort and hope when it is truly needed, so millions of people around the world turn to St. Jude when they feel the most helpless and alone. St. Jude has proven to be a true friend and a beacon of hope to those who call on him--always willing to help and seek help no matter how desperate the need. And in today's tumultuous times, we need him more than ever. We celebrate his feast day on October 28."
> 
> Apparently St. Judge died a martyr, and I thought that the connection between him and Lady Lunafreya was quite interesting. Much like how folks pray to St. Jude for hope, in the world of FFXV, people all across Eos sought the healing powers of Lady Lunafreya in their darkest times of need.


	13. Blinding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because of COURSE Florence and the Machine would have a song called "Blinding." And of course this would be the title to one of the most important chapters in this story.
> 
> This was a very emotionally heavy chapter to write, and so without spoiling it before you guys even read it, I hope you will see why on your own. What made this such a challenge to write was having to painstakingly pause and play scenes from the game to get the dialogue just right. I hope I pulled this off well, but I personally am very pleased with the job I did.
> 
> So without further ado, I welcome the next chapter in our tale, "Blinding." Please enjoy, and as always, I'd love to hear what you all have to say.
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_And I could hear the thunder and see the lightning crack_

_All around the world was waking, I never could go back_

_Cause all the walls of dreaming, they were torn wide open_

_And finally it seemed that the spell was broken_

 

_And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open_

_And all my bones began to shake, my eyes flew open_

_\- Florence and the Machine – “Blinding”_

Slowly your eyes fluttered open to the sounds of song birds whistling merrily as the bright sun shone through the windows to your room. A groan escaped your lips as you slowly sat up, your body feeling very refreshed and yet somehow aching for a reason that was unknown to you. You took a minute to notice that your cellphone had been clung tightly in your hand and that the parlor doors to your private room had been wide open, the breeze flowing through the open glass and sending in the fresh scent of the flora outside.

“Shit. I’m lucky something didn’t get inside last night. I must have fallen asleep pretty hard, didn’t I?” You mumbled to yourself. Your brain trying to comprehend these scene before you, you slowly stood up to get out of bed to make your way over to the parlor doors, but immediately your vision reeled and you lost your balance and sat back down on the edge of the bed. Rubbing your temples, a small pain shot through your skull that dizzied you, and you inhaled deeply.

“Jeese, what on earth did I dream about last night?” You asked yourself aloud, realizing that your back was tender and your muscles more achy than you thought. Wracking your brain now, you felt yourself drawing an absolute blank, much to your frustration. “I…I can’t remember right now…” you said, now placing your head in your hands. “I always remember. There was something, I just know it…”

_Something just feels…off. But what? Why do I feel like I’m missing something important right now?_

A sigh escaped your lips as you looked to your phone in your hand. _Huh…I…I don’t remember falling asleep like this…Maybe I can try to remember if I read my messages_? You scrolled through your messages to reread what you Ignis had sent you yesterday. Inhaling intensely, your heart clamped as you reread the words:

**My heart swells with joy at the thought of seeing you again soon, my dearest, and I can assure you that that moment will be sooner than we both originally anticipated. If only I could be by your side tonight to kiss you and express to you how much I have missed you. I shall promise to speak with you first thing in the morning. Until then, my darling, rest well, and you shall be in my thoughts as I dream tonight…**

_Dream….dream…what did I dream last night? Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something so important?!_

You sat your phone down on the bedside table as you began to delicately finger the pendant that dangled between your collars bones, and quickly you found a small sob escaping your lips. _Oh Ignis, when? When will I see you again? When can we just finally have our peace and be together? Why do I have to continuously miss you like this? Why does this have to be so hard?_

And now you felt the tears gushing down your face, pain shooting through the sides of your skull and into your eye sockets as you let yourself sob like a child with your palms on your face, fighting back your tears.

Fear. You finally realized it. And it was only with the incident with the Bandersnatch yesterday that made you realize what you were _actually_ afraid of.

_All this time…Ignis…Ignis, you’ve been on my mind. All these years. How I’ve come to love you so much and yet I’m so scared to tell you. I’ve fought so many daemons my whole life. I’ve faced darkness and death. And yet, nothing compares to the fear of the thought of losing you. But why would I lose you? Why do I feel like you were already almost lost?_

And you cried as the draft from the garden doorway tickled your skin and you clutched onto the pendant that bore the symbol of your love and bond that you shared with the man that became all that you felt you lived for in life.

_Ignis….I wish I could just see you right now. I wish you were by my side._

A gentle knock at the door startled you. “Miss Y/N? Are you awake yet?”

It was the voice of Ventus who spoke to you, and you immediately began to wipe furiously away at the tears that spilt down your face. “J-Just a minute!” You stammered as you attempted to make yourself decent, and after covering yourself up with your blankets for decency and smoothing out your hair, you spoke once more. “O-Ok, you can come in!”

Ventus gently opened up the door and walked in with a tray in hand and a smile upon his face, although his expression seemed to change quickly upon observing at your expression. “Y/N, are you alright?” He asked you.

Realizing that your eyes must look puffy and bloodshot, you quickly came up with a cover-up. “Y-yeah, I’m ok. Just a little woozy from sleep still. Somehow the garden doors got open last night, and so I think all the pollen from the flowers is making me a little itchy in the eyes.” You laughed now, trying to sound natural. “You guys have a lot of plants here that we don’t have back in Lucis.”

Relief washed over Ventus’s face as he sat down the tray on the boudoir dresser. “We do hear that often,” he replied, “but I do hope that did not prevent you from getting your rest last night?”

To answer truthfully, you did not know if this was actually the case, and so you simply played along. “Oh no, I slept just fine. Wonderfully in fact. I slept so soundly that I could have slept-walked all across Tenebrae and I would have never even realized it”

Ventus chuckled. “Well that is most wonderful to hear, and I am sure that King Ravus will be most pleased to know that his honored guest received a well night’s sleep. The King has actually requested to have a morning audience with you as well as breakfast in two hours, but I do feel that at this point, perhaps “audience” isn’t quite the correct term.” He smiled warmly now. “In fact, I would prefer to say family.”

You blushed at this statement, trying to hide your gratefulness. Despite having only met Ravus personally for the first time ever yesterday, part of you felt like you had known the man for years. But before you could speak, Ventus continued. “I have brought you some toiletries and perfumes for the bath. Please do relax and enjoy your peace and quiet until breakfast. I am sure that you are still feeling the exertion from yesterday. Do you wish for me to return to escort you to the grand hall, or do you remember your way?

You smiled at Ventus. “I think I can remember. It’ll be one less thing that you will have to worry about anyways.”

“Very well,” Ventus said with a smile, bowing to you, and turning to leave, he shut the door behind you and left you in solitude.

The room now dead silent, save for the songbirds singingly joyfully outside, you inhaled deeply as you massaged your temples once more. “I wonder what Ravus will have in store for me today,” you said aloud to yourself. Taking a look at your phone once more, you picked it up off the bedside table. A peculiar and sad thought ran through your head.

_It’s later in the morning…I usually almost always hear from him by now. Is he already engaged in business again?_

And so being the one to initiate the conversation this time, you texted Ignis first.

**Good morning Iggy. I’m not quite sure what I will be doing in Tenebrae today, and so I wanted to make sure I go ahold of you before I got too busy. I hope business at the Citadel doesn’t give you too much trouble. I really do miss you, Ignis. I lo-**

Your eyes widened as you almost pressed down on the keys. _Oh gods…I….I almost said it._ You felt yourself blushing deeply, your face on fire, quickly going back to delete the last few letters of your text. _No, that’s not the way to go. That’s not the way to tell him. Not yet. But…when will I be brave enough to say so?_

You were afraid, and Astrals did it stop you dead in your tracks.

And so swallowing hard, you finished the rest of your message:

**I’ll be thinking about you all day. Can’t wait to see you again…**

Hitting ‘send’ on your message, you placed your phone back down and sighed deeply, your heard whirling with thoughts. Then, standing up and going over to the dresser to grab the tray of toiletries, you eyed up the dress that was gifted to you that now hung over the closet door. _I think that will be another good choice for today._ You took a deep breath as you headed into the bath, hoping to find some peace of mind as you bathed in bliss.

And soon enough, you would find reason to find joy as well.

********************

Walking down the sprawling and spiraling hallways of Fenestalla Manor, you had no idea how you managed to recall finding your way to the Grand Hall, but something told you it was pre-destined intuition. Acknowledging with a polite bow the guards that stood by the main entrance, you gentled pushed open the doors and made your way into the hall to see Ravus peering out through the immense windows that lined the walls. His hands were folded behind his back as he gazed outside, seemingly almost lost in thought when he heard your gentle footsteps padding across the hallway, and he turned around to look at you with a smile upon is face.

“Ah, good morning, Y/N,” he said kindly, bowing to you as you approached. “I do hope you slept well last night?”

Your heart leapt out of your chest at the question and you weren’t quite sure why. You thought you did, right? And yet once again you were feeling as though something was missing, like you dreamed of something so important in your sleep but couldn’t quite remember it.

Something important happened. Why else would you be feeling this way?

Trying not to divulge too much on the thought before you found yourself getting upset, you nodded to Ravus. “I did. Quite well actually. Remind me to get whatever mattress padding you guys use here for my bed back home in Lestallum.”

Ravus laughed at this and the sound almost made your heart ache with happiness. “I will have to ask my servants where our bedding is supplied from. I am sure they will know the answer, as I currently do not recall.” But he paused now, his expression going serious. “You know, you are more than welcome to remain more than just a visitor here. I truly believe that my people would certainly love for you to stay, especially after everything that you have done for us in such a short time.” Your mouth fell open at this, and Ravus chuckled at your reaction. “But of course, I know that your heart and mind lay elsewhere. But please do know that you always have a home here in Tenebrae…”

You felt yourself blushing profoundly at this now, not only at such a sweet invitation but also once again having Ravus make notions about your feelings towards Ignis. Clearing your throat, you now joined him by the window, looking out at the sun shining brightly upon the grounds. “Where is your lovely wife this morning?” You asked him, trying to continue the conversation to keep your nerves at bay.

Ravus smiled at this. “She is actually currently with our midwife right now, working on the nursery. We do not know what we are expecting yet, but nevertheless, it is never too early to be prepared for these things.”

Once more you felt yourself flushed. During all the years of fighting darkness, you had never truly taken the time to consider having children of your own, but now that peace permeated the world once more, it was more than a likely option.

One that you would be more than excited to follow through with…

“I…I’m very happy for you Ravus. I truly am,” you said, now feeling giddy at your own thoughts. “Considering all that you have suffered through, I think you are more than deserving to have this sense of peace. I…I think Lunafreya would be proud of her big brother.”

Ravus inhaled sharply, and you felt that for a moment you had overstepped your boundaries at the mention of his sister, but he instead placed a hand upon your shoulder, a calm smile upon his face. “I…I think she would be too. But I am not the only one who is deserving of such happiness. You are as well.” You raised an eyebrow now as Ravus paused, but clearing his throat, he continued. “We shall be dining on a fine breakfast in just a few moments, but before we do so, I wanted you to meet your escort that will be accompanying you back to Lestallum. I am sure that you will find him more than agreeable as a companion to be accompanying you back home.”

You tilted your head now, feeling confused. “Escort? An escort for what?”

Ravus looked deeply at you, and immediately you felt silly for even asking the question. But Ravus spoke regardless. “Even though I would trust you with my life and I know that you would not let that precious mythril fall into the wrong hands, I made sure that it would be arranged that you would have someone to accompany you back home, not only for the safety of yourself but also as well for the security of our priceless freight.”

 _Of course that makes sense_ , you thought, but now you felt your heart beat quickening, realizing once again just how important of a mission this was for you to fulfill. _Gods, I can’t mess this up getting all that ore back home…but who is going to help me take it back?_ “So…this bodyguard…who exactly is this person?”

Ravus smiled, and you could almost get a sense of mischievousness by the way his lips curved. “Why, he actually happens to be here right now. I think that you two will be most agreeable of temporary companions.” He paused, nodding to a servant that had just entered the room. “I shall oversee to make sure that all is prepared for breakfast. If you head out the door to the right there into the back courtyard, he is actually waiting for you there right now. You can converse and get yourselves antiquated with one another, and then we shall dine.”

Before you were able to respond, Ravus and his servant headed out of the hall, leaving you standing there on your own. Your heart skipping rapidly now, you suddenly felt your nerves tingle in your body. _Just who is Ravus having take me home_? You thought. But realizing that pondering the issue any longer would not benefit you, you took a deep breath, walked over to the courtyard door, and walked outside to find out for yourself.

Immediately the freshness of the clear morning air filled your lungs and a breeze grazed across your bare shoulders. You took a look around to see more of the Tenebraen beauty engulf you. And then, you saw him. Surrounded by lush trees, stone statues, a marble fountain, and shrubs and greens and flora, there stood that someone who made you lose your breath and a cry of joy absconded from your mouth.

“…Ignis? Ignis!”

Turning around from his pondering stance to see you running at him, a broad smile spread across Ignis’s lips and an ‘oof’ escaped his lungs as you collided with him, almost knocking him of his feet. A hearty chuckle left his lungs and the sound alone almost made you die from bliss.

“Y/N…my dearest,” he murmured. Pulling you close to his chest, he picked you up and swirled you around, the delicate fabrics of your dress swishing around the two of you. He sat you back down on your feet, and now looking deeply into your eyes with his own stunning emeralds, he stroked the side of your face with a bare hand. “Darling, you look absolutely beautiful.” And he paused, almost seeming to choke on his own words. “Oh Astrals, how I’ve missed you.”

Flushing deeply and reaching up to touch the scar of his lower lip, you felt yourself utterly breathless of the sight of him before you.

“But Ignis…how…how did you…I thought that you had to meet with the representatives for the rest of the week? How are you here right now?” You asked, your questions tumbling out of your mouth like that of a curious child.

Ignis chuckled once more as he lifted your chin to place a gentle kiss upon your lips, and you almost melted upon the feeling of the contact of his mouth on yours. He pulled back slowly to look you deeply in the eyes, a sense of relief and peace found in the depths of his bright green orbs. “Cor Leonis took over for the remainder of the consultations. According to Noct I have been working ‘too hard’, and thus he had the Marshall fill in for the remainder of the sessions. Upon my contact with Ravus, furthermore, he had told me of all that you had done yesterday, and knowing that I simply could not let you stand by the wayside on your own and bear this opulent burden all the way back home on your own, I felt that it was within my realm of responsibility to ensure that you carried through with it safely.” He kissed you once more, and you giggled with delight at the way that he ran his thumb over your lower lip. “I must say though,” and he paused, a cheeky smirk upon his face now, “I cannot deny that I am quite glad for the respite of it all, as it was getting rather quite wearing. And I’m quite glad of it for more than one reason…”

You laughed now, wrapping your arms around him tightly and inhaling deeply, the scent of cologne, leather garments, and Ebony filling your senses. You shut your eyes as you lost yourself in the heat of his embrace, and quite frankly you were terrified to open your eyes to see that he was no longer standing before you. But you did so anyways, and now looking up at him, your lips parted slightly, all breath escaping your lungs as you recognized the way he was dressed.

Fine rich leathers of the darkest black, crisp and pressed.

And you, in the softest whites, so dainty and ethereal.

Exactly like in your dream.

_Dreams…_

“Ignis…” you began breathlessly, almost at a loss for words. “Please tell me this isn’t just a daydream right now. Please tell me that you are actually standing right here in my arms.”

And to reaffirm that you were indeed not dreaming, he placed a kiss upon your forehead and leaned down to nuzzle his nose against yours. “No dream, my dearest. Only reality. I am where you are, my darling. Right here in this courtyard.”

_Those exact same words._

A small tear of happiness rolled down your cheek, and titling your head up, you kissed him deeply on the lips, reaching up to run your hands through his hair. “Oh Ignis…” you murmured as you broke the kiss. “I…I was so scared coming here. You have no idea. I didn’t know what to expect. I…” And then you paused, tilting your head as you looked up at him, your expression serious now. “I still can’t believe it was you and Noctis that requested me to come here. Do you both really have that much faith in me?”

Ignis pulled back from you now, his expression equally going serious. “Do you truly believe that so little in yourself?” He asked you, and the words almost hurt you having him say them out loud. But quickly, a small smile formed at the corner of his lips. “You have never reason to be afraid, my dearest. You are the bravest woman I know, and Noctis and I would never have suggested otherwise had we not believed in you and thought you were capable.”

Again. Those exact same words.

But Ignis continued, and he crossed his arms now, almost lost in thought. “Although, I must say that I am feeling rather ashamed of myself. I would never doubt the things that you can do, but what kind of man am I to send you off into potential danger, not being there by your side to assist you? Perhaps…perhaps that was a bit foolish on my part…”

You brought your finger up to his lips to hush him, and he raised in eyebrow in response. “You had your own battles to deal with, Iggy. I don’t need you blaming yourself for anything. I’m…” And your face softened, and as if the world around your froze in the perfect stillness of this moment, the delightful song of a fowl filling the air as the aroma of sylleblossoms engulfed the senses, another tear of happiness rolling down your cheek., “I’m just glad that you’re here….I missed you so much, and I wouldn’t trade you standing here before me for anything in the world…”

**************************

Much to your delight, the remainder of your stay in Tenebrae was of harmony and relaxation. After you and Ignis reunited, you had joined Ravus to a delightful morning buffet of one of the best breakfasts you’ve ever had, and there was something utterly lovely over watching Ravus and Ignis converse over morning tea and pastries while you dined. While their conversation did consist of political affairs that were occurring back on the mainland of Lucis, you felt yourself getting lost in every word that they discussed, and it brought you intense joy to find out the affairs with the foreign ambassadors were coming to their conclusion by the end of the week.

But most of all to your own humility, a larger part of the conversation resonated around you and what you had accomplished the day prior at the storage facility in the forest. Ravus could offer you nothing but praise, but even more importantly so emphasized just the vast significance of what you had helped him accomplish and what it meant for the posterity of future generations of those across the land of Eos.

“She is a force to be reckoned with,” Ravus said sincerely as he looked to Ignis. “You should be more than proud to have her by your side.”

Blushing deeply, Ignis looked at you now with the upmost admiration and love in his eyes. “I am, and I always shall be,” Ignis murmured. Squeezing your hand from under the table, he leaned over to kiss you on the corner of your lips, and him doing such a gesture right in front of Ravus made your heart swell with happiness, amazed that he was so willing to show such affections in front of the King of Tenebrae.

After Ignis met with Ravus and his court on the matters of how to start implementing the use of the mythril ore upon their purification process as well as how to begin processing the new data left at the storage facility’s computer, Ravus surprised you by announcing that your official “duties” during your stay in Tenebrae had been completed, and that all that would be left of your worries upon returning to Lestallum was to begin working with the ladies at EXINERIS on the sanitization of the ore. And so, with a delicious and light lunch soothing your hungry bellies and the promise of an even more scrumptious banquet prepared for dinner that later in the evening, you and Ignis were left to each other’s companies to explore the grounds of Tenebrae to your hearts’ content. As you walked through the grounds, exploring every nook and cranny of the landscape as well as admiring and remarking on the vast differences in the architectural designs of Tenebrae compared to Insomnia, you found yourself lost in each other’s stories of all that had transpired during your time apart. As Ignis was only allowed to elucidate so much information to you about the ambassadors, he wanted to spend most of the time focusing on your adventure with Ravus into the borders of Tenebrae and Niflheim territory. You explained in detail every single thing that happened, all the while Ignis looked at you with the highest adulation within is sparkling green eyes. “Had I only been there to see it, my dearest,” he said, kissing you deeply on the lips as you sat next to a waterfall that you made rest at while you ventured around the grounds. “You are remarkable in every way, and let this be the last time I shall ever have to fail to bear witness to your greatness…”

And with tummies full from a delectable dinner and the last set of accounts shared around the dinner table in the Grand Hall, plans had been arranged for yours and Ignis’s departure in the morning. A more discrete cargo ship was to pick up you, Ignis, and the transport, accompanied by two smaller artillery airships for protection, and despite your previous anxiety of bearing the responsibility of shielding such costly materials, you now finally felt that you could breath and relax in ease as you stood by the windows of your room, patting your hair dry after your soothing bath and watching the sun cast its last array of colors into the sky as the moon competed for its spot in the heavens.

You heard a light shutting of a door from the opposite side of the room and a rustle of fabrics as you turned around to see that Ignis had entered the room, returning from his own bath. Immediately you felt heat coil through your loins at the very sight of him, his wet hair slicked back and a black t-shirt and sweat pants clinging flatteringly to his lithe form. You wrestled the longing to pounce on him in this state, but taking note of the sleep-ridden expression upon his face as well as the small yawn that left his mouth, you forced your urges to calm down as you smiled adoringly at this relaxed nature of the tactician.

 _We’re all alone again…oh gods…maintain yourself, Y/N,_ you thought with a blush as you watched Ignis move towards the dresser. The way that the soft fabric of his pants hung upon his waist and thighs was enough to make you ache with desire, and his shirt did little but to hide the sculptured muscles of his back, but fighting back your impulses, you continued to admire just the very way that he walked and carried about with his nightly routines. _But the poor guy…everything he’s had to worry about recently. And then coming all the way here just to see me? I don’t deserve him being so good to me…._

Turning around now from checking his belongings, Ignis caught note of you staring at him and smiled, him now making his way over to you in the darkened, moonlight room. Your heart began to race as he approached you, and turning back to look outside the window to hide your embarrassment and giddiness, you felt Ignis wrap his long arms around you from behind and pull you up against him, him placing his lips on the top of your head.

“What are you thinking of, my dear?” he said dreamily, and you thought that it was utterly adorable that the man sounded like he was going to doze off standing up at any moment.

 _You, of course_ , you thought with a smile as you nestled yourself against him. But one other thing truly was on your mind now, and so you thus verbalized it.

“How I never imagined in a million years that I’d be getting involved with royalty,” you said with a laugh. “I’ve been doing some serious business as of late, and it’s honestly a little overwhelming, but in a good way.” In all seriousness, it was the truth though. As just a lowly girl from Altissia turned hunter/power expert in Lestallum, you would have never imagined that your closest circle of friends and acquaintances would consist of monarchs and members of the royal court.

Ignis chuckled too as he nuzzled his nose against the top of your head, inhaling deeply as he smelled the fruity scent of the remnants of your shampoo. He shifted more tightly against you, and the feel of his form pressed to yours made you squeal inside with utter delight.

“Had I known better, I would say that you were an official,” Ignis said, yawning once more. “You would easily have any stranger fooled, based on my professional opinion…”

You turned around now within his embrace, looking up at his face and tracing your hands over the arch of his eyebrow. “And I accept your compliment with much honor.” And you paused, kissing him gently on the lips. “We should probably lie down, Mr. Sleepyhead. I think you’re going to fall asleep standing up, and I quite frankly don’t think I’m strong enough to catch you if you fall on top of me.”

Not that you would complain if he did.

Ignis chuckled once more. “Perhaps you are right, my darling. Travel as of late has seemed to be wearing me out more than usual. Not to mention what consecutive assemblies can do on one’s mind when done in such a high frequency. My apologies for the surplus of fatigue tonight.”

You took Ignis’s hand and squeezed it as you both walked over to the bed now, pulling back the covers and watching him climb underneath the soft sheets. “No apologies, you. I think you are more than enough entitled to get a good night’s rest.” You had to laugh though as Ignis now laid down to rest his head upon the pillow but in the process forgot to take off his glasses. Lifting them gently from his face, you placed them on the bedside table as you climbed under the covers with him, and a small laugh escaped his lips.

“Ah yes, thank you for that dearest. I cannot afford to damage such a good pair.”

Shaking your head and smiling, you now fully reclined and let your body sink into the mattress beneath you, and turning to face Ignis, you snuggled your body against his warm frame. Ignis snaked his arm underneath you and pulled you close to him, and a sense of giddiness came over you, realizing once more just how intimate the whole situation was.

_This is so normal. So soothing. So relaxing. I’m so at peace. But…why am I so afraid to tell him how I really feel?_

Squeaking slightly, Ignis shifted against you as he pressed his body closer to yours, now wrapping his other arm around your tiny frame, stroking your hair with his other hand. Your head was pressed against his chest, and there was nothing more comforting in the whole world than the reverberation of his heartbeat drumming soothingly against your ear. Shuddering slightly against him, you burrowed closer to him, feeling wholly at peace.

“Ignis?” you murmured.

“Hmm? What is it my dear?” He said, pulling away from you slightly and opening his eyes to look down at you, and the way that he looked at you was enough to make your throat tighten.

“I…I wanted to thank you,” you said quietly, your heart beating in your chest.

“For what, may I ask, Y/N?” he replied, continuing to stroke your hair, and that action alone made you feel like you were on your way to dozing off.

“For everything. I….I….the sword. The katana that you had Ravus make for me. It’s absolutely beautiful. I love it. It…” And you paused, biting your lip. “I know that you weren’t here yesterday, but honestly? Holding onto that blade? It made you feel like you were here with me. I didn’t feel so alone as I held it in my hands. I just wish that I could do something to return the favor. You’re always surprising me with things like that.”

Ignis inhaled deeply as he kissed your forehead, and looking at his face again, you could see a gentle smiled placed upon his lips in the darkness.

“You are ever so welcome, my dearest. I know that you are very fond of the blade that Cid has spent many of a time helping your enhance and make more effective in battle, but knowing the potential dangers that you may have faced on your mission, I wanted to ensure that you had nothing but the best. Tenebraen steel is revered for its durability. And so thus, it was my pleasure,” he paused, and now wrapping his legs around your and pulling you more tightly to him, he exhaled deeply and spoke once more. “You already do everything for me, darling. You already give me all that I could ask for…”

The muscles of your throat clenched tightly now and you had to fight back a sob of joy at his admission to you. “Well, one of these days, I’m just going to show up out of nowhere and surprise you when you least expect it,” you said, grinning to yourself.

Ignis chuckled. “And I shall most be on guard for when that moment arrives…”

Moments of silence between the two of you passed as you listened to the crickets and frogs sing merrily outside in the garden. As you lay next to Ignis, his heat radiating off of his body and seeping into your flesh, another curious thought came across your mind, one that you could not help but censor yourself in asking.

“Ignis?” you said, your voice sounding very small.

“Yes, Y/N?”

“Do you ever wonder what things would be like if they had happened differently?”

_What? What compelled me to ask such a question?_

Ignis opened his eyes and pulled back to look at you, curiosity apparent in his expression now as the moonlight cast its glow upon his handsome face. “Whatever do you mean, Y/N?”

And so, what _did_ you mean?

A breathless laugh left your lips. “I know. It’s a weird question. I don’t even know why I thought of it.” But then immediately Ravus popped into mind, and you recalled your conversation from yesterday. “Ravus…Ravus and I talked yesterday. We…we brought up Lady Lunafreya and Altissia. It was an emotional discussion, but I learned a lot about Ravus that I never knew before. And I even learned a lot about you.” And Ignis looked at you more curiously now in the moonshine as you continued. “I remember what you told me back when we were all in Altissia. I remember you telling me how you and Ravus fought. Ravus told me about that too. But he told me something yesterday and really made me feel extra special in knowing you.”

“And...and what is that?” Ignis said hoarsely, almost at a loss for words.

“He told me what you did for him. How you helped him see the logic of things. And…he told me that he honestly believes that thanks to you, he was able to move on and have a happy future, as if he had his life back. Like you saved him.”

Ignis inhaled sharply as he placed a kiss upon your forehead. “I did what I thought was right,” he murmured, the sincerity in his voice genuine. “I could not let another life be lost to despair. And I would gladly make sacrifices all over again if that meant ensuring the happiness of someone else.”

_Sacrifices…._

“So if you were ever given a chance, would you go back and change the way you did things? As in changing the decisions you’ve made?”

_What is compelling me to ask this?_

Ignis chuckled quietly now. “I suppose I can offer you that same question, Y/N. Would you ever change your path if you were presented with the opportunity?”

“Me?” And would you ever? Despite all the tragedy you faced. Despite all of your losses and fears and broken dreams that had been shattered, to know that hope had survived to lead you to this very minute in paradise, you wouldn’t change a single thing. “And to miss out on this very conversation that we are having right now? Not in a million years…”

“Neither would I…” Ignis whispered in your ear.

And as you two dozed off into slumber in the peace, serenity, and warmth of each other’s arms, a gentle zephyr blew through the open windows, and to the foot of your bed swept one small, solitary chunk of soft black fur….

****************************************

The ladies of EXINERIS certainly had their hands more than full upon your return to Lestallum. Words could not describe Holly’s expression as you and Ignis had returned with cases upon cases upon cases of mythril ore, and all she could do was shake her head at you when you had explained the details of the report from your mission that Ravus had directed you to give her.

But seeing all that mythril, shining dully in their crates and waiting to be beautified? It was all she could do to stare with her jaw dropped.

“Amazing…Y/N, how do you never fail to impress me?” She said as she and the ladies now gathered around the rare material that had been brought to the plant and placed within the factory to be processed. “Amazing….simply amazing…” She had then turned to all the ladies during this staff meeting, a determined look upon her face. “We’re going to have our hands full the next few weeks, but according to Ravus, us busting our butts is going to be worth it. He’s offering a huge sum of money for commission, so that’s going to make the extra work feel all the more worth it. Not to mention the fact that we are doing a good deed that’s going to help everyone in Lucis in the end.”

The ladies now began to disperse to their specific jobs and count the inventory, as well as read over the report notes given by Ravus, and everyone began to attend to their assigned tasks individually. It was now that Holly turned to you to place a hand upon your shoulder, her expression filled with warmth and sincerity. “You’ve done so much for us here at EXINERIS, Y/N,” she said, a tear was forming in the corner of your eye. “I know I say this all the time, but I mean it: What would we have ever done without you?”

Despite yours and Ignis’s constrained schedules for the week (Ignis helping finish up with the arrangements of the final meetings of the diplomats and you working tiresomely on the refinement of the mythril), you were feeling more than resolute and driven than ever, knowing that with your work and effort, Noctis and Ravus could officially began working on the special prototype machines that would serve as construction managers for rebuilding Insomnia as well as the fallen Niflheim territory. And so, as your week came to an end and you sighed a sigh of relief, knowing that you would be heading to Insomnia soon to see Ignis upon the conclusion of his own business, you could not help but feel more accomplished than ever.

Having made a light dinner that evening and now drinking a cup of peppermint tea to help sooth your sore muscles, you listened intently to the jazz station on your radio as you stood by your window and looked out into the streets of Lestallum below you, watching the pedestrians chat happily and children play in the streets. A peaceful sigh escaped your lips and you shut your eyes, feeling lost in your thoughts of all that had transpired during the week.

 _And I’ll get to see Ignis soon and we’ll both finally have some normalcy, or so I hope,_ you thought to yourself as a warm breeze blew in a skimmed across your skin. Inhaling once more, you slowly opened your eyes and sat down your tea as you continued your people watching.

You gasped deeply. “What….what….?

All movement in the streets below had ceased. A child was frozen midair while jumping, another with her arms held up to catch a ball that was hovering two feet in front of her palms. A cat was perched above on a fence, its body frozen in an arched position. A couple was stopped mid step as they held hands, and another man was about to take a bite out of his skewered wild trout as he walked while eating.

Silence. Dead silence. Not a voice was heard. Not a single sound of the city streets to signify its life. No breeze. No sound of the passing cars.

_What…what the hell is going on?_

But you gasped once more as you spotted something. Standing there in the middle of the street, wagging its tail jovially while looking up at you in the window, was a black dog with white markings.

Memories came crashing through your skull as you now remembered. _That dog…that dog….I saw it the day that I went to Tenebrae. Its fur…I found its fur, and it was watching me in the garden…It came back to me…What is it doing here?_

“W-Who are you?” you cried, but the dog only barked and wiggled its tail at you. “Are you following me?”

But again, the dog only yapped, now bouncing on its paws.

_Is it…trying to get me to follow it?_

“J-Just stay right there!” you called, knowing how silly you sounded, thinking the dog could understand you. Running towards the door, you grabbed your keys and phone from the coffee table, opened and slammed your apartment door behind you, and darted down the steps and out into the streets.

“W-Where did it go?” you said frantically, and in a horrifying realization at seeing it up close, everything and everyone around you was frozen. Not a single person stirred or breathed as you dashed around the corner, and there it was, the pooch standing there with its tongue hanging out in anticipation.

“Who are you?” you asked it again, but the dog not giving you a moment to think, now sped down the streets, and you inhaled sharply as you now began your pursuit of it. You maneuvered yourself around the stationary pedestrians as best as you could, trying your best to keep up with the canine that bounced and bounded to an unknown destination happily while baying at the top of its lungs.

“W-Wait, you’re going too fast!” you said, panting as your shoes slammed down onto the pavement and your hair whipped behind you. “Where are you taking me?”

But soon enough, you had found out. The canine ran down the central street of the center of Lestallum and made its way across the main highway, now leaping down the stone steps and past the parking lot as it stopped dead in its tracks at the Outlook.

 _Why…why did it take me here?_ And as this thought crossed your mind you huffed loudly as you came to a stop, shocked at the sight before you.

The dog, who was seated on its back paws and was wagging its tail happily at you, let out one final bark as its body began to glow a soft warm light, bluish petals now floating arounds its form.

_What…what…._

Approaching the dog cautiously and gradually, you fell to one knee and looked the animal in its eyes, something human about its expression. It cocked its head to look at you, its positioned relaxed and its tail continuing to swish from side to side. Then taking your hand, you slowly reached out your arm, brought your hand on the top of the creature’s head, and…

And all was black.

Absolute dark.

_I can’t see…I’m….I’m blind…..I…I can’t see….where…_

“Hello? Hello?” You yelled. But there was dead silence as your voice echoed and reverberated off of invisible walls, and reaching out to feel, you felt yourself stumbling over nothing. “Please, where am I?” You pleaded.

And slowly a warm light began to fill your vision a swirl of blue petals surrounded you, the dainty petals tickling your skin as a warmth encompassed you. You inhaled sharply at the sight before you, a silhouette of light standing a good ten feet in front of you, and opening your mouth to speak, a resounding and feminine voice filled the air around you.

 _“Do not fear, daughter of light, defender against the darkness, and companion of the King of Kings. I am most grateful to finally meet you,”_ said the soothing and almost inhuman voice, and her address to you sent tremors down your spine.

Your feet you were planted firmly into the ground as you took a step closer to the figure, your heart slamming in your chest as you tried to make sense of her words. “Who are you?” You stammered, now overwhelmed at the fact that this unearthly being was addressing you. “What are you? Where are we? What have you brought me here for?”

The being spoke once more _. “I am but a mere vessel sent to deliver you good word. For years I have watched you. You have done so much and have fought with all of your courage and strength to help bring the light back to the lands of Eos. And for this, I thank you. You shall be blessed and rewarded for the blood you’ve shed and the tears that have fallen from your eyes, and you shall receive the answers that you have rightfully sought after all this time.”_

_Answers…_

Your frame was shaking now as your mouth went dry. “Answers….what answers have you come to tell me?” And while you thought that you should know, you could not help but feel blindsided at this very moment.

There was another burst of light as all around you went pitch black once more, and the voice continued to speak. _“Gods and men alike had awaited the coming of the Chosen as they fought to fend off darkness’ blight, for he and he alone would possess the power to purge our star of its scourge. Once the sacred ring is replete with power, the True King will complete his ascension. Only then can he banish the blight upon our star. By the power of the light alone is the Chosen King made manifest. With the Glaive of Kings, the Stone of Legend, and the Ring of the Light in hand, the Chosen’s power will surpass that even of the gods themselves. With that selfsame power, with the True King as its vessel, the darkness shall be purged from our star and dawn shall return to our world once more…”_

And there was a flash of light and a sharp stabbing pain coursed through your skull. An image of Noctis was seen seated upon the throne with his blade in hand as glowing blue weapons pierced and surged through his chest, sending him to his death. You felt yourself crying out as his life was sliced away, and with chest pounding, you found yourself gasping with shock when all around you went dark once more.

“The…the prophecy. Noctis’s prophecy…” You stammered. You felt a tear stream down your cheek at the awful sight of your king’s potential death, and you recalled so many years ago how Gladio and Iris had explained to you this very prophecy, and how all were determined to find an alternative way of defeating Ardyn and ridding the world of the Starscourge once in for all. “Noctis…Noctis was destined to die, but we saved him. We found a way so that he could live on. We saved him…But why? Why are you showing me all of this?” _This power….Noct’s ring…_ ”The prophecy had already come to pass. Why are you telling me all of this right now?”

The voice did not reply to your questions, and now once more another swell of pain coursed through your skull and you now found yourself standing along the broken walkways of Altissia, the heavy and freezing rain pelting down upon your skull.

_Altissia…but…but why? Why are we here now?_

“First…Lucians stole from me my mother,” uttered a voice, and your eyes now fully adjusting to the darkness around you, you saw Ravus and Ignis standing before the fallen bodies of Lady Lunafreya and Noctis, “and now they make a sacrifice of my sister!” Ravus bore his blade and he lifted his sword to strike the body of inert Noctis, but in a quick flash of movement Ignis jumped in the way with his daggers drawn, blocking the blow of Ravus with a clash of steel.

“Get out of my way!” Yelled Ravus, his teeth gritted together as he tried to overcome the tactician with all his might.

“What are you doing?” Ignis pleaded as he attempted to force Ravus back.

“What I should have done long ago! Ridding us of this menace!” Ravus shot back, his arms trembling as he fought to bring his sword down.

But now Ignis pushed Ravus back as the two fell to their knees, and within another flash, blades were drawn against each other as the two began to battle one another ruthlessly.

“Stand in my way and you too shall meet the same fate: death!” Ravus screamed over the roaring wind and rain, and Ignis swiftly dogged the electric blade that blazed before him, the man desperate to take hold of the enraged soul who lost his sister.

“I understand the pain you must be feeling, but Noct isn’t the one who did this to her!” Ignis cried, dodging Ravus’s blade. “Lady Lunafreya came to her King’s aid in his time of need. She was fulfilling her calling!”

“Don’t try to justify this! She didn’t need to die!” Ravus screamed back, bringing down his sword upon Ignis’s daggers.

“Kill him, and her sacrifice would have been for naught! Kill him, and you kill her hopes for the future!”

“What hope is there in a future that my sister will never see?!”

And you heard yourself screaming as you watched the two mean mercilessly slash at one another. “Stop! Please stop this!” You begged, the rain soaking through your clothes and almost penetrating through the layers of your flesh. “Please stop this madness! You two will be alright!”

But they battled on, and you were crying and screaming and begging for them to stop, and with what seemed like hours, with one final blow by Ignis, Ravus was knocked off his feet to his defeat.

A silence passed over the scene has the rain continued to pour down, and now Ravus went over to hold the corpse of his dead sister. “I always knew that you would face your fate without fear, fulfill your duty with no regret. But part of me always hoped that I might see you happy one day, your burdens lifted, free to live and love as you please. You would have made a beautiful bride…” he murmured as he held her close, and it was all that Ignis could do to stand there with despair upon his face, and tears streamed down yours as you watched the whole scene transpire before you. “Even in death, the Oracle does not rest. Only once the darkness is dispelled is her calling truly fulfilled,” Ravus continued, and now the body of Lunafreya began to glow warmly. “And, as in life, I know that she will confront that challenge with a smile on her face…”

Tears were streaming down your face now, the scene all too much for you to bear. “But why…why am I seeing this? Why are you taking me back to this moment?” You bellowed now as you stood behind the men. But with a surge of wind, a sickening shiver ran down your spine as the form of Gladio appeared randomly behind the men, and him rushing to strike at Ravus, a scream escaped your lips as Ravus managed to fend of the assault.

“You…Ardyn…”

_Gods…oh gods…Ardyn…?_

And morphing now, the visage of Gladio shifted to a man in billowing coats and a fedora upon his head, a twisted grin upon his face. _Ardyn….all this time in my dreams…it was actually Ardyn. The man we fought to kill to rid the world of the Starscourge…_ Out of nowhere Imperial soldiers began to rush onto the scene, and catching Ignis and Ravus off guard, both men were knocked to their feet and were held down, and once more you began screaming at the top of your lungs.

“No! No! Get away from them! Stop this! What are you doing!” But no matter how much you bawled, you knew that they could not hear you, all of this but a mirage of the past that the mysterious voice was forcing you to be witness to. But now, your eyes shot to look at Ignis whose face was pressed firmly to the wet pavement underneath him, and he gritted his teeth as he struggled to fend off the Imperial scum.

“The game’s up, my boy,” Ardyn said sickeningly, slammed his booted foot down upon Ignis’s face, and you cried as you ran over to his side, but reaching out to push Ardyn away, your hands went right through him.

_No…no….._

As Ignis slowly came to again, Ardyn now kneeled before him with a perverted smirk upon his face, and he spoke once more. “Come now. Why not follow your lieges’ lead and stop resisting?” he said with a sharp dagger in his hand.

“N-Never!” Ignis said through clenched teeth.

“You risked life and limb to safeguard the King of Kings, only to witness him fail so spectacularly. You must be _so_ disappointed, “Ardyn continued. “I know I am.” Ardyn now moved to kneel over Noctis, playing with his blade, and you shouted once more over the terror of what he was going to do. “Oh what good is a word that only ever lets you down? Why not end it all here?”

_Those words…those exact words….he said those in my dream once before…._

And as Ardyn brought his dagger down to slice at Noctis and Ignis screamed his liege’s name, Ravus managed to break free and throw his sword to prevent Ardyn’s attack. But in response, Ardyn’s hand glowed the threatening black miasma and shot a wave of energy at Ravus, sending the poor man flying into stone and knocking him out cold. Ardyn now slowly turned back to Ignis, sauntering over to him so tauntingly.

“Permit me to make a suggestion: rather than follow this flotsam and float away to a watery grave, why not come with me?”

_Those words…again those exact words…._

Ignis gritted his teeth once more as he continued to struggle, and so Ardyn slowly extended his hand to the tactician. “What do you say….?” He asked.

And once more all was black.

You stood in the silence, coldness coming over you as your blindness overtook you once more. Utterly speechless, you felt yourself trembling and your lip quivering as you tried to comprehend all that you just witnessed.

“Ignis…” you said breathlessly, a tear streaming down your face. “Ignis…Ardyn made a deal with him….but what happened? What happened to Ignis?! Tell me! What happened to him!?”

You were again enveloped in light and now found yourself standing behind Ignis who was walking over a metal bridge towards a blue glowing object up ahead.

“Where…where are we?” you said breathlessly now, following close behind him, and even though you knew he couldn’t hear you and you were just a figment of this past moment, you desperately tried to make sense of where you were. The cold metallic structures before you sent chills down your spine and you shivered as you made a connection in your brain. _Niflheim…this looks just like Niflheim architecture. Are…are we at the empire’s base? No….it can’t be…why would we be here? Why…._ But your breath caught in the back of your throat as you realized up ahead what the object was you were headed towards.

_A crystal…a crystal….the one that Noctis slept in all those years?_

Just like the one you dreamed about.

And now as you and Ignis arrived in front of the Crystal, a thick smog-like darkness appeared above you, and both of you turning around once more, there stood Ardyn, his face rotting and decaying like the daemon that you had feared night after night in your nightmares.

Standing confidently and bravely now, Ignis spoke, looking ready for a fight.

“Why are you after Noct? For revenge?” he asked.

“In a sense, yes, but my aims extend beyond the boy. He’s more a means to an end,” said Ardyn, but then he smirked. “I suppose I never revealed my proper name, so allow me to introduce myself: Ardyn Lucis Caelum…”

_No…no….it can’t be…_

“The founder king?” Ignis said incredulously.

“If only,” Ardyn replied now, and with a flash a swirl of red blades surrounded him, circling him in the most terrifying of ways. “That would be my dear brother, who snatched the throne and cast me into exile….I’ve never been called ‘Your Majesty’ before…would you do me the honors?”

“My allegiance lies with the true king alone!” Cried Ignis, planting his feet firmly into the ground.

Then with a sickening leer, Ardyn titled his head to look at him. “Well then. Off with your head.”

And with another flash of blades and light, Ignis was assaulted with the might of Ardyn as he was struck with the magic swords that crashed around you, and you were screaming, utterly helpless to defend the man you loved. “No! No!!! Stop it!!!!”

But all was for naught as the bridge on which you stood began to creak and bend and crumble, and with a loud crash, you fell to the caverns below you and you blacked out once more.

A few moments of obscurity had passed when light filled your eyes once more. Your pupils adjusting to the dark around you, you noticed that you lay next to Ignis upon the broken rubble around you, steel and metal twisted from the caving in of the bridge above you.

_In that dream…in the dream…this is where we were. We were here. After all this time this was…_

But as Ignis stirred next to you, you heard the heavy steps of boots approaching you, and your eyes focused on Ardyn, who now stood next to Ignis and placed his heavy boot upon the tactician’s chest.

“You see, the revenge I seek is not upon the boy. I only wish to punish the Crystal that cast me aside in favor of that insufferable fool.” Grinding his boot into Ignis’s sternum, Ignis was panting heavily and in pain now, he shirt button ripped open to reveal his chest and his hair messy and disheveled from the fall. You screamed once more, but no sound came out of your lungs as tears streamed down your face. But Ardyn paused now, seeming lost in thought. “He’s certainly taking his sweet time ascending as its champion, though. Were there a way to expedite the process!” Then taking out his dagger once more, Ardyn raised his arm to bring the blade down through Ignis’s chest, but Ignis was too fast, rolling out of the way just in time. Now bracing himself on one knee, he unclenched his fist and held out something small in his hand.

_Is that…is that…_

Held between Ignis’s fingers was the Ring of the Lucii and Ardyn now stumbled backwards, utter disbelieve upon his face.

“This world means nothing to me,” Ignis said, his voice raspy as he slowly stood upon two feet. “Do with it as you wish….”

And these words alone made you sob as Ardyn now gritted his teeth and his expression turned to anger and digest.

“How did you get your hands on that?” He growled.

But Ignis ignored him, bracing himself as best as he could. “But I refuse to let Noctis sacrifice his life to save ours. I won’t let you take him away…Even if it costs me my own life to save him!” And now raising his hand, holding the Ring between two fingers and extending the digits of his other hand, he held his chest high. “I will pay that price!”

And there was a flash of light and the screams of Ignis began to echo across the room as the ring blazed on his hand. Holding his face with his hands, Ignis threw back his head and groaned and yelled and grunted and screamed in agony, and you in turn felt yourself shrieking in terror at what was happening.

But all Ardyn could do was saunter closer to Ignis, chuckling grotesquely. “Do take care not to hurt yourself…” he taunted.

But it was the sight before you now that had you yelling the most. As Ignis lowered his hands from his face, he stood with his feet shoulder width apart and his hands in tight fists, his eyes now blazing with the raging purple fire.

And a guttural yell now escaped Ignis’s throat as he charged at Ardyn, and the room was filled was the sounds of the jarring of blades and the flashing of light as Ardyn and Ignis now dashed around the room, warping and clashing into one another mercilessly, and you held your hand over your mouth as tears streamed down your face, crying and sobbing at what was transpiring before you. But as the two continued to fight one, Ignis fell to his knees and you rushed to his side. Knowing that you could not touch him, you fell before him, his face covered in ash-grey markings and his eyes painfully on fire as he tried to breath. He groaned and whimpered in pain as he pressed his hands to his eyes, and your heart shattered into thousand pieces at the suffering this man was enduring.

“Ignis! Ignis! Oh Astrals, what’s happening to you! What’s wrong! You can’t give up! You have to keep fighting!”

And all of a sudden, the room became dark as a blueish flame surrounded you both, and a mysterious gurgled voice filled your ears:

_“If thou dost wish to save the King, a sacrifice must be made…”_

_Sacrifice…_

_Gods…oh gods…Ignis…_

_“The contract is forged. The full power of Ring is now in thine control…”_

And you began screaming as Ignis’s body was completely engulfed in raging flames, his shrieks and cries of agony piercing your ears as he clutched at his own body, trying to bear the pain. But now, pushing himself to his feet, he gritted his teeth as he planted his feet wide apart, and the sight of him in this godlike manner was enough to make you breathless.

And once more, he was on Ardyn with a flash, his daggers clashing against Ardyn’s swords with the flares of fire, lightning and ice, and Ardyn did his best to fight back the tactician’s advances. Ignis was yelling and Ardyn was grunting with frustration as he was continuously knocked back by Ignis, and it was almost as if he could not withstand the power that emblazoned itself in Ignis.

And as the fight went on, you now stood in utter awe and felt yourself gasping harshly as with one final swipe of a dagger, Ardyn was sent flying and Ignis fell to his knees, the flames of his body subsiding as he collapsed in exhaustion.

A moment of silence. Slowly, Ardyn made his way to his feet as he began to stagger towards Ignis. “The best laid plans, eh?” he said breathlessly as he moved closer to Ignis, and as he approached, you saw his very essence melting and fading away into dark miasma. “It may have eluded me for now, but rest assured, I shall have my revenge…” And as he reached out to touch the dying form of Ignis, Ardyn’s body disappeared and as whisked away into nothingness.

Ignis collapsed upon the ground, and as you ran over to him and opened your mouth to call his name, another voice that was not your own was heard.

“Ignis!”

Turning around now, with wide eyes of disbelief, you saw the forms of Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio rushing over to their dear friend, Noctis falling to his knees at his friend’s side. Ignis lay there, his skin ashen and burnt and his eyes clouded over. His chest was barely rising and falling, the remaining last breaths of his life escaping him. You kneeled down by his side with his companions, and tears streamed down your face to see Ignis’s lips turned into an expression of absolute misery and confusion.

“….Noct?” he said hoarsely, unable to see what was around him. “But…how?”

_How…how did they get here…how is this possible. How…_

“Ravus,” Prompto cut in, standing there in utter shock as he looked at Ignis. “He leant us a hand, if you can believe it,” and it sounded as though Prompto used every ounce of his strength to articulate the words.

Gladio’s face was strained and he tightened his fists as though to prevent himself from sobbing. “What the hell were you thinking?” He cried roughly.

“H-how could we let this happen?” Prompto said, his lip shaking.

“How could _I_ let this happen?” Noctis cut in, strain and sorrow heard in his voice. “This is all my fault…” He stared in disbelief as he watched Ignis’ body shake and heave with pain. “If I’m really some kind of savior, then why can’t I save the ones I love? I’m sorry…” And now he was fighting back tears. “You guys have stayed with me this whole time, and all it’s done is caused you pain…” And now, Noctis gently took Ignis’ hand in his own and slid off the Ring, placing it on his own finger with a flash of light. Then taking hold of Ignis’s shoulders, his lifted him up against him and held him upright. “Not anymore. This all ends…now.”

_What…what is happening…what…_

“Please…lend me your strength!” Noctis cried out, holding out his hand towards the Crystal that shimmered before you all. “Help me protect my friends!”

And now the Crystal before you illuminated brightly and swirled with iridescent light, and a stream of warm rays and swirling blue petals swept across Ignis’s body. _Gods…what’s…is he…_ and little by little, the ashen silver scaring of the flames rid themselves from Ignis’s body, and nodding to Gladio, Noctis stood up as Gladio held the tactician in his arms. Then step by step, Noctis walked towards the glowing crystal with determination in each stride. Standing before the Crystal now, Noctis turned to look at his friends. Giving a serious look to Ignis and nodding, who nodded to his liege in turn, Noctis turned to walk to the Crystal, a flash of light filling the room…

And all was silent and all was black once more.

You stood breathing heavily in the darkness, you nerves burning and your lip trembling as your heart and mind tried to make sense of all that was seen.

“Ignis…” you breathed, tears streaming down your face. “Ignis…the flames….his scars…all this time… it’s because he gave his life to save Noctis. He sacrificed his own life to save him. He… did this actually _really_ happen?” And now you covered your mouth, sobs escaping your lips as once more, the glow of gentle light and petals appeared before you.

_“Do not fret, dear child, for the protector of the King’s sacrifice was not done in vain. For it was for his efforts that light was to be restored to our world and our savior could survive in this world. It is for his pain and suffering that all is well, for had he not made these choices, a different fate could have befallen him and us all…”_

“What…what do you mean?” You said hoarsely. “What would have happened? What would have happened to Ignis?”

And with another jolt of pain through your skull, apparitions once more blurred your sight as you were taken back to Altissia on the altar, and once more you saw Ardyn standing over Ignis, taunting him. But Ignis now, breaking free from the grasps of the Imperial soldiers, once again placed the Ring of the Lucii upon his hand. Screaming once more, he had charged at Ardyn who clashed arms with him once again, but this time something was different. Ignis had fallen to his knees after so much time, his strength leaving him as he fell to his knees.

“I think that that was more than enough for one day,” Ardyn sneered, and with a flash of the eye, he was gone, and now Ignis staggered his way over to Noctis, falling upon the ground next to him, his chest rising and falling with pain, his breathing labored.

_Wait…wait…but his eyes…his eyes…._

Ravus now made his way over the fallen form of Ignis, kneeling beside the tactician. “That was rather reckless,” the man said as Ignis struggled to breathe.

But ignoring the comment, Ignis turned his head in the direction of Ravus’s voice. “Where’s Noct?” he said hoarsely, his words catching in his throat. “Is he alright?”

“More or less….all thanks to you,” Ravus murmured, and the tone of his voice was enough to break your heart.

“Thank goodness,” Ignis said, a coughing fit overcoming him as in the distance you heard the voices of Prompto and Gladio hysterically calling for their friends.

“Conserve your strength,” Ravus said, now noting that Ignis made motion to move. “You’ve a calling to fulfill…” And once more, you heard Gladio and Prompto cry frantically as they approached the altar. “As do I…” Ravus said sadly as he stood up, peering down at the wounded man. “May fortune favor us both…”

And as Ravus walked away now and Gladio and Prompto rushed to their friends’ sides, Ignis turned his head in a direction of where he believed Noct lay beside him. “Please…forgive me…” he mumbled.

_Iggy…he can’t see…is he…is he….blind?_

And in a consecutive series of visions, you began to see what would have been: Ignis, now wearing darkened shades with a cane in his hand as he stumbled helplessly through the marshes of an unknown landscape, the four companions bickering and fighting over his new disability. Flash forward to a train, where the friends combated a succession of daemons, and a series of Niflheim fleet above ruthlessly assaulted the moving freight with a series of bullets and artillery. Prompto had fallen off, leaving Noctis to yell in panic and fear. Ardyn, now threatening the young King of his friends whereabouts. Tenebrae, the once beautiful towers and sprawling lands ablaze burning and tears of sorrow falling from the faces of children and families who had just lost their home. Ravus declared missing and a traitor to the empire. Snow. Windswept snow and daemons and the assault of the Niflheim upon the moving Regalia dashing towards the capital of Gralea at Zegnautus. The companions now parted ways as they desperately sought to find their missing friend. Daemons. Daemons everywhere and daemonic plagued MTs sauntering the murky halls and the taunting voice of Ardyn over the loud speaker as the retinue made their way through the keep. Ravus, his body itself now plagued with the Starscourge as he pleaded for death and more daemons and more darkness and confusion and sadness as flash-forward ten years, the companions met once more as they walked their King to the steps of the Citadel to face the destiny that was predetermined for him, there last moment alive together…

And although the light had returned and the world was rid of the Starscourge once and for all, the world was still dark in in the hearts of all that lived in it.

Tears flooded down your face, your hands upon your eyes as the visions you witnessed caused you to fall apart. “Ignis…” you muttered. “You would have suffered. You would have lived in perpetual darkness. Oh gods Ignis, we all would have suffered…What you did…”

And as your tears subsided, unable to handle any more weight of this potential future world, the enigmatic voice spoke softly to you once more, drawing you back to her attention.

_“And now, dear child, I ask this of you, and this is your challenge that you must bear with all of your bravery and strength. You saw what has happened and you saw would could have bene. But now it is up to you to determine what will be for the companion of the King. Only you can save the protector of the king, who know needs more than ever to be protected himself from the burden he bears within his soul. Free him of this pain and free him of this burden, or he shall surely be destroyed within the plague of darkness forever, forever lost to the madness of this world. Save him before it is too late and he is forever gone.”_

Your eyes widened in terror at her last words. “But wait! Wait! What do you mean he needs to be saved! What’s going to happen to him! What-“

And with a flash of the softest light and a burst of glowing blue petals all around you, a strangled gasp escaped your lips and all the air came back to your lungs. You slowly came back to your senses, the world around you now coming back to life and finally moving once more as the sun was starting to set in the quieting stillness of the dusk.

Silence.

_Gods….oh Six….what….what…._

Clutching your head in your hands, you felt your lower lip quivering and your chest rising and failing heavily as you came to realize the vast weight of everything that you just witnessed _. Ignis…oh Astrals…what did I just see…was this….did this all actually really happen? Oh gods no, Ignis…what…what…._

Feeling as though you were choking on air, with shaking hands you reached into your pocket and yanked out your phone and began to quickly hit numbers with fumbling fingers. Bringing your phone up to your ear as you frantically began to pace, you anxiously waited for the voice on the other line to answer as you held back heaving sobs.

“Hey, what’s up, Y/N?” said the cheerfully gruff voice of Gladio on the other hand, and part of you was startled that he had answered so quickly, assuming that he might be on duty.

“G-Gladio,” you began, gasping and choking on your words as you held back tears. “Gladio, I need to see Noctis. Right now. I need to see him. I don’t know what happened and I don’t know what I just saw but-“

“Woah woah woah,” he began, gently cutting you off, the tone of his voice now going serious. “Y/N, what’s wrong? What happened? You gotta slow down so I can understand you.”

“I…I saw dreams, Gladio. No, not dreams. Visions. I don’t understand everything I saw and what it all means, but I’m scared now and I need to see Noctis right away because I don’t know what to do!”

“Visions?” Gladio said, and the tone of this voice became hoarse. “What visions? What did you see?”

And now you found tears streaming down your face. “Oh Gladio, I don’t know. Ignis…Ignis…there was fire and there was burning and light and a voice spoke to me as I heard his screams and saw his pain. Please, what do I do?”

Gladio went silent on the other line and you noticed that by the way he inhaled deeply that something had changed. Something felt different now. “Calm down,” he said gently, his voice slightly strained and yet somehow composed. “I’m gonna send Prompto to come get you. Just stay calm. Relax. It’s gonna be ok, just-“

“No Gladio, I can’t wait! I just can’t sit here and wait. I’ve been doing too much of waiting and not enough acting! I’m going to take one of the EXINERIS jeeps. This can’t wait! I….I’m going to be there soon…”

Gladio breathed in deeply, and despite how flustered he seemed now, there was almost a smile heard in his voice that you couldn’t just quite understand. “Just be careful,” he said. “We’re going to be fine. It’s ok...” But why was he acting so calm about all of this? What was going on?

Hanging up on him, you hurriedly ran your hands through your hair and texted Holly.

**Having a little emergency. Meeting with Noctis. Everything is fine. Taking the jeep to Insomnia. I’m sorry for the short notice.**

Now shoving your phone into your pocket, you pulled your keys out of your back pants pocket, and quickly spotted the car parked in the upper lot. _It’s like the dog lead me here purposely_ , you thought as you now dashed up the steps to the upper lot. Rushing over to the company car, you unlocked the vehicle, yanked at the door handle, and jumped inside, fumbling with your keys as you attempted to put them in the ignition. Then starting the car, the engine of the jeep roared like a Wyvern and you sped out of the parking lot and headed towards Insomnia.

_Ignis…Ignis…_

May the Astrals have blessed you with good fortune as you raced through the Lucian highways, the roads chillingly empty for this time of day. Your eyes focused intently on the road ahead of you as you drove as safely as you could, your hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that your knuckles were white. Up ahead, you gazed into the setting sky that burned the horizon with vivid shades of pink, red, yellow, and fuchsia. You gasped a sigh of relief as your car began to pass over the steely bridge that led to the Crown City.

 _I’m almost there…_ you said, breathing deeply as your heart slammed in your chest. Zooming across the bridge with no other car in sight, the jeep began to now pass through the outer rural streets of Insomnia. Having never driven through the Crown City yourself, it was almost like some greater divine force was guiding you through the streets as you drove deeper into the looming, skyscraper ridden center city. Another cavernous breath escaping your lips, up ahead you spotted the Citadel as the jeep approached the entrance gate.

Your car came to a jolting stop and you began to drum your hands on the steering wheel as two security guards began to approach you from the checkpoint gate. Rolling down your window so that they could talk to you, the first man began to inspect the inside of your car as he looked at your face.

“State your name and purpose, miss,” he said to you as he tapped his baton in his hands, almost impatiently as if he didn’t want to be wasting his time conversing with you.

“M-My name is Y/N,” you stammered, your nerves tingling as you found your patience now slowly dwindling. “I’m here to see King Noctis. I need to speak with him. I-“

But the second guard now came up to the side of the car, frowning at you. “The King himself? Do you have a clearance for this vehicle? You need authorization from the parliament itself to pass through here if you wish to get past this point, miss.”

Your brows knitting together, you felt your lips trembling and pouting as you blurted out your response. “But you don’t understand! This is important! It’s an emergency! I have to tell Noctis that-“

“ _King_ Noctis,” Guard A said condescendingly, correcting you. “Miss, I’m sorry, but we can’t let you past this point without written permission and authorization from-“

“Wait! Let her in! She’s with me!” Cried a voice, and all heads now turning towards the Citadel steps, your lungs swelled with joy as you now spotted Prompto dashing down the steps in full Crownsguard attire.

“M-Mr. Argentum! But she doesn’t have the clearances. She just can’t-“ Guard B began, but Prompto swiftly cut him off with a full-fledge assault of words.

“King’s orders!” He yelled as he came to the foot of the steps with determination and authority in his voice. “She’s a welcome guest here at any time! She’s got importance business with Noct and so I suggest you let her pass right this second!”

Both guards were more than flustered now, their faces a deep red and full of shame, and you felt yourself blushing at the implication of Prompto’s words. “Y-Yes sir!” they both stammered in unison, and going to the security booth, they lifted the gate to let your jeep pass. Speeding your car up to the foot of the steps of the Citadel, you turned off the ignition and jumped out of the car, almost losing your step in the process due to the numbness of nerves in your legs. Prompto grabbed onto your arm to prevent you from falling, and as you looked at his face, you could see his countenance laden with concern and calmness.

“F-Follow me!” Prompto said. “We’ll be there in a jiffy! It’s all gonna be ok, Y/N…”

Now running up the steps at two at a time after Prompto, your vision around you whirled as you tried to maintain your footing on your wobbly feet. Your heart slamming in your chest, you could not even take note of the winding and lamp-lit hallways as you darted after Prompto.

_Astrals, please let me get my answers. Please, Noctis, help Ignis. Please, I don’t understand this. Please –_

But before you could finish your panicked thoughts, Prompto thrust open the massive doorways before you, and now, to your own shock and amazement, you now stood within the throne room, staring up the sprawling staircases to see the King of Lucis seated on his throne with the Shield at his side.

The sight of Noctis dressed in his kingly raiment, sitting regal and majestic, was enough to make you lose your breath. Noctis and Gladio now seeing the panic upon your face as you entered the room quickly made motion and stood up to move down the left set of stairs to you, but you forgetting for a moment that the King was one of your dearest friends, you quickly sank to your knee and kneeled to him out of reverence. In shock, both Noctis and Gladio stopped dead in their tracks halfway on the stairs.

“Y-Your Majesty,” you blurted out breathlessly, and the term was enough to fill Noctis’s face with surprise. You shut your eyes tightly as you spoke, trying to hide your fear that was more than obvious on your expression. “Your Majesty, Ignis...he…I saw things. I don’t know what I saw but I’m so scared and I don’t know what to do or how to comprehend everting. I-“

“Y/N, please get up. It’s ok.”

Your eyes snapping wide open, Noctis and Gladio made their quickly way down the steps, concern and apprehension wrought across their handsome faces, and Prompto put his hand on your shoulder. It was now that you rapidly and frantically began to scan the room, your heart sinking with panic at your sudden realization.

“Ignis…Where’s Ignis?” You uttered, your lip quivering and your body trembling. Truth be told, the tactician was nowhere to be seen or found next to his loyal companions, and knowing his schedule, you felt positive that he should be with them at this moment.

“He requested the day off for some private business, but he never old us why,” Gladio said as he reached out his hand to you, and your heart fluttered at this. _But Ignis would have told me that, you thought. Why didn’t he say anthing to me?_ You grabbed Gladio’s large hand with your tiny one, and he continued to speak, his brows knit together as he tried to read your face. “He was acting all sorts of mysterious, like he was up to something, but again, he said nothing to us about what he was doing…”

You took a moment to let his words sink in, and your knees going weak, you almost felt your legs give out on you as the color drained from your face, holding back the urge to vomit. “Astrals…oh gods…gods…Ignis!”

A tear began to stream down the side of your face and you brought your hands up to your mouth to cover up a sob, but it was Noctis who now firmly placed both hands upon your shoulders, shaking you slightly back into focus. “Y/N, what is it? What is wrong? You have to tell us what happened.” Despite Noctis trying to be the one to get you to be reasonable and relax, the tone of his own voice was laced with worry and a sense of fear, and it seemed to be _him_ that was now trying not to panic. He maneuvered your frail body gently so that you were seated on the step, and he, Prompto, and Gladio each kneeled in front of you now, waiting for you to speak.

Fighting back a sob, you inhaled deeply and shut your eyes to help you gather your thoughts. Reopening your eyes and looking to each man, you felt your chest rise and fall, not even knowing where to start.

“I…I…” You cleared your throat, a sense of strength coming over you, and you finally gathered the words to speak. “I’ve been having these dreams for months now. Ever since the moment I met Ignis. Powerful dreams. Vivid dreams.” You felt yourself blush as you tried to ignore your embarrassment that must have been clear upon your face. “At first I thought nothing of what these dreams might mean. I….I thought they were just an extension of a reality that I was wishing for. But then, something changed.” And you paused as you looked to each of the men before you. “As time went on, I began to see things change in these dreams that didn’t make sense. It was Ignis. In a lot of these dreams he would say the most peculiar things that seemed so out of place. Or he wouldn’t react normally. In a lot of these dreams we were taken to Altissia the day of the attack. We were taken to the Altar, so many times, over and over, and were about to be attacked by this daemon. And you, Noct. You were lying there, helpless as Ignis tried to protect you. But regardless of where we were in these dreams, no matter what we were doing, there was always something about Ignis that I couldn’t explain. I didn’t get it until now. It was his eyes.”

Each of the retinue before you inhaled sharply as they looked at you wide eyed, and feeling yourself shaking, you continued forth. “I…I knew that there had to be more to this than it just being a dream. Why would I dream of this? Why would I dream of these blazing eyes? But it wasn’t until the day I went to Tenebrae that…that…that I fully realize now that what I’ve been seeing all this time were more than just dreams. They were visions…I remember now….And then….there was a dog….”

“Umbra…” Noctis said breathlessly, almost in a whisper, but swallowing hard, realizing that you could save all questions for later, as it seemed that Noctis was catching on to something, you plunged forth. “It…It…was following me. I remember now. It was following me, trying to guide me to something. And it lead me to this light. And….I heard a voice of a woman. And then I felt this pain and my own eyes were on fire. And then tonight…the woman came back to me once more…her light and her petals surrounding me and…”

And that was when you let all the truth come out, and you were mumbling and crying as you explained tonight’s visions in full detail. How you saw Ignis fight Ravus, the pain and sorrow of Ravus coursing through him as he fought mercilessly against Ignis who tried to save the man from his desolation. How the daemon who had remained a mystery for all these months now had really lead itself to be Ardyn in your dreams, and how he had shown up at that rainy altar that dreadful night, threatening to end the life of Noctis and how Ignis had stepped in to distract the exiled heir to the Lucian throne from killing his successor . And how the two fought ruthlessly at Zegnautus Keep, Ignis catching Ardyn off guard with wielding the Ring and knowing the risk involved, selflessly placing it upon his finger and allowing his body to be destroyed and ravaged and manipulated by the power of the gods and the kings of the past, each minute passing by extinguishing his life as he attempted to protect the king he loved so much. And sobbing now, you blubbered out the fate of Ignis, dictated by the mysterious voice, and how had the man that you loved so much had not made the sacrifice that he did, all would be left to broken hope. Tenebrae would have been in shambles and would be no more, the Lucian line would have suffered its tragic end of its last heir, and the royal advisor would have lost the sight that he valued so much in his existence.

The vast grand hall was cast in utter silence as the Crownsguard members stared at you, utter shock apparent on their faces as if they didn’t know how to process all that was said to them. Feeling an emotional weight lifted off of your chest as you felt you were finally able to collect yourself, you opened our mouth to speak once again when Noctis reached out to take your hand, a small tear rolling down the side of his cheek.

“Even after all of this time, she is still watching over me and the ones I care about,” he murmured quietly.

Wiping a tear from your face, you bit your lip as you noticed now that Gladio and Prompto too were also smiling, and pure and utter confusion came over you as you tried to make sense of their behavior.

“What?” you said slowly, your voice in a whisper. “But I don’t understand….Who are you talking about?”

“Y/N, you said petals, right?” Prompto said, sniffling now.

“Y-Yeah, they were blue and they smelled sweet. But what does that have to do with…” And the dawn of realization came over you. “Do you mean that was…”

“Lady Lunafreya,” Gladio said confidently, wiping away his own tear. “It seems that the Astrals have much favor in you, Y/N, to have her looking out for you.”

You felt as though you were holding your breath, and you were not sure if you were more confused over the serenity of the demeanors of your friends or over the realization of what you just learned. But thinking about it now, it slowly all started to make sense.

“Lady Lunafreya…oh gods…gods…is this true? But how? How is this possible?” You asked, your head spinning. “She’s been gone for so many years? Why has she been reaching out to me?”

“It seems like this is her way of repaying Ignis for how he helped me,” Noctis said, his words straining to come out in speech. “She saw what Ignis did for me. She knew what he did fore everyone else. She almost knew that Iggy was going to be too afraid to tell _you_ the truth, and so, helping you find him and lead you to him, she wanted to help you see this truth for yourself.”

_Oh Six….but how…_

But as if the force of the world came to smack you right in the face, the burden of it all now truly dawned upon you. “So…So it’s true…” you said, looking at Noctis now. “All of this is true…Iggy…he…he really sacrificed his own life to save you for the greater good?”

Noctis nodded, his eyes glazed over with tears, and it was almost as if he was finally able to comprehend and truly appreciate the vastness of what his friend did to save his life and the future of Lucis.

You braced your hands on either side of you, trying to catch your breath. “So it’s true…” you murmured to yourself. “It’s true…”

And suddenly your mind flashed back to almost ten years ago as you sat upon the dusty steps of the Lestallum streets, conversing with Gladio and Iris:

 _“_ _But…this Ardyn guy…if he is so powerful….if he is the real cause of all of this darkness upon the world…Just how can we defeat him?”_

Gladio had said, _“Again, a little bit of information I can’t reveal quite yet. It’s really not my place to be saying such, but he’s already in a weakened state because of the power of the Ring. Hopefully he won’t be able to do too much more damage by controlling the daemons more than he already is. But I think we’ve got him at bay right now. You’ll just have to ask Iggy about that.”_

 _“Ignis? Why would I ask him? What does he know that you guys can’t tell me?”_ you had asked him back.

You gasped as you looked to each of your friends, focusing mainly on Gladio. “You all knew. You all knew all this time. But…but why? Why did no one tell me? All this time, every time that I looked at Ignis’s face and touched those scars I always wondered what happened to him, and no one told me! But why? Gladio, why couldn’t you have told me then and there all those years ago?”

Gladio almost smirked now, and had it not been for the seriousness of the conversation, you would have almost punched him in the shoulder. “Because it’s not my place to be saying things about others. You know how Iggy is. The bastard will never give himself credit for anything. He was going to lose his king and one of his best friends. He was so focused on that sole goal and he didn’t want to be in the spot light over it.”

“That, and…” Prompto began, a blissful look upon his face now, “Ignis begged us not to discuss it with anyone. It seemed he wanted to forget about it and put it in his past, once he knew Noctis was saved. We weren’t about to break our promise to him, knowing the kind of man he is. The guy would literally do anything for someone he cares about. He didn’t want it to seem like he should be rewarded for it.”

You remember the distinct way the Amicitias looked at each other during that very same conversation. _“Again, not my place to say,_ ” Gladio had said. “ _Iggy is a pretty humble guy and I’m not one to be bragging about his accomplishments. You’ll just have to wait and ask him yourself.”_

“I…I should have just asked him,” you murmured. “All this time I should have just said something, but Astrals was I so scared…” But your eyes widened in horror, another dawn of realization coming over you. “But Luna….she showed me the past of what could have been. She showed me the suffering of what everyone would have endured. How Ignis would have had to live in his own darkness for all of his life….then why…why…”

“Why what?” Asked Noctis, his expression going serious once more.

“Lunafreya…she said that I need to go to him, else otherwise Ignis would be doomed to despair. That I need to save him from destruction, or otherwise he will live in misery! What doom and despair! What does she mean!?”

And now each of the boys smiled and you were suddenly infuriated over their reaction. Why were they looking at you this way?

“I think you know that answer, Y/N…” Noctis said quietly as he took your hands once more.

_Huh?_

You tilted your head, feeling more confused than ever. “What do you mean? What do I know? I don’t understand what you are saying!”

And Noctis let go of your hands as he took hold of both of your shoulders, looking at you seriously in the face. “I know you know, Y/N. You’ve come to know Specs almost better than anyone else he knows. You know that he won’t give himself a moment to relax. He’s so focused on doing what’s right for everyone else that he forgets to live for himself. I’ve known him since we were both children. I’ve seen him do it my whole life. He puts everyone else before himself and sacrifices his own needs to make everyone else happy. And I can tell, even now, that there are days that wear him so thin that it’s a wonder he manages to be so calm and collected with all that he’s responsible with. I see what it does to him. In fact, maybe this is my realization that I need to give him a little room and let him live…” And Noctis paused now, smiling at you. “You can save him from that, Y/N. I’ve seen it all along. And you both have been so afraid to just let go that I really think that Lunafreya is trying to tell you that it’s time to really tell him what’s on your mind and how you feel. That you both need to stop being afraid, because in the end, it’s going to destroy you both. Because if there is anything that I never thought I’d get to truly experience and see in my life after almost losing it,” he said, and he paused now, a tear strolling down his cheek, “it’s that I never thought I’d live to see what it was like when two people really love one another like the way you both do.”

Your breath caught in your lungs as your lips parted, and shaking now, you almost felt a sob leave you. The room was silent now, and the truth of it all was there. You loved him. And he loved you. And you both had been so afraid of your pasts this whole time, so afraid of the burdens that you bore that you had been missing out on so much with one another.

Placing your hand on Noctis’s you opened your mouth to speak when suddenly, the shrillness of your cellphone ringtone reverberated and echoed throughout the grand hall. Raising an eyebrow and looking to each of your friends, you took your phone out of your pocket to see who was calling, and you gasped as you read the caller ID.

“Ignis…” you breathed, and the boys stepped back from you now as they gave you room to breathe.

“I think you had better answer that,” Noctis said with a wink.

Gathering your courage and composure, you took a deep breath as you swiped the phone screen with your finger and brought the phone up to your ear. “Ignis,” you said breathlessly, and you suddenly felt yourself blushing as the boys stood before you, trying to give you privacy , yet clearly their curiosity was getting the best of them.

“Y/N,” Ignis said, warmly, equally breathless, and the sound of him saying your name in such a way made your heart flutter. “I…I needed to hear your voice. I…I have missed you terribly these last few days, and I know that this is such short notice, but…I would like to see you. Here. In Insomnia. I know that you have been engaged in your work with the mythril ore and how it has been preoccupying your work. I can speak with Holly if I need to and I can have one of our contacts in Lestallum take you here, but…but I wanted to see you. I wanted to talk to you about something of great importance. In person.” His words tumbled out of his mouth in a manner so unlike him, and the muscles of your throat tightened and you felt yourself blush, the tone of his admission endearing and desperately sweet.

Trying to fight back the nervousness coursing through you now, you cleared your throat. “Iggy, I….I’m actually already here. In Insomnia. Right now.”

You visualized in your mind his raised eyebrow and the parting of his lips at this sudden reveal. “A-Are you serious?” he said breathlessly and incredulously. “B-But this is such a surprise. Is everything alright? Why are you here?”

You bit your lip as you tried to not look at the boys now, and you could tell that despite the fact that they gave you some space, they were desperately trying to eavesdrop on whatever Ignis was saying on the other line.

“Y-Yeah, I’m alright. Some last minute errand for Holly. But I’m ok, Iggy. I promise.” And you were trembling now, the evening almost crashing down upon you all at once, and quite frankly you didn’t know how to handle everything seeming to fall into place miraculously.

“I see,” Ignis replied, and his voice seemed hoarse as though he was combatting his own nerves. “I… I was not expecting this. But I can surely say that I am more than delighted. I….” And once again, you’re heart swelled, envisioning how flustered he must be right now, being caught off guard with his usual planned schedule.

“Ignis,” you murmured, a smile in your voice, “tell me where you are, and I’ll be there right away. Sooner than you think.”

Ignis inhaled deeply on the other line. “Inside my private apartments in the Citadel. But we’ll need to have you get your clearances in order to gain access to the Citadel. They don’t permit unauthorized vehicles through the gates without –“

“Ignis, I’ll be there sooner than you think,” you said gently, and you heard him gulp sharply as you continued. “I’ll have someone show me the way. I’ll be there soon.”

And without giving him a moment to respond, you ended the call, and now that you had a moment to breathe, you realized that your body was shaking and trembling and your spine was tingling painfully with anticipation and apprehension.

You were startled as a hand was placed upon your shoulder, and snapping out of your thoughts, you looked to see Noctis with a large grin upon his face. “You know what you need to do. Save my friend,” Noctis said warmly. And unexpectedly, he embraced you in his arms, taking a deep breath. “T-Thank you. Thank you for everything that you’ve done for him.”

Fighting back a tear, you squeezed him back, and then pulling away from your hug, you looked down at yourself to check the status of your appearance.

“W-Well? Do I look somewhat presentable?” You said, embarrassed now that you had shown up here, only to end up in tears and crying like a child. Gods only knew what you looked like now after being such a mess.

“You’re absolutely beautiful,” Gladio said, crossing his arms and giving you a wink. “Now don’t leave Iggy waiting any longer, kiddo. You gotta tell him how you feel.”

Nodding to Gladio, Prompto now took your hand and squeezed it. “I’ll take you to the floor where he is, but after that, you’re on your own,” Prompto said, winking too, and the gesture almost made you blush.

Prompto now heading to the doorway, you turned back to Noctis one last time, “Thank you Noctis. Thank you for everything…”

Him nodding to you now, you darted over to Prompto as you two made your way through the twisting halls of the Citadel. You both walked in silence now, and Prompto could almost sense your anxiety coursing through you as you took each step closer to your destination. Stopping in front of an elevator, Prompto hit the ‘up’ button, and after a few moments, the control panel dinged and the elevator door opened. Stepping inside with the door closing behind you, you felt yourself bouncing on the balls of your feet as you wrung your hands together, and out of the corner of your eye you could see a grin forming in the corner of Prompto’s lips. You felt a light sheen of sweat form over your skin as you waited out your ride, and after a few more moments passed, the elevator came to a halt and the door opened. Stepping out, you waited to follow Prompto, but turning around, you saw that he had his hand out to hold the door open and he was grinning.

“This is as far as I will take you. You’re in Iggy’s territory now. He’s all the way at the end of the hallway. Last room on the left.”

And now the elevator door shut behind you and you were left to yourself, standing in the silent passage, all on your own to await your fate.

And you were trembling. And you were quivering and shuddering. And your heart was slamming in your chest and you could barely breathe. But there was no going back at this point. Heading down the hallway, treading each step carefully so that you would not falter with your footing, your mind began to spin as you tried to gather your breaths. What would you say? What would you tell him? How would he react, now that you knew the whole truth that you had been desperate to learn after all this time? What did he have to tell _you_? Each of these questions flashed through your mind, and it was now before you knew it that you were at the end of the hallway, and quickly gazing out the window, you saw the last bit of dusk now cracking over the horizon as the sun laid itself to rest in the milky, starry night sky.

And facing the doorway now, raising your hand with all the strength you could aggregate, you brought your fist down gently upon the door and knocked three times.

A quiet rustle from behind the door.

This was it.

And after a few moment’s pause, the door came to a slow open, and the figure standing there before you spoke your name.

“Y/N,” he murmured, the sound of your name on his lips sending shivers down your spine.

“Ignis,” you gasped breathlessly.

And there, standing in the doorframe was Ignis, looking at you with all the longing in the world, his green eyes sparkling with affection and his sandy blond hair down and messy in the most attractive of ways.

Just like your passionate dreams of him each and every night….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the words of Cid, y'all better brace yourself for power for the next chapter, because I'm sure at this point you know what's going to happen next.


	14. Spectrum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things before you read and then I'll leave the rest of my commentary for the "after chapter" notes!:
> 
> *I highly recommend listening to this chapter's song before you read. It'll give you the shivers, or at least I hope it will! I think it's super sexy in its own way.
> 
> *For a visual reference, I happened to find an artist named Merwild who did an art piece of Ignis that depicts him ALMOST exactly as how I have been envisioning him, but only with less body scars. So while you are reading this chapter, this is exactly what I want you to envision. You shall not be disappointed:
> 
> https://merwild.deviantart.com/art/My-soul-remembers-721218493
> 
> Without further ado, here is what you all have been waiting for, the latest chapter, "Spectrum." :) Comments and feedback are always greatly appreciated. :D
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_And when we come back we'll be dressed in black  
_

_And you'll scream our names aloud  
_

_And we won't eat and we won't sleep  
_

_We'll drag bodies from the ground_  


_So say my name  
_

_And every color illuminates  
_

_And we are shining  
_

_And we'll never be afraid again_

_\- Florence and the Machine – “Spectrum”_

“Y/N…” Ignis hoarsely said once more, your name catching tightly in his throat as his eyes widened slightly at the sight of you actually standing right before him in his doorway. “I…Astrals, you’re here already. I didn’t expect you to be here so soon, I-“

You felt yourself trembling at the sight of the man who was so normally kempt now looking rather rugged and roguish, his green eyes gleaming brightly as he looked upon you, and it was all you could do to prevent yourself from fainting as your raging desires began to course through your veins.

_Oh Astrals…he’s….he’s so breathtaking. Gods, let me be brave…_

But you inhaled as best as you could, trying to keep your legs from shaking and your lightheadedness from dizzying you. A wave of giddiness washed over you upon noticing how flustered the usually composed man was, and it was now that you finally gathered the courage to speak. “Holly wanted me to talk to Noctis about something with the meteorshards and mythril, so I’ve been downstairs for a little while talking to him about that,” you fibbed, feeling yourself dying inside with how anxious you were feeling at the moment.  Your lips curved into a small smile then, recalling your conversation with Ignis in your bedroom suite back in Tenebrae. “I guess I managed to surprise you after all somehow,” you said as you played with your hands. For but a moment your eyes trailed down to where his own skull pendant of his necklace dangled between his collar bones, and you gulped at the sight of his shirt being unbuttoned more than usual, slightly revealing the upper curvature of his lithe pectorals. You swallowed hard, trying to fight back your blush.

Ignis looked upon you with the most surprise, and it almost seemed as though he was holding in his breath for minutes upon end. “Y/N…Y/N….” he said breathlessly, and  now inhaling deeply and stepping forward now, in one swift motion he engulfed you in his arms, his arms tightly wrapping around your back, causing your form to be pulled close to his body and nestle within the toned muscle of his chest. Breathing in deeply, your senses were instantly overwhelmed by the scent of his earthy cologne and the faint scent of Ebony as your spine tickled at the sensation of his hands trailing down your back as he held you. Your own arms wrapped around his back, your legs instantly becoming weak at the feel of the heat of his body heart radiating against you. “Oh Astrals, how I’ve missed you,” he said now, and looking down at you he placed a deep kiss upon your forehead, his eyes shutting but for a moment. Then breathing deeply once more, he now cupped your face in his chin, the most dashing of smiles upon his face. “How time passed ever so slowly this week, just waiting to see you again. I’m just…perhaps feeling a little bit overwhelmed at knowing that you are actually here right now. Perhaps it is I that is now imagining your presence?”

Your heart swelling with each passing moment, a soft laugh escaped your lips and you tried your best to maintain your composure as you slowly reached up to place an endearing kiss upon the scar of his nose. “I’m here now, Iggy. You’re not dreaming. I promise.” But then you titled your head as you looked at him, and subconsciously batting your eye lashes at him, another small smile curved up on your lips as you spoke once more, you feeling braver but for a second. “But I suppose you didn’t invite me here just to have us stand in your doorway?”

Ignis’s eyes widened again, his confoundedness now seeming to get the best of him. “Oh y-yes, but of course not,” he said, and releasing you from his grasp, he moved out of the way and motioned you to pass into his apartment.  You treaded through the doorway with careful steps. Then, with a shut of the door behind you, you found yourself standing now in the territory of Ignis Scientia.

A hushed moment passed and you felt your heart begin to flutter in your chest as you took in the sight of his living quarters around you. You had expected nothing but refinement, elegance, and sophistication for his living space, but standing here within the realm of his residence for the first time ever was enough to make you feel that you were being suffocated by your lack of being able to breathe from the anxiety that was coursing through you. Not surprised by his choice of color palette, the living area was furbished with plush grey carpets and lush couches. A sleek glass coffee table was placed in the center of the room, and even though the night air was more than enough to keep one warm, the fireplace along the wall blazed soothingly, casting dancing shadows upon the walls. You gulped and you continued to gaze around the room, taking note of the exquisite art that hung itself on the walls, and finding yourself able to take a slight breath, your nostrils were immediately filled with the scents of freshly made coffee as well as rich spices that emanated from the candle that burned on the coffee table. Several tea lights were lit in the kitchen that was donned with modernized steel appliances, and the main source of light that permeated the area were a few lamps that were lit in the exterior corners of the room. But the detail that caught the most attention of yours was the curling and flowing of silver curtains that danced in the breeze that made its way into the living room through the open window.

_Astrals…_

“P-Please, make yourself at home,” Ignis said as he pressed himself up behind you to place a kiss on the top of your head. His voice and the contact of his body against yours made you jump, and you bit your lip to fight back at moan at the sensation of his hands now placed firmly upon your hips, the heat of his form soaking into your body.

And then, before you could react to his movement, he released you from his grasp and casually moved himself into the kitchen and began to reach into the cupboards for some mugs. “C-Can I offer you some tea or coffee perhaps?” He said, and something in his voice was strained as if he was combating his own tension and feelings.

Standing still for a moment and holding your breath, you watched his movements, your eyes following the way his hand wrapped around the handle of the mugs and how his body shifted against the counters as he worked. You became essentially aware of the way the fabric of his dark grey dress shirt moved over his form, and you felt yourself biting your lip at the way the shirt was tucked into his sinfully tailored black pants. Holding back a whine, you could not help especially notice how the silver button that kept such a garment zippered together was glinting in the lamp light and the shining silver of his belt buckle clinked gently as he body shifted against the kitchen counters.  Gulping now and placing a brave smile upon your face, you spoke. “Y-Yes, tea would be lovely,” you said as confidently as you could.

Taking note too of how impeccably clean his apartment was, you removed your shoes and socks, leaving them by the door to allow your bare feet to walk upon the sumptuous carpets of the floor and across the living room. You treaded each step carefully with as much will power as you could muster as you made your way over to the couch to sit, and turning your head to look at Ignis, you noticed that he was now smiling at you as he poured Ebony into his own mug and tea into yours. And yet, despite how every single movement of Ignis was always laced with poise and dignity, your hyperactive senses allowed you to notice that his hands were shaking slightly as he grasped at the handles of the mugs as he made his way over to you on the couch.

“M-My apologies that dinner has not been prepared yet,” Ignis said as he sat down next to you, handing you your mug, and you had to focus very hard on getting your hand to concentrate on grabbing the handle. But you raised your eyebrow, curious and taken aback that he had the intention of cooking for you. “I had all the essential ingredients prepared from the start of the day, but I admittedly was rather thrown off guard at finding out that you would be here so soon. I’m always much more prepared than this. Had I known better I would have made sure that-“

“Ignis, it’s ok,” you said softly and sweetly, your muscles tight in your throat as you reached out to gently place a reassuring hand upon his knee, and your touch almost seemed to make him jump. “There’s no need to fret. It’s my fault that I didn’t give you notice. We can make it together. But the tea is perfectly fine for now...”

A smile graced your lips as you took a sip of your tea, and Ignis finally let his shoulders relax slightly as he took note of your contentedness, seeming to take intense notice of your hand that was on his leg. “B-But of course,” he said now, taking a sip of his own drink, “I-I would rather much love your assistance. It has been seldom that we have had the opportunity to partake as such together…” Taking a deep breath, Ignis allowed his body to shift right up against yours, your thighs now pressing against each other, and it was all you could do to fight back a moan at the contact of his muscley leg against yours.

You swallowed hard as you allowed your thoughts to trail away for but a moment. _Oh Astrals…gods…why am I so nervous? Why am I acting again like it’s the very first time that I met him? Please just give me the strength  to be brave and admit everything. Let me do this…_ Clearing your throat now, you smiled gently at Ignis as you once again began to look around his apartment. “You know, this is rather exciting for me. All this time you’ve always been stuck with coming to my place, and so I think it’s nice to finally have one mystery solved for me.”

Ignis raised his eyebrow at you, and just the way that his eyebrow arched was enough to make you feel giddy. “Mystery, you say? Whatever mystery has been resolved for you?”

The way that his accented words rolled off his tongue made your stomach tighten and your mouth dry and so thus you took another sip of your tea to wet your palette. “Well, ok,” you began, laughing lightly, “perhaps ‘mystery’ isn’t the right word. Perhaps curiosity is what I meant. Not that I ever expected anything less from you, but I have to say: it’s really exciting for me to see how you keep your life and what your home looks like. You have a really beautiful place here. I’m kinda jealous…”

Ignis chuckled now, and the sound of his amusement made you swoon. “Why thank you. Surprisingly enough for being situated right within the Citadel, one can maintain a sense of privacy here. As you know, I don’t always get to enjoy the solitude as much as I would like to, especially as of late with all of our recent engagements, but I must say: due to how reticent it is up here within this part of the Citadel, it feels rather much like a private retreat. For me, in other words, a little bit of paradise from the chaos that can ensue itself here at the Citadel on occasion...”

_“Perhaps my own little portion of paradise. One that I wish to share with you always.”_

You inhaled sharply now as you felt the muscles within your loins tighten and twist, feeling your mouth go dry at the remembrance of the words he had uttered to you in your dream.

“And you deserve all the peace that you can get. Gods, you deserve it more than anyone,” you murmured to him with a smile, looking him deeply in the eyes as you nervously tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

_Ignis, you deserve so much good. You deserve so much happiness. Gods, let me just say it, just let me…Ignis…tell me what you’re thinking…what do you want to tell me?_

You were startled at the sudden feel of Ignis’s hand upon your thigh, the curve of his long fingers placing themselves over the soft muscle of your leg. A sharp breath escaped your lips as you looked him deeply in the eyes, his optics looking attentively into yours as a smile graced itself across his lips. You were even more equally surprised to see that he had sat down his mug and now slowly reached his hand out to touch the side of your face, the digits of his hand caressing your skin. Afraid that you were going to spill your drink everywhere, you sat down your own mug as you shifted more closely to him now, your knees almost interlocking with one another, and a sharp breath escaped your lips and your eyes fluttered shut at the feel of his thumb grazing over your lower lip.

“Ignis…” you breathed, and as you slowly opened you eyes, you found both of your hands had subconsciously placed themselves upon his chest, your delicate fingers spread across the plains of his breast.

“Y/N…” he said breathlessly. Ignis inhaled deeply now, his eyes gleaming brightly as his hand trailed its way down to your collar bone and around the base of your throat, and you watched the muscles in his neck tense as he touched you. Swallowing hard with a small smile upon his face, he now reached around the back of your head to pull you close, and within an instant his lips were upon yours, kissing you gently and with the restraint that your body couldn’t handle anymore. You were trembling in his grasp as your hands made their way to place themselves upon his shoulders, and your knees shaking against his now, a soft sigh escaped your mouth as you trailed your own against his. Nibbling his lips slightly as you kissed him back, Ignis moaned quietly at the sensation, and the lewd sound sent heat coiling down to your loins. His hand grasped more firmly at the back of your head, lifting your head back slightly as he moved his mouth down to kiss along the curvature of your jaw, and your lips quivered at the sensation of his warm breath tickling your skin. You closed your eyes as you lost yourself in the feel of his lips grazing the sensitive skin, and he pressed his mouth firmly upon your Adam’s apple, his breath heavy upon your neck.

But as soon as his touches began, Ignis pulled away from you to look at you, leaving you utterly breathless. It was now that you could see the strain in his facial muscles, past the freckles and scars that darted themselves over the complexion of his handsome face. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words seeming to get lost in his vocal chords, he gave your thigh another brief squeeze and then stood up. Your heart immediately began to pound in your chest as you started to watch him pace slightly, feeling like you were the prey being stalked by its predator, and now all of a sudden the vast space of his apartment made you feel very minuscule. For a moment he said nothing, and out of nowhere every worried and anxious feeling that you could have possibly imagined began to wash over you.

_Oh Ignis, please talk to me…please…tell me what you are thinking…_

But before you could let your thoughts wander, he turned to look at you with a gentle smile on his lips, the look on his face making you melt, and shutting his eyes for a brief moment and sighing, he now spoke.

“M-My apologies, Y/N.  It seems that perhaps I am more caught off guard with you being here in the flesh than I had anticipated. I had much that I wished to say to you tonight, but perhaps I wasn’t as prepared to deliver my words to you as much as I thought I was. I’m just…” and he paused, and he chuckled lightly, “a little overwhelmed at the moment. I am still in utter astonishment of the very sight of you before me now, and I want to know that what I have to tell you is right…I just…You see…I had requested of Noct to allow myself to have this day off. I needed to…to contemplate. I have been rather lost in my own mind as of late, and as last evening passed, I…I had a dream of sorts.” Your heart leapt at this, your eyes widening now. _He dreamed…he dreamed of what?_

“A dream of my past,” Ignis continued, almost seeming to read your mind. “And a dream of you and I, and it made me realize more than ever that I cannot refrain from what eats at me everyday of my existence. I needed the time to truly consider and process all that was in my mind, and so very much unlike my usual self, I felt that I was struggling all day to find the right words to convey what I wished to say to you.” And now he looked to you more deeply, and your heart was slamming in your chest more than ever now at the way he looked at you and at how utterly flustered he was. “But now that you are here in front of me, right in the flesh, I am just feeling more than afraid of what you will think of what I wish to say.”

And your mouth going dry, feeling utterly speechless as you realized at some point in this time you were clutching on to your knees with your hands, you took a deep breath. “G-Go on, Ignis. You can trust me,” you said in an almost whisper.

Ignis took a step closer to you again, his eyes boring down upon you to where you sat and the heat that radiated off of his body was almost unbearable within the now seemingly tight spaces of the shrinking room around you. But him becoming troubled once more, a slight tint of pink flushed his cheeks, and uncharacteristically, he ran his hand through his tousled hair, the very sight of this causing your groin to tighten with delight.

“I…I perhaps have not been the most honest with you on a certain matter. I…I have withheld something from you from my past. Something that has bore great weight within my soul. Something that has more than terrified me in my own dreams over the last ten years. And knowing the nature of the dreams that you too have possessed, I…I realized that I can’t withhold this from you any longer…”

_Ignis…oh Ignis…_

And now you couldn’t breathe as you felt yourself almost sliding of the couch as you listened to each and every word he spoke, looking up deeply into his eyes as his lips parted to speak once more, and each syllable he uttered carried the pain of the world within it.

“The day in Altissia, all those many years ago, there was more to the story than that of which I shared with you upon our revisit to the city. There was more to the narrative than even what Ravus shared with you.” He held his words for a moment and you held your breath, waiting for him to continue. “Yes, it is true that we had fought one another. Our skirmish upon each other was more than ruthless. And although I assumed the best intentions of the world in trying to help Ravus see the light in the dark, I am not proud of my actions in attacking a vulnerable man, even though he was trying to hurt the King. But upon the end of our scuffle and when Ardyn had arrived to the scene, there was more that had transpired upon that fateful day…” And now Ignis’s expression was strained and the slight twist of his facial muscles broke your heart in every way, knowing now fully what he wished to tell you and knowing that you already knew of its truth. You examining the muscles tightening within his neck, he cleared his throat as he seemed to now fall apart and continued to pace once more. “You see, Y/N, that day, I had made a decision. That day I had decided to take destiny into my own hands. I had not merely just lost consciousness at that moment like I had originally told you. I…I…The Chancellor had offered me a choice. He had given me a proposition of sorts, and one that I felt more than compelled to take, and one that part of me bears shame in even accepting. But I felt that part of me almost had no choice in the matter. Noct…his…his life was at stake. What was I to do at the moment? And so, the Chancellor had offered for me to go with him. To where, I did not know at the moment. And so, upon my reawakening after finding I had gone unconscious, I found myself in Gralea, of all places. He had taken me to the capital where the Crystal was being held, and upon encountering him once more, he made threat again to Noct’s life as well as my own. I had honestly believed at that moment it was to be the end of mine, but…before leaving Altissia, I had taken something. Something not mine to bear. It was reckless and I felt I had no other choice. I…I just couldn’t let Ardyn manipulate our lives any longer.  And so to stop the Chancellor from bringing anymore pandemonium and misery to this world and to protect the King…I…I….”

And so you finally decided to take on that Bandersnatch head on, no longer feeling afraid…

“I know,” you said quietly, uttering the words in barely a whisper.

Ignis stopped dead in his tracks and for a moment it was so silent in the room that you could hear a pin drop. Inhaling sharply, Ignis slowly turned to look at you. “I….I beg your pardon?” He said hoarsely, confusion wrought upon his face.

You took another slice at the formidable beast, fighting it head on now.

“I…I know, Ignis. I know everything,” you said once more, and finding a tear trickling down your face, you slowly stood up from the couch and took a step closer to Ignis, a small smile upon your face.

“But...but…whatever do you mean? I don’t understand…” Ignis said breathlessly as you approached step by step, and his hands now hung limp at his sides as you noticed that his body was trembling as you moved closer to him.

Biting your lip, you found the courage to speak, unable to withstand hiding all that you knew about this man who was slowly crumbling before you.

“I…I don’t know how best to put it. I don’t even really know where to begin,” you began, wiping away the tear that formed at the corner of your eye. But looking at Ignis now, his chest rising and falling with labor and his feet planted hip-width apart and trembling as he stood, you realized that at this very moment you no longer had any reason to be afraid of what you knew and what you were feeling.  It was time to march forth. “But I know everything, Ignis.” And now, a smile swept across your lips as you inhaled deeply, taking another step closer to him. “For months now, I’ve been dreaming, Iggy. I’ve been dreaming of you. Almost each and every night. At first I couldn’t quite understand it all, having we just met, but as time went on, I came to realize just how much I was missing you when we parted. It became unbearable. Those dreams kept me close to you though when we were apart.”

And as you spoke, Ignis inhaled harshly, now almost seeming afraid to breathe. But you continued on regardless. “But there was something in all of these dreams that were strange that I couldn’t quite understand. I began to dream of Altissia, on the day of the attack. I dreamed of it many nights. And each and every time, you were there. And Noct. And Luna…And…and…and Ardyn,” and Ignis’s eyes widened as you said this. “But how would I be able to see this? What was making me see this? There was no way that I could have known all of what had happened. But then I soon realized something important.  Something wholly and truthfully just a few hours ago.” And now you were mere feet from Ignis and he wasn’t taking a single breath as you approached him, your confidence more apparent now than ever. “All this time, these weren’t just dreams that I was seeing, Iggy. They were visions. Visions of the past.”

“V-Visions?” Ignis said, his voice barely a whisper.

You nodded at him, continuing, “Visions, Iggy. Because there was one more thing in these dreams that I had been having that should really have made me realize all this time that there was more to you than just what I knew. In these dreams…these visions…I watched you bear pain and suffering and I was helpless to help. And it was tonight, Ignis, right before I arrived here tonight in Insomnia that this voice came to me. It…It was the Oracle, Iggy, that had been showing me these visions all this time.”

Ignis’s eyes widened at the statement as his lower lip trembled slightly. “L-Lady Lunafreya?” he said breathlessly, his face flushed now. “B-But how…how…”

“I didn’t understand it at first either, Iggy, but all this time she has apparently been guiding me to the truth about you. And tonight, she came to me and told me everything. She…showed me everything. She told me the whole truth. And she showed me something remarkable that you did. Something that has made me admire you even more…”

And now you were standing right before Ignis, peering up into his aghast eyes, and you watched his chest rise and fall. You reached down to take his left hand within yours, your fingers beginning to caress and play gently with his own. “She showed me what you did. The Ring…the Ring of the Lucii. When Ardyn made threat to you, you put it on your hand. But it was then that I saw something so terrible happen to you. The Ring…it had set your eyes ablaze, and then it gave you the strength to fight, all at the expense of your own life…”

Ignis now stood trembling before you, his breathing labored but silent as you looked up into those dazzling green eyes, and it was at this moment that you realized that tears of joy and love were gently trickling down your face.

“Ignis…what you did…do you even realize just how incredible it was what you did? You…you gave your life to save Noctis. You took on that pain. That sacrifice…all this time you’ve been mentioning sacrifices and now I really truly understand what you’ve been saying so subtly. You not only gave your life to save Noctis, but you saved us all. You saved us all from a despair of living in a world without our King. And I saw what would have happened had you not done that…”

And now releasing his hand from your grasp, you slowly moved your hands to trace up the lengths of his biceps, and you suddenly recalled the incident with the valve in Lestallum and the doorway to Pepetouss Keep. “Your strength. This strength that you’ve possessed all this time…That strength that I could not even begin to comprehend or understand…”

“A side effect of bearing the Ring,” Ignis said with barely a whisper, his eyes now shimmering with his own tears.

And then biting your lip, you trailed your hands up to touch his face, your fingers gracefully moving over the grooves of his scars that marked proof of his life that he was willing to throw away. “And these scars…” you said, your voice hushed but filled with admiration. “These scars…every time I looked at you or touched your face I had always wondered what pain you suffered through that caused you to bear them...and now I know, after all this time. Marks that prove of what an incredibly brave and selfless man you are…If only had I asked you sooner about them….” And now your fingers delicately danced over the plumpness of his lower lip that was trembling. “Oh Ignis…oh Astrals…why did you never tell me all of this? Why did you choose to hide the pain from me when I would have helped you bear it?”

And now shifting more closely to you now with his mouth slightly agape, Ignis spoke. “I…I…I thought that…you see…” He began as his words got lost in his throat, but soon, with his eyes widening slowly, it was as if all of a sudden the realization of all his errors came crashing down up on him. “Oh Six…I…I don’t know. Oh Y/N, I have no idea why I withheld such information from you. I was so afraid of what you would think of me for what I did. I-It was for all the best intentions of saving Noctis. I couldn’t have just stood there helplessly and allowed that terrible fate to befall my friend. I could never live with myself.” And now his words seemed to tumble out of his mouth. “I would live forever with shame if I allowed myself to live on in life while I let my liege and lifelong companion suffer such a dreadful fate, and so I felt I had no choice. But what I did was utterly reckless. Completely and utterly reckless. I had no idea what such consequences I would truly suffer through trying to bear the power of the gods or what would have happened had I lost control of myself. I could have caused so much more damage upon this world than had already been brought forth. What if Ardyn had somehow taken a hold of the Ring? What then? But more so importantly,” and now he stood right up to you with his hands falling upon your waist, “there was you. You came into my life. You walked right into the darkened existence that I was living, an existence in which constantly carried the reminders of my past and my fears of not only almost losing my own king but also my own life. You had brought in that light.” And now he reached up to gently brush your face with his bare hands. “I was so afraid of the thought of once more doing something rash or irresponsible and having it cause you hurt and anguish.  What if I once more did something to throw away my own life? How could I possibly live with myself knowing that I would leave you hurt and all alone had I done something so foolish and dangerous once more?” And then he paused, placing his hand upon your chin. “The times I went away to Tenebrae, seeing that pain upon your face as we parted…oh Astrals, what kind of man was I to leave you like that? To leave you worry as such? It pained me greatly each and every second I was away. And yet my fear held me fast in my place, and I was not brave enough to be open and honest about all that caused apprehension within me. What a fool I’ve been…”

And now tears of joy were trickling down your cheeks as you reached up to touch his face once again, and a smile was now upon your lips. “Oh Ignis…Ignis...you’re not a fool. You’re not. I’m so sorry that you’ve been afraid. I’m so sorry that I’ve been too scared to be honest with you too. I wish I could have been stronger sooner. Not just for myself but for you.” And you gently touched the scar across the curve of his nose. “You are the most incredible man that I know. What did I ever deserve to have someone so as incredible as you walk into my life…”

And now as Ignis looked down upon you, you realized that your hands were trembling and were clutching at the fabric of his shirt, yanking the material away from his supple form. And he? His face angled down towards yours, his fingers had laced themselves through the loops of your pants, his hips now flushed right up against yours, and his chest was rising and falling heavily as his warm breath flowed to your face.

“Y/N….may the gods forgive me for making you wait for so long. I’ve known how I’ve felt for so long and it’s only now that I have the courage to say it. You’ve only deserved to know sooner. Y/N, I…I…”

“You what, Ignis?” you said breathlessly, your face drawing nearer to his as your eyelashes fluttered.

“Y/N…” he murmured, and then inhaling deeply, the warmest smile one could ever imagine spread across his beautiful face. “I love you. Gods do I love you. More than anything on this earth. More than the heavens and Eos, itself. Y/N, I love you…”

Instantaneously your heart shattered with absolute gaiety and warmth spread to ever fiber, tendon and muscle in your body as the realization of his words dawned upon you in their entirety. After all of this time of being afraid. After all of this time of wishing and praying for hope and light in the world. After all this time, wanting to hear those very words, you now had finally been blessed with them.

“Oh Ignis….Ignis…” you said breathlessly, angling your face upwards towards his as you drew in a deep breath, tears of happiness streaming down the side of your face. “Had I only said it sooner too…I love you…I truly love you so much, more than you will ever know…”

And it was he who now deeply drew in his breath, as if all the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders, and his eyes widened at the realization of your admittance to his own confession. “Oh Y/N….Y/N….” he breathed.

And before you knew it, his lips came crashing down upon yours with all the love and passion in the world, and a moan escaped your lips as you kissed him back, your lips dancing feverishly across his. Your right hand snaked its way up behind the back of his head to draw his face as humanly close as possible to yours, the other clutching at the front of his shirt, your fingers playing subconsciously with the button of the garment.  Ignis was grasping at your belt loops more feverishly now, his thumbs slowly shifting to loop themselves under the waist of your jeans, and you breathed sharply at the sudden sensation of fingers touching your bare skin under your shirt.

You pulled back from the kiss to see Ignis panting and breathing as heavily as you, and you hadn’t realized just how hard you had been clutching at the hair on the back of his head. Your chest was rising and falling and the nerves of your stomach were twisting into knots as you took notice of the look in Ignis’s eyes, and it was more than enough to make your stomach coil with desire. You reached up to kiss him once more, more gently this time, and a soft moan escaped Ignis’s lips as he pulled you up against him to have your loins flushed right up to his. Your heart was slamming madly in your chest now, your face flushed with excitement as you pulled back from the kiss once more. Biting your lower lip, you looked at Ignis’ chest as you shyly placed both hands upon his chest and with terribly shaky hands began to play and fumble with the top button of his shirt. But quickly strong hands stopped you, and looking up to Ignis with confusion on your face, you felt your breath catch in your chest at the way his eyes were blazing with desire.

“Y/N….” he murmured, and each syllable he uttered caused your loins to clench and tighten and your knees to shake with anticipation. Softly taking your hand, Ignis raised your hand to his lips and began to kiss and nip gently at each digit, the tender but sensual gesture causing a whimper to escape your lips. How something so simple could feel so unbelievably amazing was beyond you, and you found yourself biting your lip again at the realization that if he could do this alone just to your hand, then he could…

“Ignis,” you breathed huskily, feeling vulnerable and trembling before the very man you loved so much. Unable to withstand the ravenousness that was coursing through your blood stream, you once more reached with your freehand to play with the button of his shirt. But now Ignis took a hold of your hand, giving you a small smile, and before you could comprehend what he was doing, you found yourself scooped up off of your feet, now being carried into his arms, and the sensation of being lifted off the ground made you feel as you were soaring. But as he carried you, your heart began to pound madly within your breast, the sound of your own heartbeat screaming and deafening in your ears as blood coursed through your skull. Clutching onto Ignis with your arms wrapped tightly around his neck, he carried you down a small hallway and through a doorway bridal-style where you immediately realized that you were brought into his sleeping quarters.

The bedroom.

From outside, through the open window with another pair of dancing, swaying curtains moving in a gentle breeze, soft rain began to fall upon Insomnia.

With an excitement in his movements, Ignis placed you down gently upon the bed, your back instantly sinking into the soft yet plush firmness of the mattress. Your body quavering with nerves, within seconds you quickly scanned your surroundings, taking note once more of the black and silver décor that embellished the room. A small, solitary lamp was lit by the bed, casting a warming and soothing glow across the room and you felt yourself shiver with delight at the sensation of the warm breeze whisking into the room.

And your eyes widening and your skin flushing deeply, you glanced up at Ignis who stood at the foot of the bed, eyes unreadable and yet so delightfully beautiful to look at.

“Y/N…” He whispered as he looked down at you, his mouth parted slightly as he too now seemed to tremble.

Unable to stand the lack of body contact, you sat up fully and shifted to the edge of the bed, placing your hands upon his abdomen, and a sharp gasp of air escaped his lips. His hand instinctually went to the back of your head to brace himself, and feeling your own body quiver, you began to snake your hands up his stomach and up to his chest. And now you were standing on two shaking feet again, pressed right up against him as you placed kisses on his collar bone, and inhaling deeply, you once again took in the delightful scent of his body.

“Ignis…I…I…” You began, your heart, slamming in your chest as you choked on your words.

“Y-Yes, Y/N?” he breathed, and he too was now fully overwhelmed at the situation presented before the two of you.

But you spoke once more, knowing more than ever what you truly wanted. “I…please…let me see you,” you whispered, your hands now clutching at the top button of his shirt.

Ignis inhaled sharply, understanding what you were asking of him, and nodding to you now, he lowered his hands to his sides to allow you to do your work. With stumbling fingers, you slowly began to pull each button out from its hole in the center of his shirt, and one by one you lowered your movements. In the process, a thin line of flesh was slowly revealed, your mouth going dry as more and more of the tactician was exposed. With one last final button, you pried the last button from is enclosure and now stood upon quavering legs and feet as you slowly pushed back the shirt from his chest.

A sharp gasp escaped your lips.

_Oh Astrals…oh gods above…_

Proclaimed to you now was a pair of toned pectoral muscles that joined with sharp definition in the center of his chest, and you felt your throat tighten at the sight of finally begin able to see the entirety of his chest that you had always dreamed about seeing with your own eyes. As your eyes slowly began to scan down his body, your groin tightened and twisted at the visual of a sharply defined set of abs, all six of them that were grooved deeply into his body as if carved out of the finest marble. Your mouth now watered as you noticed the sharp V of his hip muscles disappearing past the border of his belt and pants, and it was all you could do to refrain from whining at want to see more.

But the sight that took your breath away more than anything was the scars that adorned his body in a patchwork pattern, and you felt your eyes tearing up the reminder of what these marks represented.

“Oh Ignis…” you breathed as you found your fingers delicately tracing over each scar and every muscle. “You’re….you’re beautiful. You’re absolutely beautiful and breathtaking…”

You placed your lips upon his chest and began to kiss along the curve of muscle that ran down the center of his chest. Ignis gasped sharply, his hands now latching onto the loops of your pants once more as you moved your lips over the plains of his chest. You inhaled deeply once more, taking in his natural scent as well as the smells of cologne and coffee, and you at this moment realized just how much your body and mind were begging to see more of him. Grasping onto the sides of his shirts now, you stopped your kisses and looked up to his face, his lips parted and his eyes heavily lidded as he looked down at you.

“Ignis,” you breathed, and him seeming to take note of your wishes without you even having to say anything, Ignis took hold of his own shirt and shook his arms free of the sleeves, allowing the garment to fall to the floor behind him. Now you were fully able to appreciate every single detail of the man before you, and once more your mouth watered at the thought of how much work this man went into keeping his body so healthy and sculpted. Attempting to keep your balance, you placed your hands upon his shoulders for support and reached up to kiss his nose, your eyes fluttering with nerves as he looked upon you.

“Beautiful, Ignis…you’re so beautiful,” you repeated, and you knew you could utter those words a thousand times more and still mean every repetition.

Flushing deeply at your compliment,  it was Ignis now who spoke, his hands leaving the waist of your pants and slowly skimming up the curvature of your back. Your spine tingled at the touch and you swallowed hard as he placed a chaste kiss upon your nose, and the sweetness of the gesture within the heated atmosphere made your heart flutter. “I only wish that I were able to see the same of you, my love,” he murmured in your ear.

_My love…He said “my love…”_

Biting your lip and blushing profusely, you nodded to him and let your arms relax as best as they could as Ignis slowly grazed his fingertips away from the curve of your back and now brought them to snake their way under the hem of your shirt. You once more gasped sharply at the feel of his fingers upon your bare skin, and him looking at you and giving you a look, you swallowed hard as you lifted your arms above your head. Slowly, inch by inch, you felt the fabric of your top being peeled away from your torso, lifted up over your breasts and gently pulled up over your head and over your arms, and the sudden sensation of your bare skin exposed to the air made you shut your eyes and your skin tingle. But too quickly you began to feel your heart slam into your chest, the realization and uneasiness of being this exposed to Ignis for the first time washing over you. Trembling now with eyes shut tight, your chest began to rise and fall with anxiety, but quickly you felt the pair of Ignis’s hands place themselves upon your waist, causing your eyes to snap open.

Ignis looked at you deeply, and his gaze alone was enough to make you moan aloud and your walls pulse tightly once more. His orbs were heavily lidded and his pupils were full blown. And even more so than that, his eyes looked to you with the upmost admiration but something that you were finally experiencing for the first time in its rawest form: lust. His one hand leaving your waist, his hand moved to your face to trail his thumb over your lower lip, pressing down upon it lightly and causing your mouth to open slightly. His hand then achingly slowly moved its way down the curve of your jaw, over the center of your neck and to the base of your throat. Then in an even more painfully slow movement, moving to flesh that was never touched before, his broad hand now placed itself between the curves of your breasts.

_Oh Astrals…_

“I think I would be a fool if I didn’t declare that I believe that it is _you_ who is the most beautiful creature in all of Eos,” Ignis cooed, and his fingers now danced over the sensitive skin. A gentle moan escaped your mouth and your lip trembled as he began to trace his fingers over the mounds of your breasts. You titled your head back now, feeling utterly breathless over the divine sensation of his lips suddenly grazing over and gently nipping the sensitive skin, his hot breath tickling  your flesh. A soft cry escaped your mouth as your hands now snaked their way up around his neck and up the back of his head, your hands gently pulling on his hair.

“Ignis…Ignis….” you breathed, and another surprised cry escaped your lips as you felt his tongue now graze over the tops of your breasts.

“Y-Yes, my love?” He said, equally breathlessly as you, and there was something in the way that he spoke your name that you could tell he was using every ounce of his fiber to be patient with his exploration of your body. He moved his face away from your breasts, now nuzzling your ear with his nose, and he placed gentle kisses on the sensitive cartilage.

A gasp of pleasure left your lips again as you clutched at Ignis’s neck and hair, and with shaking legs, you felt a surging desire wash over you, now wanting to explore more of what the tactician had to offer….

“I…I…I want to make you feel good,” you murmured breathlessly, your words almost catching in your throat, and now slowly, Ignis pulled back from your ear, his eyes wide and his nostrils flared at the very implication of your words, and it was now that his eyes were hazed over with desire. Inhaling deeply with his lips parted slightly, he nodded to you as he shifted away from you slightly to give you room, and it was at this moment that you noticed just how much Ignis was trembling.

Biting your own lip now, your hands shifted from the back of his head to touch his face, your hands tracing over every fine detail of his face. Your fingers moved over the curves of his eyebrows, paying special attention to the deep grooves of his scars that disturbed the hair. You now moved your hands over his cheeks and nose and down to his lips that you loved so much, your finger caressing the scar of his lower lip, and feeling you heart slam madly in your chest now with excitement, your hands now journeyed their way down his neck, collar bones, and the toned muscles of his chest and stomach, making sure to give every scar its own loving care with your caresses. Your hands then stopped at the waistband of his pants, and it was here that you realized just how much your hands were shaking as you touched the buckle of his belt. Your face was blushing profusely as you struggled to unbuckle the clasp, your fingers fumbling as you attempted to release the metal from the leather holes.

“Relax, my love,” Ignis said softly, his breathing almost equally labored as his hazy eyes watched your movements. Your spine tingled as he spoke to you, and pausing for a moment, you took a deep breath as you continued your motions, your fingers now managing to release the clasp from its holes, and pulling the belt slightly, the buckle was fully released, the clinking of metal bringing utter delight to your ears. Then with quavering fingers, you slowly opened the button of his pants and began to unzip them. Ignis inhaled sharply with each tooth of the zipper being released, and it was at this moment that you realized just how relieving it must be to have the pressure released from his loins. Swallowing hard now, you looked up into Ignis’s eyes that looked down at you with heat in their gaze. You placed your hands upon his waist band, but to your surprise Ignis placed his hands over yours, a small smile upon his face. Almost as if he was encouraging you, you began to pull down his trousers, each of you trembling as each inch of his thighs and calves were exposed to the air. Now kneeling at his feet, with one last pull his pants were around his ankles, and he stepped out of them to free himself from the imprisonment.

And it was now that you were seated upon your knees that you looked up at Ignis who was standing before you, intense admiration, love, and lust emanating from his eyes as he looked down at you. Your loins tightening at the way he looked at you, your eyes slowly trailed down his body and you felt your eyes widen at the tight of a pair of black briefs before you, and you felt your throat constrain at the sight of a very prominent bulge that was begging to be unleashed from under the fabric.

_Oh Astrals…_

“Ignis…” you breathed as your hands traced down his thighs, and Ignis shivered and moaned at the touch of your hands upon his legs.

“Y/N,” he murmured, and his lust seeming to overcome him fully now, he grasped the back of your head with his hand, his fingers intertwining themselves through the thick, wavy strands of your hair.

An excited moan left your mouth at the feeling of your hair being pulled gently, and now allowing your body to gain confidence in your motions, you looped your fingers underneath the band of his briefs and pulled them down.

_Oh….Oh Six, have mercy on me…_

Your eyes broadened massively and a whimper of anticipation left your mouth as his briefs fell to the floor to reveal his girthy manhood that sprung forth from the confines of his briefs. Ignis kicked them away from his feet as he now stood confidently before you, his hand now yanking slightly at your hair as you gazed upon his shaft. Gulping now, feeling apprehension and trepidation overcome you, you slowly reached to touch his manhood, and a sharp inhalation and moan escaped from Ignis’s lips as your hands began to delicately move over the soft velvety flesh.

“Ignis…oh gods, you are amazing,” you said breathlessly, nervously moving your hand up and down his length, realizing now the vast anxiety you were feeling over pleasing him to the extent that he deserved. But with his hips jerking forward and a groan leaving his throat, you felt your heart skip with excitement at knowing that apparently your ministrations were bringing him gratification. You looked up at Ignis to see that his eyes were shut and his mouth was open as you stroked him up and down, his hips pushing forward to encourage you.

“Y/N…your touches are exquisite,” he said hoarsely, his accented words rolling off his tongue in the most sinfully arousing of ways.

And it was now with his compliment that you wanted to progress further…

The muscles of your throat tightening, you now grasped gently onto the base of his shaft with one hand, and bringing the head to your lips, you slowly opened your mouth and let his girth enter in as far as it could.

A loud gasp and a sharp groan left Ignis’s throat as he clutched on the back of your head more tightly now, his hips bucking forward once more as you began to slowly move his shaft in and out of your mouth, and you too were moaning with delight at the salty taste of his length and the musky scent of his natural odor. Ignis’s second hand now moved to join the other at the back of your head as you began to quicken your movements, your groin clenching with excitement as mumbling moans tumbled out of Ignis’s mouth, his legs now spread wider apart, and you were losing yourself in the pleasure of hearing his delight. “Y/N….oh yes….” He moaned as you moved your mouth over his shaft. You shut your eyes as you lost yourself in the sensations of the moment, gagging slightly as his shaft hit the back of your throat, but regardless of the discomfort of having your throat muscles tighten, you were lost in utter ecstasy over pleasing him and wouldn’t trade the moment for anything in the world.

But holding firmly onto your head now, Ignis stopped your oscillations, and you looking up at him with confusion, you gazed up at him to see his eyes clouded over with carnality and a sinfully delightful grin upon his lips.

Slowly removing his manhood from your mouth, you opened your mouth to speak.  “Ignis, what-“ But before you could finish your words, Ignis swiftly swooped down and scooped you up in his arms, him now moving back to the edge of the bed and softly plopping you down on the mattress. Before your body could process the motions, Ignis shifted over you now, his naked body firmly pressed over you, and he began a delightful assault of kisses upon your neck and throat. Soft cries left your mouth as you arched your back at his ministrations, and you felt yourself gasping for air as he began to nip and bite gently at your collar bone, his arm snaking under the arch of your back in the process. “Ignis….oh Astrals…yes….” You whimpered as you shut your eyes tightly, your body almost unable to handle the delightful sensation of his mouth upon your skin.

His mouth soon leaving your throat, you slowly felt his lips begin to trail down your chest, and with his one elbow propped on the side of your head, his hand underneath your back snaked its way up and grasped gently at the back of your bra strap. Your eyes widened at the realization of what he was about to do, but seeming to take note of your anxiousness, Ignis pressed his forehead against yours and sighed deeply, nuzzling his nose against yours as his body nudged itself against you, his hardened shaft pushing against your leg.

“I want to please you too, my love,” he wooed. “I want to make you feel all the sensations that you deserve to experience….”

Your heart fluttered at his words and you whimpered. “Oh Ignis,” you murmured, now kissing him gently on the lips.  Looking him deeply in the eyes, you nodded to him, and with deft fingers, in one swift motion he managed to unclasp your bra with one hand, the garment springing free as the straps started to shift from your shoulders, and within a few motions your chest was bare before him. Then with enthusiastic gesticulations, Ignis lifted himself from your body and trailed his hands down the bareness of your stomach, seeming to restrain himself for the moment of touching your exposed and swollen breasts, and his hands going to the button of your jeans, he snapped the button open, unzipped your pants ever so painfully slowly. Trying to help make his job easier, you lifted your bottom from the mattress, allowing him to calmly and deliberately peel your pants from your legs, bringing them down to your ankles. Tossing them to the floor, there was something utterly provocative and titillating about the way the usually organized and kempt man disregarded yours and his clothes across the bedroom floor.

But it was at this moment that your heart was truly pounding in your chest, realizing that save for a pair of panties that were utterly soaked from your arousal, you were completely exposed to the royal advisor.

Ignis’s eyes darkened as he kneeled before you, his chest rising and falling and his manhood twitching slightly at the sight of your bare breasts and naked body, and him shifting himself over you again, he once more began to place passionate kisses upon your lips, down to your neck and along your collar bone. Inhaling deeply the scent of your chest now, he skimmed his left hand up the side of your hips and waist, his motions now moving achingly slowly as his fingertips danced over the side of your breast. You arched your back at his touches, crying out at the feeling of his rock hard manhood now pressing directly between your legs and against your clothed heat, and before your body could properly react to the sinfully delightful sensations, Ignis’s mouth was upon your breast, his lips and tongue dancing over the mound of flesh. You cried out loud, clutching onto his back with your hands as you squirmed beneath him, his ministrations and touches driving you wild as he nipped gently at your nipple and sucked lightly upon it, the other hand now cupping the other breast while he worked. You clawed at his back with your nails, more harshly than you intended to, but the pleasure you were feeling was unlike any you had ever felt before.

“Ignis…Ignis…” you whimpered as he lay pressed firmly over you, and you were almost going to burst with intense pleasure, unable to take the teasing anymore when he slowly removed his mouth and hands from your breast and began to trail his lips down your stomach, placing loving kisses on every inch of flesh, and then his mouth stopped at your navel, his breath hot upon your skin. Propping yourself on your elbows to watch him, Ignis placed a few more kisses upon your stomach as his eyes became hazy once more, and you realized at this instant what he intended to do.

“I want to please you, my love,” Ignis murmured to you, his eyes locked to you as he inhaled your scent deeply once more. Then, looping his fingers under the hem of your panties, you lifted your buttocks off the mattress, and in one swift and graceful motion, he discarded your panties from your body and tossed them to the floor.

Ignis groaned quietly as he looked upon your now fully naked body, his eyes darkening with intense hunger and lust,  Moving his mouth back down to your stomach, he kissed your navel once more, his mouth slowly trailing over your pubic bone and down to your thighs, and out of instinct you parted your legs, despite how unbelievably nervous  and self-conscious you were feeling. Ignis placed a deep kiss upon your inner right thigh, inhaling deeply and his nostrils flaring as he took in your scent, and it appeared by the haziness of his eyes that he seemed to fully take notice of just how overwhelmingly aroused you were.

“You are absolutely magnificent,” Ignis whispered, and before you could respond his mouth was upon your entrance, your loud cry of ecstasy filling the room as his mouth began to nip, lap, and suck delicately at your sensitive bud. You threw your head back down upon the bed, your body shaking and twitching and trembling and your hands clutching tightly unto the comforter below you. Ignis held tightly onto your thighs to keep you in place as he pleasured you, his skilled mouth working its magic upon your heated flesh, and you whimpered and moaned and wanted to beg for your release. Ignis paused but for a moment, and the words he hummed to you almost made you feel like you were going climax on the spot.

“You are most delectable, my darling…”

A mangled cry escaped your lips when Ignis dipped his tongue deeper into your folds, and it could only make you wonder just how blessed he was to be so skilled at knowing just exactly how to pleasure you. He swirled his tongue within the folds, his hot breath tickling your entrance. You were gasping for air and your eyes had shut themselves tightly, unable to bear such pleasure when once more, Ignis stopped his motions. Opening your eyes again, you supported yourself on your elbows and looked down to Ignis who was breathing heavily, his own desires almost getting the best of him and his body trembling too when he wiped your essence away from his mouth with the back of his hand and spoke to you.

“Please let me know if I am going too fast, my love. I don’t want to hurt you…”

And before you could ask him what he meant, Ignis took one long finger, swirled it around your bud to coat his finger in your essence, and then pushed it past your folds and deep into your core. A harsh cry filled the air and you panted for breath as he began to slowly move his finger in and out of you, and soon enough you felt a tear of pleasure trickle down the side of your cheek, almost unable to handle the feeling of your walls being stretched by his deft movements . Taking note of the bliss upon your face, Ignis now took his thumb and pushed down upon your bud, kneading it upon the sensitive bundle of nerves, and now you were instantly almost full-on whimpering and begging to climax.

 _If his finger alone can feel this way, then how will his…_.you thought to yourself with a clouded mind.

“Ignis...Ignis…” you whimpered, biting your lip and your face flushing as he looked to you with a heated gaze, and now that he sat upright upon his knees as he pleasured you, you took utter delight in the manner his manhood twitched at your gaze, the length pointed directly at you as he worked his magic with expert fingers.

“Darling…” he murmured, his breathing seeming to catch pace with yours, clearly enjoying the reaction he was getting out of you. Watching your breasts rise and fall with each inhalation you captured, he quickened the pace of his ministrations, working his thumb faster while somehow simultaneously managing to pump his finger deep inside you with graceful motions.

And then you felt it, just with him uttering his pet name to you alone. You felt the signs and your heart started to slam even faster within your breast and you felt yourself tearing and clawing at the sheets below you. With knees trembling and your toes curling, you felt your walls tighten and begin to pulsate around his digit, a sob of satisfaction and desire leaving your lungs as you threw your head back, waves of hot white pleasure of your climax coursing through you with each ragged breath.  A few moments passed and your body collapsed fully back onto the mattress, your breathing labored and making your head spin. When you were able to fully come to your senses, another gasp escaped your lips as Ignis moved over you now, pressing his naked body almost protectively over yours and kissing you deeply upon the lips, and you tasted the sweetness of your own essence on his lips.

“That was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard,” He murmured to you, kissing your forehead, nose, and then your lips once more.  “What I would give to hear you utter it again…”

You inhaled sharply as you felt Ignis’s manhood slide up against your wet heat and you bit your lip as your nuzzled Ignis’s nose with yours.

“Iggy…Iggy…you’re amazing,” you whispered, feeling your heart flutter as your fingers began to trace down the length of his arms. “I….I….”

“Yes, my love?” Ignis murmured in response, kissing your ear with gentle lips, and you felt his form quiver over yours, his own excitement and desire raging through him now.

“I want you,” you said, your eyelashes fluttering at him as you looked him deeply in his beautiful green eyes. “I want you. I want all of you. I want to feel you close to me and I want to feel every inch of you. Ignis, I love….” You murmured, kissing him on the lips as you felt your legs trembling  and spreading beneath him.

Outside, the rain began to fall more heavily and patter upon the Insomnian streets and rooftops…

“Oh Y/N…” Ignis uttered blissfully, placing a sweet kiss upon your forehead. “Gods, how much I love you too…”

But Ignis shifted back, lifting himself up over you, all the while his eyes locked to yours. Your breath caught in your lungs at the very sight of the man with his hair all tousled about and his beautiful eyes heavily lidded with longing. He grabbed onto his shaft that had now been soaked by the contact of your entrance. Stroking himself slightly for a moment, the very sight of such a lewd and private action of the tactician made you whimper with delight and yearning, and his lips were parted slightly and his chest rose and fell as he gazed at you with blackened eyes. Then, grasping the base of his shaft firmly, you instinctually spread your legs wider to allow him easier access, and he hovered over you once more and lined up his manhood with the entrance to your passage. Biting your lip as you watched his motions, Ignis seemed to hold his breath as the head of his member pressed up against your opening.

“Are you ready, my love?” he asked as he looked down at you, his words catching in his throat, his own fervor seeming to overwhelm him.

Breathing in deeply and biting your lip with anticipation, you looked deeply into his eyes and nodded.

In one smooth, deliberate, and painfully delightful motion, Ignis pushed himself inside of you, sheathing himself completely to the hilt of your core, and it was as though a spectrum of colors and ecstasy had erupted instantaneously within the bedchamber, and the world now truly felt ablaze.

A sharp mixed cry of pain and pleasure escaped your lips and you gritted your teeth at the sensation of being completely and utterly stretched and filled by Ignis’s length. A tear streamed down the side of your cheek and you buried your face in Ignis’s chest as you tried to control your breathing, your chest rising and failing heavily as your breasts pressed up against his chest.

Ignis too seem to be equally overwhelmed at the sensation of being deep inside your slick and heated depths, his breathing labored and heavy. And yet, the sound of his lungs working sent shivers down your spine and caused your walls to throb around his length.

Ignis carefully shifted his hips slightly, causing you to yelp. “A-Are you alright?” he said, almost forcing the words out of his own lungs, concern for you laced in his voice.

“Y-Yeah,” you said with ragged breath, removing your face from his chest to look up into his eyes. And yet despite how overwhelmed you were feeling at the notion of Ignis stretching you widely and filling every inch of your crevices, you could not help but feel delighted over the mix of the pain and pleasure you were experiencing this very moment. Giving yourself a minute to breath beneath him, you found the strength within you to lift your legs and wrap them around Ignis’s waist, and the action itself caused Ignis’s breathing to quicken. But now you snaked a hand around the back of his head, pulling him down to your face to kiss him, and nipping at his lower lip and sucking on that particular scar that you loved so much, you heard Ignis’s breathing hitch and his shaft harden inside you even more. “Ignis, please. I want you…I need you,” you murmured, realizing you now felt ready for him.

And with his eyes darkening once again and having the moments of allowing you to adjust to his size pass, Ignis nodded to you and shifted his hips once more as he began his movements inside of you.

And now outside, it was pouring heavily….

And gods were you instantly begging for mercy.

Lewd cries began to escape your lips as Ignis began to move in and out of you, his body pressing firmly against yours and holding you down as he began to make love to you. His pace slow and deep as to not hurt you, his breathing was already ragged and moans escaped his lips as he thrust gently inside of you, lost in the unbearable pleasure of finally having his shaft being enclosed inside your walls.

Your hands were wrapped around the back of his neck and your legs were like a vice grip around his hips, allowing him just the right amount of movement for his shaft to penetrate you over and over again with his expert motions. Your face was buried in his chest as he shifted over you repeatedly, and now that your walls were slick and wet with lubrication, the pain had subsided from the intrusion of his shaft and was now completely replaced by utter bliss and ecstasy. You moved your mouth up as best as you could to bite down on his collar bone as he thrust into you, you gazing at the skull pendant that dangled before you in the lamp light, and the feel of your teeth sinking into his flesh made Ignis grunt loudly and only move faster and more feverishly inside of you.

You yelped at the sudden change in pace as Ignis pumped into you more rapidly now, and whimpering and crying out loud, you concealed your face into his chest once more to muffle your whimpering and mumbling moans. Ignis scooped his one arm underneath you to pull you closer to him, and somehow he managed to keep up with his skilled pace as he held you tightly against him.

A loud grunt then escaped his lips as he all of a sudden stopped thrusting into you, and removing his shaft from your heat, with wide eyes you soon found your body being shifted so that you were lying upon your side and propped onto one elbow. Ignis shifted to lie behind you, his body pressed closely up against yours. He began to place passionate kisses on the nape of your neck and ears, and lifting your top leg to allow him access, he grabbed the base of his manhood once again and placed the head against your entrance, and with one more kiss to your shoulder, he pushed himself deep inside of you. A loud cry of ecstasy permeated the bedroom as Ignis began to thrust inside of you from behind, a deep moan leaving his mouth as he slowly pumped deep into you, and with his hot breath upon your neck he once again began to kiss along your shoulders, neck, and ears. His other arm maneuvered itself under and up around you to have his hand grab gently at your breast for support, and it was all you could do to whimper and moan with complete pleasure. His other hand was holding up your leg by the thigh, and the weightlessness of your limb made your feel tingly as if you were light as air.

“Oh Ignis…Ignis…” you cried, biting your lip as your eyes gazed down to your heat to watch his impressive girth move in and out of you. The sight of watching yourself being taken in such a way along with the distinct clacking and wet sound of rounded flesh smacking against the entrance to your heat caused your walls to tighten and clench around his shaft, which only seemed to egg him on even faster.

“Hmmm, yes my darling?” He said huskily as he kissed your neck, and now placing his mouth upon the juncture of where your neck came to meet your collar bone, he bit down a little bit more harshly to you would have expected, causing you to cry out with surprise and delight. He latched on and sucked on the tender flesh, enough to surely leave a deep mark, and grabbing your breast more tightly with just the amount of pressure, he now slowed down is pace but thrust more harshly and deeply into your heat. You felt your body jolt as you continued to watch him make love to you, your leg suspended in the air with the support of his hand, and by now you felt yourself gasping from being unable to breath, clutching at the comforter in your fist in attempt to support yourself.

In another swift and beautifully graceful motion, Ignis rotated his and your body so that you were now flat on your stomach, and you felt your core tighten and twitch at the feel of his muscular body laying itself directly over yours, his throbbing shaft still inside you as he pressed his body tightly against yours.

“How I love you, my sweet….” Ignis murmured in your ear, nibbling around the entirety of your ear and gently tickling and sucking on your earlobe with his tongue. You whimpered as you lay beneath him, helpless and imprisoned to his touches as he continued to kiss your skin, now moving to the back of your neck. He pushed your hair aside and nipped at the very back of your neck, the sensation causing jolts of pleasure to shoot into your loins, and you soon enough cried out into the bed sheets beneath you when he latched onto the back of your neck and bit down hard, him grunting and groaning in the process. There was something so delightful at the way he claimed you, almost as if he was marking you as his. His left hand then skimmed lightly down your hips, titillating your skin in the most delightful ways, and with shaft throbbing and hardening even more inside of you, it was now at this point that you realized just how much you were begging for your release.

“Ignis…Ignis…please…” you whimpered, wanting him to continue to make love to you.

“It will be my pleasure,” Ignis cooed in your ear, knowing exactly what you wanted.

A crack of thunder was heard outside as he thrust hard into you with one swift motion, and lifting you by the hips so that your buttocks were slightly raised from the sheets, Ignis continued his gesticulations within you, and deep grunts and groans escaped his lips as he drove into you at the most delightfully deep and feverish pace, the sound of flesh smacking and sliding into wet heat filling the air once more. Your face was buried in the bed sheets, whimpering with absolute delectation, but Ignis reached down and underneath your chin to pull your face up from the bed.

“Let me hear you, my darling,” he said through heavy breath, and with each thrust you could feel the drops of his sweat trickling onto your back, causing your spine to tingle. Pulling your head up higher now, he titled your head back so that he could place a kiss upon your forehead, and there was something about the sweet and tender gesture during such a heated and intimate moment that made your heat coil and pulse with desire, and with this gesture alone, you realized just how close you were to your release.

Ignis’s breathing was labored now, and it seemed that he could almost sense just how close you were. However, once again after a few more profound thrusts, he teasingly pulled out of you, and you whined with frustration at the separation of the contact of his manhood. But it was he who now plopped himself on his back and pulled you gently on top of him to straddle him, and you realized just how sweaty you were and how your hair was tangled about  and falling around your shoulders. You felt yourself flush more deeply at the way Ignis was looking up at you, his hair sweaty and all over the place across his forehead, and he was smiling at you in the most adoring and devious of ways. And even more so, you felt yourself blush at the realization that Ignis wanted _you_ to be in control at this moment, and this made you feel more bashful than ever.

Placing his hands upon your hips, he began to stroke your skin as he spoke, his breathing ragged and his words catching in his throat, seeming to be lost in the enchantment of the moment.

“I want to watch your release, Y/N,” he murmured, and your loins twitched at these words. “I want to watch you and see how beautiful you are. I want to see all of you when you lose yourself…”

Your heart clenched tightly and your breath caught in your lungs at his words, realizing the immensity of how much he truly cared about making you feel good and him being a part of that moment, as if you didn’t think it was possible that you could love him anymore for all that he already had to offer you…

And now, he grabbed a hold of your hips more firmly as he helped lift you onto shaky knees, and with a trembling hand, you took a hold of his member, pressed the head to your entrance, and slowly sunk yourself down upon him.

A sharp cry of pleasure escaped your lips as your walls tightened around his length, gasping with delight at the feel of how much he was filling you and the depths he was reaching at this angle. You bit your lip and shut your eyes tightly, realizing just how flustered and flushed you must look.

“Darling…my dearest…” Ignis murmured, and opening your eyes to look at him, his green eyes sparkled and gazed at you with the upmost admiration in his eyes. “Look at me. Let me look into your beautiful eyes…I want to see you release yourself for me…”

And knowing that you couldn’t say no to such a request, a bashful smile formed in the corner of your lips and you fluttered your lashes as you shifted over him, causing him to groan instantly with rapture. Taking a hold of your hips more firmly now, Ignis helped guide you as you moved up and down over his length, and you threw your head back in absolute delight over how big he felt inside you now, the feel of his shaft throbbing and twitching inside you making you want to faint with fruition. Feeling the strength in your legs come to you now, you reached down to place your hands upon his beautifully marred and sweaty chest for support, and you allowed yourself to set the pace as your body rose and fell over his. You moaned deeply as you started to grind yourself on him, the nerves of your delicate and sensitive bud making friction with the contact of the base of his girth. For a moment Ignis’s right hand left your hip to place his thumb over your bud, and you yelped with delight at the feel of the extra stimulation. A heated grin spread across his lips as he watched you move over him, and a lust-ridden sigh escaped his mouth as you pushed him deeply inside of you. Your moans were even more verbal now as each shift of your hips sent more waves of pleasure over you, and slowly but surely, with the help of his skilled ministration on your bundle of nerves, you began to feel the signs of your telltale release, your pace now starting to quicken.

As if working by his usual clockwork and picking up on your body language, Ignis noticed your change of pace and began to guide you over his shaft with both hands back to your waist, and you yipped with surprise and delight when he thrust his hips upward into you harshly, causing your body to jolt upright and your breasts to bounce. Ignis’s breathing hitched at such a sight as he now reached up with both large hands to hold onto your breasts, you now beginning to move more frantically over him as you felt the nerves in your spine constrict and your loins start to pulse.

“Oh Ignis…Ignis…” you whimpered, your lips parted now and sweat streaming down the side of your face as you started to lose control, and Ignis squeezed your breasts with just the right amount of pressure  and jerked his hips upward once again, causing you to shriek with glee.

“Let me hear you, my love,” he groaned, and the hoarseness of his voice as well as the way he began to thrust more harshly and frenetically into you told that he too was close to his climax. And now, Ignis sat upright, the strength of his abdomen pulling him up into a seated position, and wrapping his arms around you and pressing your breasts against his chest, Ignis buried his face in your neck as you continued to bounce over him, almost losing full control now. But it was his next words that now pushed you fully over the edge.

“Come with me, my dearest…”

And with those words, waves of hot pleasure began to course through your body as your walls pulsated and clenched madly around his manhood, and your cries of rapture and ecstasy overflowed the room as your threw your head back towards the ceiling. Ignis latched his mouth onto the base of your throat, kissing, nipping, and sucking on your tender flesh. Groaning and grunting loudly now like a wild beast, he bucked his hips up into you with such force and he reached such incredible depths that made you scream with utter delight. Then finally, with his loudest groan yet, he released himself inside of you, his throbbing and pulsing shaft releasing hot cords of seed within your depths, and the sensation of his seed filling you warmly was enough to make you feel as though you were pushed over the edge once more. Gasping for air as you clutched onto him with your claw-like fingernails digging into his skin, you now buried your face in his shoulder and wrapped your arms around his neck tightly as you rode out of the remainder of your intense climax, your whimpers muffled against his flesh as he thrust into you deeply a last few times. And with one last pulse of your inner walls and the last wave of your climax ridden out, you felt your strength slowly leave you as you and Ignis fell back onto the bed, Ignis embracing you tightly within his arms as you plunged onto the sheets beneath you.

Flashes of lighting filled the room as the storm continued to rage outside, and a moment of silence passed between the two of you as you lay on top of Ignis, your head resting on his chest and your eyes closed as you listened to the slowly evening out of his heartbeat. It was one of the most beautiful sounds you had ever heard, and as you two lay against one another, your bodies plastered together from the sweat of your love making, you realized just at this very moment how badly you never wanted to leave this bedroom and have this moment end. You inhaled deeply, feeling your eyes water with happy ears. Taking in his scent that was mixed with cologne, coffee, and sex, and it was the most delightful thing that you could ever breathe in and you could spend the rest of your life surrounded in it. Opening your eyes now, you shifted your head up to look at Ignis, his eyes shut too and his bangs messy all over his head. A relaxed smile was placed upon his handsome lips and he was stroking your hair tenderly between his fingers. But almost sensing that your eyes were upon him, he opened his green orbs to look at you, and an even broader smile graced itself across his lips.

“Hello, my love,” he said almost sheepishly, and the sight of the blushing and rather disheveled tactician made your heart flutter and a soft giggle leave your lips. He shifted himself slightly beneath you now to adjust his back more comfortabely, and you could almost moan again at the feel of his shaft that was still inside of you, and it was finally just now that this moment that it was starting to soften. Feeling giddy and somewhat shy now, you began to trace your fingers over the lines of his pectorals and down the side of his waist and to his obliques, and underneath you Ignis shuddered at your delicate touches.  In response, Ignis took one of his hands and began to trace it down the curve of your back and to your buttocks, caressing your skin in the most tenderly loving of ways.

Inhaling deeply and biting your lip, you finally spoke, feeling flustered once more as he continued to touch you. “Ignis, you’re simply amazing,” you murmured quietly as you rested upon his chest.

Ignis chuckled now. “Hmm? But did you expect otherwise?” He said somewhat smugly, and lifting your head to look at him now with wide eyes, you could see that his eyes were laden with a look of sincerity, and he grinned at you, causing your loins to tighten once more. “I only jest…well mostly,” he said with a wink, placing his hand underneath your chin to draw your face to his. “I am only what you make me, my love. Because it is you who is amazing and inspires me. I truly do mean that.”

You felt your throat muscles tighten and your spine tingle at the compliment, and now pulling your face to his, Ignis kissed you passionately and deeply, causing you to lose your breath once again and your heart flutter madly in your chest.

“Oh Ignis…you….you….” You attempted to say once more with parted lips, your words getting lost in your thoughts as the beautiful man looked at you lovingly and adoringly.

“Me what?” He said softly and playfully, now wrapping his arms around your more tightly and protectively as he spun your bodies around to have you be pinned beneath him, and there was something so unbelievably sensuous and provoking about his booming confidence now that drove you absolutely crazy. He stroked the side of your face and kissed your lips tenderly, and reaching up to touch his scars, you kissed him back more passionately than ever, finding your heart swell at how much you truly realized in the grand scheme of this world that you loved this man.

But within seconds, you felt your eyes widen at something pressing against your thigh, and it was only at this moment that you realized that Ignis was once again hard, even only after such a short period of remission.

“Iggy…” you breathed, your face flushing deeply and your heart slamming in your chest, and you felt your loins coil and tighten with delight  and anticipation once more as he placed another kiss upon your lips.

“An…another side affect of bearing the Ring,” Ignis said with a wink, blushing as he took note of your surprise as he looked down at you beneath him.

“Oh Ignis…Ignis….” You murmured, feeling more overwhelmed than ever now.

But he cupped your face gently, giving you the most serious look that made your heart muscles tighten and flutter. “Y/N…I love you. I truly truly do. And let the gods let us enjoy this moment together, otherwise let it be the last thing I do…”

And with bated breath, your lips went crashing up against his and your legs once more became intertwined within each other, and it was within this moment that your hearts lost themselves to your passions, whims, and love. And as the rainstorms cast forth by the gods flooded down upon the night-laden streets of Insomnia, with all fears gone, the storming spectrums of your hearts burst forth and your professions of love were declared forever and after all night long…

***********************************

A hushed tranquility permeated the room as you slowly opened your eyes to gaze upon your surroundings. A warm, cream-colored light saturated the room, sheer silver curtains billowing quietly in the breeze that made its way into the room as small beams of sunlight spread themselves across lush carpeted floors. Your ears adjusting to the sounds outside, you could hear the unobtrusive passing of cars, the jubilation of a song bird, and the rustle of leave-ridden trees.

 _I feel so peaceful, like I’m in heaven_ …you thought to yourself, and your heart and face were smiling with joy.

Although your mind was foggy from peaceful sleep and dreamlike slumber, you came to remember that you were naked beneath black and silver bed sheets, your body melting into the soft plush support of the mattress beneath you, and with a gentle breath leaving your mouth and a broad smile spreading across your lips, you soon came to quickly recognize the warm form that lay supine next to you.

“Good morning, my love…” murmured the voice of Ignis, and your eyes came into focus more as you slowly rotated your body to see him propped on one elbow, his green eyes laden with sleep but nonetheless the lively, stunning bright eyes that always took your breath away. His hair was strewn about his head and a gentle smile was placed upon his lips, and as he gazed upon you, you felt the air pulled from your lungs.

“Ignis…” you breathed, feeling a slight blush creep up across the pale flesh of your face. “Good morning, Iggy…”

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he slowly maneuvered himself over you, your body now pressed firmly but gently upon the mattress beneath you, and Ignis shifted himself over, his legs situated like the pieces of a puzzle within yours. One elbow was propped to the side of your head, the other now delicately and lazily trailing itself over the skin of your hips.

“Good morning to you to, my dearest Y/N,” Ignis said gently, smiling down upon you as he placed a kiss upon your lips.

A content sigh escaped your lips and you found your stomach tighten as he moved against you, and a soft whimper left your mouth at the feel of his toned chest pressing against your bare breasts.

“Please tell me that this isn’t a dream,” you murmured as your placed your hands upon his forearms and nuzzled your nose against his.

Ignis laughed gently, the sound of his joy causing your heart to tighten with happiness. He placed a kiss upon your forehead and nose, sighing deeply. “I can assure you that this is no dream. But I perhaps would say that it does indeed feel like a little bit of paradise, wouldn’t you agree?”

 It was you who laughed now, and a gasp of surprise and delight escaped your lips as he brought his face down to nip at your collar bone, causing you to arch your back at the sudden sensation. Your legs began to shake as his teeth grazed gently across the bone, and the feeling of his tongue and hot breath tickling you skin made you whimper under his weight.

“Paradise could never compare to being with you right here in this moment,” you said with hushed and breathless words, and reaching up to touch his shoulders, Ignis pulled back to look at you, and you could tell by the look in his eyes that he knew that you meant it. His eyes began to glaze over with tears, and inhaling deeply as if it took every ounce of his strength, a smile crossed his face as he brought his lips down upon yours and kissed you passionately and deeply.

A deep moan and whimper left your mouth and your legs began to playfully twist and untwist from each other, and Ignis rotated the two of you onto your sides so that you were facing each other. He cupped your chin with his hand as he continued to kiss you, and you kissed him back, bringing your hand up to caress the side of his face as you nipped gently at the scar on his lower lip and nuzzled his nose.

“Y/N…” he murmured, pulling back for but a brief moment to look you deeply in the eyes. And then, taking your top leg, he lifted it up over his hip and intertwined his lower leg with yours, and you found yourself gasping at the feel of his hardness pressed against your thigh. You squirmed against him, your skin hot and flushed and your heart fluttering as you once again placed a kiss upon his lips, your eyelids fluttering at the way his hands caressed your shoulder, waist, hips and thigh.

“Ignis…” you whimpered in response, your hand trembling as you now touched his lips with delicate fingers and shifted yourself closer to his warm body. “I…I…”

“What is it my love?” He said dreamily with hushed words, and he nuzzled his nose against your ear, causing shivers to rush down your spine. Then pausing his touches for a moment, he reached down under your leg to grab the base of his shaft to press its head to the center of your damp entrance.

 Now finding the strength within you to speak, your words catching in your throat as your inner walls contracted, you lifted your leg slightly up and wrapped it more tightly around his waist, waiting for the spectrum to burst once again. “I…I…I love you Ignis. I always have. And I only wish that I had the right words to convey it to you this very moment,” you murmured.

Ignis inhaled sharply, seeming to instantly get overwhelmed at your words, and you watched the muscles in his throat tighten. But his wide-eyed and seemingly surprised reaction softened, his eyes glowing with warmth and a gentle smile placing itself upon his lips. Inhaling deeply once more, he placed a deep kiss upon your forehead and lips, and shifting against you now, the head of his shaft broke the barrier of your entrance and slid deep into you, as if you were made just to fit his size. You cried out with delight as a mixture of pleasure, surprise, and slight pain coursed over you, and Ignis grabbed a hold of your waist to you hold you close to him as he pressed his hips against yours and pushed deep inside of you.

“Y/N…” Ignis said with shaky breath, nuzzling his face against yours once more as his shaft slid in and of your passage smoothly and tenderly. Cries and whimpers left your lips as he made love to you, and pressing a soft kiss to your lips, he managed to continue to speak with heated and unsteady breath. “Y/N, I love you. More than you will ever know. May the gods punish me for making you wait all this time. But I know more than certain with anything in all of Eos that I love you with all of my being, forever and always, and may the gods allow us to never part from this very moment with you in my arms…”

And as kisses were shared, bodies were explored and worshipped, and cries of joy filled the air, the sun over the land of Eos rose once more, and you as one experienced the beauty of the coming of a new dawn together…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get me wrong: I'm into smut like any other fan-fic lover. However, given the nature of the lightheartedness of this narrative, it's challenging to write sex scenes that maintain passion and intimacy without using vulgar vocabulary and dialogue. With the nature of this fic, I just didn't feel such language would be appropriate. I also had to walk away from my computer several times because I was getting very flustered over what was going on here. Oh boooiiii.
> 
> You all have been such wonderful support for me in my journey (And Iggy's and the Reader's!) and I really truly cannot convey enough how great it makes me feel that you have all been enjoying this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I really love you all and I am so happy to have joined AO3 to have become friends with you all over my writing! *happy tears*
> 
> BUT LET'S TALK!!! What did you guys think?! I wanna knowwwww! I'm not gonna lie, but the end of the chapter really made me tear up. If I had one wish in this world, I would wish for every single person on this planet to find someone that loves them as much as these two characters love each other...


	15. Dog Days Are Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are absolutely amazing! I felt that I was stuck in a rut with where I wanted to take the next part of the story, but thanks to several suggestions I was able to formulate this chapter. Keep your ideas coming! I love it! :)
> 
> "Dog Days Are Over" by F+tM holds a special place in my heart as it's actually the first song I ever heard of hers many many years go. Even though the phrase "dog days" refers to the hot days we experience in summer, it can also mean "a period of inactivity or sluggishness." But here I thought the song choice would be great to represent this idea of a change of pace in the Reader's life. You'll see. ;)
> 
> As always, your comments are loved and appreciated. :D Thank you all for your love and support!
> 
> P.S.- Always practice safe sex, folks! My head canon though is that in the FFXV universe, they have potions along with other forms of protection to prevent pregnancy. The Reader and Iggy are taking their necessary precautions ;)
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_And I never wanted anything from you  
_

_Except everything you had and what was left after that too, oh_

_Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back  
_

_Struck from a great height by someone who should know better than that_

_The dog days are over  
_

_The dog days are done  
_

_Can you hear the horses?  
_

_'Cause here they come_

_\- Florence and the Machine – “Dog Days Are Over”_

  _Several weeks later…_

“Ok, just a little bit more to the right, then hit the switch to the left, and then you should be good to go!”

The young EXINERIS employee turned around to nod at you as she finished tightening the last valve on the new set of pumps that had been installed in the latest housing plot edition to the city. Walking over to her more closely now, you slapped your goggles down onto your eyes, inspecting her work more scrupulously, and then smiled broadly at her.

“Awesome work! See? You’re getting the hang of this! In no time you’re not even going to need me watching over you! Nice work today, you hear?” You put your hand upon her shoulder for encouragement, and the young girl looked like she had received the nicest compliment in the world. “Now it’s time to go take your break, and then we will start up again in about half an hour, ok?”

“T-Thanks, Y/N!” The girl said with a big confident smile on her face, and wiping the sweat from her brow and putting her wrench into her back pocket, she trotted off with a spring in her step, and the sight of the young girl bouncing off brought a grin to your face. Just how long ago it seemed now that you had been in her shoes, naïve and inexperienced and just starting your career working with Holly and the ladies of EXINERIS. A blissful smile spread across your own face as you watched her go, and now heading to the marketplace for this afternoon’s lunch, it was at this given moment that you realized just how utterly peaceful and content you felt with the entirety of your life.

The weeks had passed on and Lestallum had officially been thriving once again to its former glory, and then some more. All repairs had been made to the damage that had been endured during the years of darkness, down to the tiniest nut and bolt in the smallest crevices of the town, and so the city was officially restored to its former allure and grandeur. But even more excitingly so was the development of the first test prototype machine for construction and demolition purposes that was to help aid in rebuilding the damaged structures that not only littered themselves across the land of Lucis but also the Crown City. You had felt yourself gasping with astonishment the day that you found out the Insomnian researchers and technicians had officially developed this first prototype from the blueprints that you and Ignis had recovered as well as the refinement of the mythril, unable to believe just how quickly they were able to generate the machine. When Noctis and several of his scientists showed up in the middle of Lestallum to test out its success, you felt that you could not help but feel more than enthralled in knowing that you actually had a part in all of this.

“Alright, Y/N. Let’s see what this baby can do!” Noctis said to you with a wide grin on his face. Lestallum had once again been in the process of expanding once more, even more so north and up around the glowing meteor that provided the city with its energy. Finding a small ravine in which the construction workers in the city hoped to begin building new developments, Noctis and the technicians started up the machine, and gasping and squealing with delight, you could not help but feel astounded over watching it rev to life and begin to dig and level out the ground below it as well as cut away from the rocks along the hillside.

You and many EXINERIS employees as well as common citizens and visitors in the city stood and watched in marvel at the machine doing its work, and it was all you could do to stare in utter awe and hope.

But startling you, a hand was now placed upon your shoulder as you turned to look to see Noctis gazing at you with a wide grin upon his face.

“Thank you again. Thank you for everything,” he said, and the sincerity in his voice made you choke up as the two of you watched side-by-side the beginning of the future of Lucis to be built, feeling more elated and hopeful than ever.

But to say that you were feeling happiness and bliss was an understatement. While both of you still had your usual duties to attend to, your time spent with Ignis was so much more  frequent now that you both did not have to painfully bear the potential separation for weeks on end and more often than not were able to see each other one or two times a week now. Business for Ignis had become much less strenuous, stressful, and demanding, due to the Citadel now officially being fully staffed as well as the once Glaive trainees now officially and fully being trained to serve and protect the King. You, due to your fully operational supervisorial rights as well as having a new batch of fully trained EXINERIS girls to take on the crazy workload of ensuring the expansion procedures had been met, could now comfortably afford to take the time off without feeling a sense of remorse or guilt when you weren’t at the plant. And so therefore, while you still missed every second that the two of you were not side by side, relief would come knowing that you would be seeing each other sooner than later.

And when you did see Ignis? The world would ignite. While always remaining ever the downright most respectful gentleman around you (even more so now that he was unafraid to express his affections to you openly without fear), there was a confidence and gait to him that flourished more than ever before, and the shyness that had once possessed him was now no longer. In fact, it had now become almost impossible for him to keep his hands off of you, and his desire to touch you in the presence of others was almost a constant battle for him. More often than not when you spent time around your companions, you would have to fight back a moan or a squeal when Ignis’s hands would wander to various parts of your body, and it was all you could do to not jump on him and take him right then and there on the spot in the company of your comrades.

But in a bizarre way, your friends did not feel uncomfortable around your passion and tenderness around one another, but almost in a way encouraged it. While of course you and Ignis tried to keep your public displays of affections towards one another as appropriate or private as possible, you could almost tell how utterly ecstatic your friends were, knowing that you two had finally opened up to one another and accepted the feelings that had been burning within you for months.

And the teasing that ensued as a result? The morning after you had gone to Ignis to confess your feelings and the truth about what you learned about him, you had walked down to the main hall of the Citadel with Ignis by your side with his hand in yours, yours legs wobbly and your body sore and utterly exhausted from your love making. You knew that you had certainly looked far worse for wear and your skin was flushed deeply and clearly marked and bruised from your nightly escapade. However, there was no ability to conceal what had transpired and you couldn’t avoid your friends forever because of the proof of what had eventuated, and so sooner than later you would have to get over your shyness. As you strolled into the throne room to greet your companions  for the morning, you felt yourself swallowing hard as you saw the reactions of your current state upon your friends’ faces as you walked in through the vast doorways, even though it certainly shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone what you and Ignis had shared the night before. Prompto with his sunshine-boy innocence immediately began to blush a deep shade of purple as he attempted to say good morning. Iris blushed deeply as she looked at the expression on your face, stifling a giggle as you went over to her. Noctis merely grinned at Ignis, who nodded back with a slight creep of a blush in his cheeks. You, who had always been the most reserved in the affairs of sharing anything pertaining to intimacy in your life (as Iris always tried to make you spill the beans over anything you did) felt you were dying inside and all the air left your lungs as you attempted to hide your demureness over prying eyes. And of course, not to your surprise, a wide toothy grin spread across Gladio’s face as he clapped Ignis on the back, but from the corner of your eye, you noticed Ignis push up his glasses as a small and smug grin spread to the corner of his lips.

The teasing ensued over the next many weeks but it certainly was more than welcome, as Ignis clearly didn’t seem to mind (although you couldn’t help but adore the flush of his face when the boys, especially Gladio, would make a suggestive remark about you), and if anything, the comments only seemed to drive Ignis on even more with his affection and advances towards you, now coming to really realize just how much he enjoyed leaving his mark on you and that you were officially declared a couple. You found utter giddiness over the sight of the series of bruising that was left upon your throat after your sessions, but realizing how questionable such marks might seem to your fellow EXINERIS ladies (to whom you tried to keep your relationship private), you began to wear a bandana around your neck to cover up the proof of what had been done to you.

“Is that a new fashion statement at work?” Gladio would say with a huge smirk at times when he and Iris came to visit you in Lestallum, and you would blush profusely and hit him with your fists while Iris laughed joyfully, too caught up in your assault on her brother to even care about feeling embarrassed for you.

And it was now, having been lost in your rampant joyful thoughts that you arrived at the marketplace and began to scan over the delicious entrees that the street vendors were offering today. Your stomach rumbling and growling at you, you scanned the stands for their selections of beanball croquettes, sweet and spicy Cyllgian crab, and even the option of a Garulesandwich. However, as the heated sun beat down upon your head as you decided on your choice, you could not help but feel an intense blush creep up through your cheeks as you thought of Ignis once more and how, that in only a few short hours, he would be joining you at your apartment where you both would be prepping the dinner together that you never quite got to making just those few weeks ago…

Your throat tightened with delight as you excitedly handed the street vendor your gil to get your plate of tomalley-filled dumplings (one of Iggy’s favorites, not to mention) and you took your seat on one of the benches in the marketplace, beginning your usual people watching of the passersby. Popping a delicious dumpling into your mouth, your mouth watering instantly at the delicious flavor, you felt your phone buzz in your pocket. You reached down and pulled it out to read the message you just received, smiling and shaking your head at knowing that, as always, the man you adored so much knew how your day ran exactly like clockwork and when you partook in certain parts of your schedule. However, no matter how many times Ignis would message you during work, you still felt yourself getting overly flustered and blushing deeply at his apparent fondness in his words. Just the way that he was able to keep his words so restrained and yet somehow subtly implying something more desirous made you incredibly flighty, and you prayed to the Astrals that none of the ladies would begin to question you about the heat that crept up through your face when you returned to work.

**Good afternoon, my dearest love. What may be your choice of lunch on this rather sultry day today?**

You bit your lip as you smiled, and for some reason his choice of the word sultry made you overly giddy. You felt your hunger immediately subside, just from reading his words.

 **One of your favorites, dumplings! I think it’s quite unfortunate that I don’t have someone to share them with though. :P As yummy as they are, I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I’m already starting to get much fuller than I thought I would**!

There was a moment’s pause, almost as if Ignis was deliberating what to say to you next. But it was his reply now that almost left you choking on the dumpling you were attempting to swallow, and heat coiled tightly in your loins and your legs twitched with delight at his words:

**How most unfortunate that is indeed, my dearest. But I do suggest to eat well to maintain your strength for your workday. But then again, perhaps there is something else you wish to indulge in later on this evening that could equally, if not, more so, fill you up?**

A groan left your lips as several people walked past you, each of them staring at your lewd sound as you tried your best to maintain your composure, and with shaking hands you attempted to reply.

**Ignis…you…I just made a noise in public and now I have people staring at me. You’re killing me here!**

After another moment’s pause, he sent you another message.

**My apologies dearest…although I am now saddened to have not heard with my own ears such a noise. Permit me to be ever so bold, but I admittedly have failed myself so far this day as I work in thinking of nothing but our… little “mission” we partook in the other day…You…truly are formidable, my love, and so needless to say, I am much rather looking forward to seeing you in but a few short hours and getting to share a taste with you. Or perhaps, of you.**

And now you felt yourself screaming inside with anticipation, your heart slamming in your chest, and with struggling hands, you once more attempted to type a reply to him, as your toes wiggled in their boots, but he was too fast:

**But I unfortunately must be back to work now, my dearest love. I shall be waiting with much anticipation for you upon your arrival at home…**

_You….you tease….Oh, I will get you for that_ , you thought breathlessly, your legs bouncing with excitement as you struggled to put your phone back in your pocket. Feeling utterly breathless like a giddy school girl now, feeling more than flustered than ever at how the man was able to unravel you with the simplest of words, you managed to polish off the remainder of your lunch, and as you headed back to your post for the remainder of the day, your mind drifted to yours and Ignis’s adventure from just mere days ago…

*******************************************

“Interesting…” you said out loud as you and Ignis zoomed on the highway towards the dusty region of Leide. You were currently looking at a map of the power grids that spread across the land, and quite frankly you were feeling a bit puzzled at the moment. Holly had once again requested that you and Ignis as a team (partners, as she referred to the both of you together, which made you feel absolutely elated) head out to the Prairie Outpost south of the Keycatrich Trench to check on a most puzzling case of a power outage. The Prairie Outpost, while not necessarily the main hub for the hunters these days, still was an important meeting ground for the men and women in the Leiden region. Overnight the facility had experienced a bizarre power shortage that could not be explained, and given your usual expertise as well as your skills with fighting off dangerous beasts, you of course were sent out to check out the problem.

“Hmmm, yes, Y/N? What is it?” Ignis said as his eyes were focused on the road before him, and as you looked to look at him, you could not help but feel your heart swell at the beautiful sight of that one solitary strand of hair that always managed to loosen itself from his pompadour.

“It’s just…I don’t know. Holly told us both that upon the hunters inspecting the area around the Outpost, they saw large claw marks scratching at the ground not too far away and one of the cables leading to a backup generator had been chewed. So obviously we have some type of creature on our hands here that’s causing the problem. Why didn’t the hunters then just scope out the area and see what’s going themselves? They’re trained for this after all.”

Ignis sighed as he smiled now, and his eyes turned away from the road for but a moment to look at you. “I would have to say that it is most likely that their choice was intended for the purposes of killing two Daggerquills with one stone,” he said with a grin. “You yourself as a hunter are most invaluable in their knowledge, not to mention that I do not believe the hunters have the familiarity of knowing where to begin with such a strange case of power loss. You then, of course, were the most reasonable solution.”

“Hmmm…” you hummed, scratching your head slightly and attempting to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear as your hair blew in the wind. “I suppose you are right. But still, these hunters probably have so much more experience than me at this point. It’s certainly not a full time gig for me like it once used to be.”

Ignis now placed a hand upon your thigh in the most chaste and soothing of ways, and you felt yourself melting at his touch. _No matter how many times he touches me, it still always feels like the first,_ you thought as you blushed, now placing your hand on top of his. But Ignis smiled once more, giving you the most reassuring look.

“Do not doubt yourself, my darling. You are incredible at what you do, and we shall both be just fine today…” He murmured.

Smiling back at him, you realized that the car was coming to a slow stop as the Regalia rolled into a park. You did not know why, but immediately you began to feel a sense of nervousness wash over you as you took in the sights before you. Despite the Meldacio HQ being the more prominent of grounds for hunters to meet at and discuss hunts (as you had frequented several times during the world of darkness yourself), today the Prairie Outpost lay littered with hunters of all shapes, sizes, and weapons in hand. Some sat in chairs playing cards with one another while others ate and listened to the radio that was situated in the center of an array of tables and chairs. Some hunters you caught playing darts while others talked on their cell phones or spoke to the weapons vendor, but the overall general notion you took in was that these men and women seemed to mean business, and for some reason this made you feel on edge. But most interestingly enough, you noticed that only half the power was running at the outpost, the western part of the building unlight, so somewhere nearby, damage had been ensued to one of the power lines leading to this portion of the facility.

_You can do this, Y/N. Why are you getting so worked up all of a sudden? You’ve done this so many times before…_

Taking a deep breath, you and Ignis slowly got out of the car and you wondered just exactly where to start. Ignis immediately took note of your anxiousness as he came around the right side of the Regalia and squeezed your hand. “Relax darling. You are more than capable. Do not let these hunters intimidate you.”

Smiling up at him now, you felt your nerves ease a little bit as you squeezed his hand back. “Y-You’re right Iggy. I’m sorry. It’s just been a really long time since I’ve had to work with _actual_ full time hunters. Some of them can be quite the hardasses and stuck in their own ways.”

Ignis chuckled as he let go of your hand, crossed his arms, and began to look around. “Well as long as it is just you and I working as a team together, we should not have to worry about that being a problem.”

Reaching over the edge of the Regalia and into the front seat, you grabbed the map of the power grid and began to scan it over with your eyes. Then looking up, you began to survey the land around the Post and hummed, your eyes scanning the trail of lines that led deep into the forest up the mountain that was northwest of your location.

“Iggy, do you mind checking up on our restoratives and supplies real quick? I’m gonna go find the person in charge here to see if they can give me a few more details on what’s going on around here. Last I heard, Dave Auburnbrie was full-time situated at Meldacio, so chances are he might not be here. But still, I want to go see and check. I’ll be right back, ok?”

Ignis smiled at you, seeming to take charm in you taking charge of this operation. “Certainly, my love,” he murmured. “I shall see what they are offering as cuisine as well, in case we decide to get hungry at some point during our search.”

Reaching up on tip toes, you kissed him on the cheek and trotted off now into the center of the Outpost. Map in hand, you felt yourself getting jittery once more as the eyes of the hunters began to bore into you, and you realized that you truly must look out of place at the moment. While none should ever judge by appearances, you still couldn’t help but realize just how petite and delicate you must look compared to the hulking hunters, and even their female counterparts that now looked at you with curiosity seemed to be so much more formidable than you.

 _You’ve been doing this for over ten years now_ , you said to yourself. _I just gotta chill!_

Your eyes catching a pair of hunters who were converged around a set of tables, you approached them somewhat meekly with your map ready.

“Excuse me, but can you tell me who is in charge here today at the Outpost? Is Dave possibly around?”

The duo of men slowly turned around to look at you, and their initial surprise of being addressed in such a polite manner was quickly replaced by somewhat heated glances in their eyes.

“That would be me today, honey. Dave ain’t here to answer your questions and so I’ll be the man to go to,” said a rather particularly tall and handsome hunter with his hair shaved on the sides and his hair longer on top. He crossed his rather bulky broad arms in front of his chest, almost as if to show off his wide forearms, and you immediately felt yourself blushing at the flirtatious way he looked at you. “What do you need, sweetie?” He finally asked you, tilting his head as if examining you.

“I-I’m Y /N,” you said, more meekly than you wanted to come across sounding. “I work for EXINERIS and Holly was requested to have one of us come and inspect the issues you were having with your power.”

The man’s buddy standing next to him now joined in on the conversation, suddenly seeming to take up a huge interest in you, and now having two hulking men seeming to gawk at you suddenly made you feel rather small.

“No way,” the buddy said as he took a step closer to you, looking you up and down and nodding to himself, almost impressed. “I always knew that the EXINERIS girls were known for looking cute, but I didn’t think they’d be this hot in person.”

Swallowing hard now, you felt your hand trembling as you held the map, and while it wasn’t to say that you weren’t flattered by being called attractive, you were trying very hard to focus on the job at hand and didn’t quite appreciate the statement at the moment. Kindly ignoring his remark, you spoke up now, “I-I was wondering if you gentlemen could redirect me to where you saw the claw marks? I’d like to begin inspection of the area so we can figure out where and what could be causing the loss of power to y-your western half of the post.”

Tall Guy now tilted his head to look at you, a smirk upon his face that made you feel more uncomfortable than it should. Buddy Dude now took a step closing to you, taking the map out of your hands as he began to look at it carefully, and almost pushing it back into your hands with a force that surprised you, he now crossed his arms and smirked at you too.

“Oh come on sweet heart. Why the rush? The power can wait,” Tall Guy said, circling around you slightly now. “We’re functioning just fine around here without it. What’s another half an hour of wait…”

“Yeah, come play darts with us,” Buddy Dude said, “or maybe you could take a walk up to the Trench with us to look at the old ruins. It’s some pretty cool stuff if you’re into that old history. Or maybe we could, you know…”

“Might I suggest to you gentleman that you leave the lady to her own devices and let her do her job honorably,” said an austere voice behind you, “and might I add that it is most unsatisfactory to be the lying about the rank of your position in regards to the whereabouts of your boss.” Now jumping at the contact of a hand upon the small of your back,  you slowly turned around and looked up to see Ignis standing right behind you with lips drawn into a thin grimace, and standing only mere feet behind him was in fact Dave Auburnbrie, who was looking rather displeased himself.

The two hunter’s eyes widened not only at the sight of their boss before them but also at the notion that Ignis somehow seemed to tower over them in height. Their eyes quickly fell to the Crownsguard insignia that was placed upon the breast of Ignis’s t-shirt, and inhaling sharply, a wave of realization seemed to course over the duo at what the insignia actually meant.

“Oh shit…shit…” Tall Guy said as he looked at Ignis’s face, seeming to suddenly realize who it was who standing before him.

“You boys better get out of here and run along now,” Dave said with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I’ll be back to reprimandin’ you later…”

Their lips quivering and almost shaking like falling leaves, the two hunters quickly nodded in a series, and with a blur of words saying “yes sir,” they ran off to gods only knew where.

No one said anything for a moment, and then after a hushed silenced passed, both Dave and Ignis sighed synchronously, and you finally felt you were able to relax your shoulders. Dave now came to stand before you. “My apologies for you for having to deal with that,” he said, his drawling accent thick but nevertheless friendly. “Them two are new to the field and clearly haven’t learned yet that you don’t treat fellow hunters that way. You can be sure they will be spoken to.”

Finally feeling like you were able to breathe, you smiled now, and in response he reached out his hand to you. “I’m Dave, the one _actually_ in charge who requested you two to come out and help today.”

Taking his hand to shake it, you spoke. “Y/N. I have to say, it’s rather nice to meet you after all these years.  All those hunts I went on and yet we never crossed paths once! It’s kinda ironic, isn’t it?”

Dave chuckled heartily now. “Ain’t that the truth, but there’s a time for everything, isn’t there? It just makes me glad to see that we have so many loyal hunters working out in the field to help people. Thankfully we don’t got them daemons to worry about any more plaguing our wildlife, but that’s all the more reason to be keepin’ an eye on them critters. And thankfully your friend here Ignis is one of them who is still workin’ to ensure that everyone is safe and sound. Even after all these years he’s still doin it.”

It was you who laughed now with a warm smile upon your face, and you immediately recalled all of the stories Ignis had told you about his and the boys’ searches for lost dog tags. But as you shifted upon your feet, you had realized that Ignis had never removed his hand from your back, and turning to look up at him, you could see that his expression was somewhat unreadable and his form was trembling slightly, his mouth still drawn into a thin line. But as you opened your mouth to ask him what was wrong, Dave spoke once more, drawing your attention back to him. “Now why don’t I show you what our little problem is so that way you two can get to work and then get on outta here back to resumin’ your normal lives?”

**************************

Mending the cable to the backup generator had not been an issue for you at all, but the real problem of what was causing such a strange outage still lay at hand. Doing a quick survey of the surrounding property and analyzing the claw marks that trailed their way not too far from the Outpost, you immediately deduced that some animal must have strayed from the forest and had been fussing with the power lines somewhere along the way. But if that was the case, what creature with such massively sharp claws could manage to climb up the towers to mess with the cables? Something just didn’t seem too right about that, and so you and Ignis were about to solve that mystery.

And so with your power indicator, tools, and your blade in hand, you had set off with Ignis into the northwestern forest above the Outpost and followed the trail of power lines that lead deeper into the woods, following the trail of where the power could have possibly been cut out.

“This is so bizarre,” you said after you had climbed down several sets of towers after reading the level of energy on the power indicator. “So far, I can see that there has been no damage sustained to any of these cables. Each of them is perfectly fine, so the issue has to be farther up. It’s almost like there is a blockage of power somewhere. Like something is causing an interference of sorts...”

“That is most peculiar,” Ignis said, his voice slightly strained as he took your hand to help you down from your last step from the ladder. “That is all the more reason that we find out as quickly as possible what could be causing such a ruckus, otherwise the issue could worsen for unknown reasons.” Ignis followed closely behind you now as the two of you continued to walk deeper into the forest, but there was something in the stress of his voice as well as the off-kilter swagger of his hips that made you somewhat nervous and anxious.

 _Ignis…what’s wrong?_ You thought, noting the change in his body language.

As you walked in silence for a few moments, the warmth of the blazing sun streaming down upon you through the thickened leaves of the forest trees, you were about to open your mouth to say something to him when you noticed a most peculiar sight up ahead about twenty feet. Rushing towards it now as your eyes carefully scanned the woods before you, you came to a stop as you looked down at the ground to see a cable that somehow had been snapped off from the tower before you. “Aha! So there you are!” You exclaimed somewhat triumphantly as Ignis quickly moved to stand beside you. Picking up the cable carefully as to not potentially shock yourself, you began examining the cable more closely now and found yourself raising your eyebrows with curiosity. “But…but what did this?” You said, looking up to see where the line had been broken off. You hummed again and sat the cable back down, now scratching your head in puzzlement. “So it actually WAS just a connection issue with the cables…but then why…how….”

It was at this moment that you felt your spine tingle, almost as if a wave of electricity was coursing through the air, and you looked down at your arms to see that your hair was standing up on end as if you had been struck by static.

“Iggy…Iggy….do you feel that?” You said nervously, now slowly drawing your blade from its sheath at your hip as your spine tingled.

“Stay close, my love,” Ignis said now, standing close beside you now, and the proximity of his tense body almost made you jump. “I am more than positive at this moment of what may have caused that cable to surge off from the tower. I just hope that…”

But before Ignis could finish his sentence, you heard a low, rumbling purr rustle through the woods, and each and every one of your hairs prickled upright.

Above you, the socket to the missing cable sparked, and another wave of crackling static surged through the air.

“Oh Astrals, Iggy…I should have guessed it. It’s so obvious now. It’s…it’s…”

“A Coeurl,” Ignis said, and saying the name of the beast almost sounded like a purr rolling off of his own tongue. “I too should have guessed sooner. The psionic waves emitted through its whiskers must have caused enough force to send that cable shooting forth from its connection. It’s ability to project electrical currents through the air is most dangerous.”

“Shit,” you murmured, feeling foolish for not picking up on the tale-tell signs sooner. You were no stranger to fighting Coeurls, but no matter how many times you encountered them, they still managed to strike fear in your heart. Beautiful and graceful but most deadly, it was bad enough fighting one on its own due to its swiftness and ferocity, but a pack? You prayed to the Astrals that was not about to be your case. As you felt a drop of sweat drip glide down the side of your face, you found your back was now directly up against Ignis’s as you both guarded one another, your eyes frantically scanning the thickened forest around you. “B-But where is it? They’re so damn fast and I feel like I’m going to miss it.”

“Calm yourself, love, and keep an open eye. Lucky for us though, my darling, I too have had my fair share of demolishing these creatures, and as you may know, their forms tend to find weakness against daggers...and fire.” Ignis’s face was soon plastered with a confident grin, and with a magical flourish in his hands, both of his sharpened daggers materialized before him and were blazing within his hands.

To your left, you heard a rustle of bushes.

And to your right, a crack of a branch.

“Shit, Iggy….” You said, bringing your katana up closer to guard your body, and Ignis’s back shifted against yours.

“Patience, darling,” he said lowly, and the tension that seemed to have been coursing through him for the last hour was now clearly felt through the contact. “Just a moment more….and….”

And simultaneously leaping through the air through the thicket of the woods was the Coeurl duet, snarling and whipping their whiskers as they lunged at you with barbarity. You and Ignis concurrently ducked as the creatures leapt over your heads, gnashing their teeth at you as they attempted to bite you. You had rolled slightly down the hill, your head slamming against the ground and dizzying you from impact. Your vision whirling slightly, you heard Ignis yell your name as you now found the giant feline towering over you, raising its paws to swipe at you, but with a swiftness that the cat did not expect, you raised your katana to prevent the blow.

“Get off me, you monster!” You yelled as it snapped at you with its dagger-like teeth, and with all the strength you could muster, you managed to raise your leg to knee the beast in its stomach, causing it to wheeze slightly as it rolled off of you. But only seeming to anger the creature more, it arched its back and growled loudly at you, its whiskers now swirling around its muzzle and beginning to crackle with electricity as it pawed at the ground with its razor-like claws.

“Shit,” you said, knowing that you were not in a good place. Watching a Coeurl charge its whiskers was certainly a tell-tale sign for doom, and eyeing up the prized resource that was on its face, you knew that you had to take action as soon as possible before it was too late.  Slowly reaching to your belt, the Coeurl arching its back and clawing at the ground as it barred its teeth at you, you grabbed a small grenade that was attached to your belt. Magic. Fire magic. Ignis had brought along several magic flasks prepared by Noctis with various status affects, and at this moment you were happy that you were more than prepared to douse the beast in flame.

“Come and get me, you said through gritted teeth, planting your feet into the ground with a wide stance. The Coeurl flinching at the slightest movement of your legs now bounded towards you through the air, its whiskers crackling and prickling, and swiftly rolling and dodging out of its way before it could flick its extensions at you, you hurled the grenade at its feet, and instantly the air exploded with flame and heat. The feline screamed in pain as it tumbled to the ground, its skin now beginning to scorch. While it was downed in its weakened state, you took action, jumped on top of it, plunged your katana through its chest, and with one last yowl of pain, you put the poor beast out of its  misery.

You gave yourself a moment to breathe when your eyes suddenly expanded, remembering foolishly that you were not alone in this operation. Whipping your head around quickly now, your eyes spotted Ignis slightly further into the thicket, now battling an additional Coerul that decided to join the furor.

“Ignis!” You cried, panicking now. Knowing that he was more than capable of handling himself in all of his years of fighting, you felt your heart racing as the two felines began to charge their whiskers, Ignis now caught between the duo and being stalked like prey. But as you approached, a smirk appeared on Ignis’s face as he smashed an orb between his hands that caused his daggers to ignite even more strongly, and with utter amazement you watched the tactician gracefully leap over the charging fiends who were too distracted to notice you. Ignis swiped and plunged with his daggers at the bodies of the cats who screeched and mewled with frustration, clearly unable to assault their target, and with a few more quick rolls and flips through the air, Ignis managed to slice one last time at each feline, bringing them to the ground to meet their deaths.

For a moment you stood there in silence, in complete awe at once again being able to witness the splendor and beauty of watching Ignis in combat. As he wiped the sweat from his brow and his blades disappeared from his hand, he looked up to see you staring at him, and his eyes widened, realizing now that you were alright.

“Y/N….” He murmured as he paced over to you with a stride in his steps and before you could open your mouth to speak he pulled you into his arms and held you tightly against his chest. “Gods, are you alright?” He said, looking down at you now as he lifted your chin to inspect your face. He brushed away at some dirt that had accumulated on your cheeks from your contact with the ground, and the touch alone was enough to make you shiver with delight. And yet something about his posture was very rigid and his breathing seemed more labored than usual, and so swallowing hard, you spoke to him.

“I’m ok Ignis. Nothing that I couldn’t handle! Although I do have to say that was a battle that I wish we didn’t have to deal with today” you said with a smile as you rested your head upon his chest for a moment. But then you looked up at him again, a warm smile upon your face. “But you? Watching you take those two out at the same time? As always, you never fail to impress me, Iggy. I’m just glad that you are ok too…”

You pulled yourself away from his chest for a moment to turn around and look at the scene before you. While the pelts of the Coeurls were slightly charred, you thought that there was enough of the skin to salvage, but most importantly, you noticed that the whiskers of each animal were still intact, and you smiled at realizing that you would go away today with more bounty than you originally anticipated.

“I say that was a job well done though,” you said as you crossed your arms, nodding to yourself as you looked at the valuable resources before you, and taking note of the cable that was upon the ground once more, you sighed. “I say though let’s get this all taken care of and grab those whiskers so we can head back and make some extra cash!”

But as you turned to walk forward, you noticed that you heard no footsteps follow behind you, and so you turned around to see Ignis standing with his feet planted firmly upon the ground and an intensity that was emanating from his green eyes. His hair was a slightly disheveled and his chest was rising and falling as if he was trying to control himself, and you felt your heart tighten in your chest at the way he was looking at you at this moment.

“Ignis? Are you ok?” You asked, taking a slight step towards him, and you suddenly felt that your heart was pounding loudly within your ears.

His nostrils flaring slightly, Ignis walked towards you now, his strides long once again, and soon standing there before you, he looked down upon you with a heated gaze as he took a lock of your hair and rubbed it between two fingers. “I…I…” He began, but his words caught in his throat.

You bit your lip as you looked up at the struggling man. “Ignis, what it is?” You asked him again, placing your hands upon his forearms. “What’s wrong?”

Almost holding his breath for a moment, a sigh escaped Ignis’s lips and his shoulders finally seemed to relax as a small smile spread across his lips. “M-My apologies,” he said somewhat breathlessly as he continued to play with your hair. “Perhaps the heat of the battle has gotten to my head a little bit at this moment.”

You raised your eyebrow as you looked up at him, and at this moment you knew that he was bullshitting. You crossed your arms and the side of your lip curved up into a curious smile. “I don’t think that’s a very good answer,” you said, somewhat playfully. “You’ve been acting strange for the last hour or so. What’s going on?”

Ignis breathed in deeply now and his hand trembled slightly as it moved from your hair to grasp under your chin. He began to study your face seriously now. Realizing that the Coeurl was indeed out of the bag now, he decided it was best to speak up. “Back at the Outpost earlier…” he began with a pause, and your heart fluttered slightly, almost immediately realizing what he was about to say. “Back at the Outpost,” he repeated, “when I witnessed those two hunters approaching you and then speaking to you in such a manner, I was most disturbed. While they certainly have all the reason in the world to be more than stunned by your beauty, still, the very nature in which they spoke of you had me feeling quite uncomfortable. And most perturbed and angered that they viewed you in a manner that made you into an object to be used. And this left me feeling….rather afraid…”

Your eyes widened at this statement as he began to caress the side of your face with his gloved hand, and you felt your skin flush deeply at the touch. But even more so, you felt jitters course through you as you realized the implication of what Ignis was really trying to say.

“Were you….were you jealous, Iggy?” You said almost breathlessly,

A smile formed on his lips, and it was he who now that blushed slightly. “Perhaps jealousy is what you could call it indeed,” he murmured as his gaze was more fixed upon you now. “But can you blame me? The very way they looked at you. And hearing them utter those words to you…it was positively nerve-wracking. And it made me afraid of the notion of the horrid thought of losing you…It has me feeling quite on edge and restless right now...”

Your heart shattered into a million crystal shards as you felt your breath being taken away, and it was at this instant you realized just how much the tactician truly cared about you and loved you for all that you were.

“Iggy….Iggy…” you murmured as you looked up into his eyes and touched his lip with delicate fingers. But you smiled warmly now, your heart pounding in your chest and your legs feeling tingly. “Believe me. You have nothing to ever be afraid of. I’m not going anywhere. I promise you that you’ll never lose me…”

Ignis trailed his hand down the side of your cheek and ran his thumb over your lower lip, pressing on it slightly to reveal your bottom teeth. With his breath catching slightly in his throat, he then moved his hand down slowly over the softness of the skin on your neck and stopped at the base of you throat, curving his hand around it slightly with delicate pressure. Inhaling profoundly, Ignis dipped down to kiss your lips deeply, and your lashes fluttered at the sensation of soft lips dancing over yours. You realized that his other hand was on your hip now as he began to nuzzle his nose against your ear, and placing gentle kisses upon the lobe and cartilage, he whispered into your ear, making your spine tingle. “I love you, Y/N, and I wish to be by your side, always…”

Inhaling deeply as your head spun in response to the sensation of his touches, your eyes widened suddenly as you felt your back bump up against something rough and woody, and it was now that you realized that during your talk, you and Ignis somehow maneuvered yourself next to a tree. Your lips were trembling as he continued to kiss your ear and now the side of your neck, and a soft moan escaped your lips as your hands trailed up to touch his chest.

“Ignis…Iggy…” you breathed, almost at a loss for words, and you felt your loins tighten at the feel of his hands gripping at the waistband of your jeans.

Ignis pulled back to look at you with a sheepish grin on his face, his eyes heated and lidded and his face slightly flushed. “Permit me to admit freely, but perhaps the heat of battle and my…jealousy…has me feeling a bit ravenous at the moment…”

And Astrals, did you just realize it too by the moisture that was accumulating within the confines of your pants.

“Ignis….please…” You said with heated breath, a bashful grin upon your face as you placed your hands on top of his. “I’m yours and yours only, and I want you to know that right this moment…”

And with his nostrils flaring and his chest rising, Ignis removed his hands from your hips and begin to yank at the gloves upon his hands, pulling them gracefully off his digits and carelessly tossing them to the ground before you, almost as if he was unable to take his own turmoil anymore. You inhaled sharply at his carelessness and starred at his beautiful bare hands that you loved having touch you and hold you. Taking a hold of your hips once more, he spun you around gently so that you were facing the tree, and almost instinctually you braced your hands upon the trunk, your heart pounding madly in your chest as you felt his bare hands begin to skim down your spine and over your hips. You bucked your behind towards him, encouraging him on, and with your shaky hands upon the bark, Ignis expertly reached around the front of your frame and unbuckled your pants and lowered your zipper with ease. Grabbing onto the waist band of your jeans, you whimpered at the feel of the garment being lowered just enough to expose your behind and spread your legs, and you shivered at the feel of the fresh breeze of the illustrious day dancing across your skin. Ignis groaned from behind you, his anticipation clear in his voice.

Turning your head to look back at him to see his expression, you were immediately stopped by a gentle hand upon your back. “Keep your eyes foreword, my darling,” he whispered in your ear, and your loins tightened at his temperate yet domineering command.

_He wants to be in control today…_

With excitement coursing through your veins and your hips jerking backwards slightly, you felt yourself jump with delight at the sound of his belt clinking and the clicking sound of his zipper lowering, and you heard the quiet sound of his own jeans brushing down past his upper thighs. His one bare hand resumed its position on your hip while the other reached around achingly slowly and down to your groin, and you gasped harshly as deft fingers began to dance over your sensitive bundle of nerves. You cried out loudly as you threw your head back upon his chest as you began gasping for air as he finger swirled and dipped around the bud, and Ignis reached up with his other hand to firmly but gently grasp at your breast through your shirt.

“Ignis...Ignis…” you moaned harshly, trying to breathe, and no matter how many times he touched you, no matter how many times he pleased you, his touches felt more and more marvelous each and every time.

“Yes, Y/N? Ignis cooed in your ear as he bit down upon the curvature of your upper ear, and your eyes opened expansively at the sensation of his nibbles as well as the hardness of his girth pressed against your behind.

And you were trembling now, begging already for release as you attempted to reach around to touch his shaft behind you, but Ignis stopped you by grabbing onto your wrist and leading it to be placed back upon the bark of the tree.

“Oh Ignis, please…please,” you whined, your breathing already ragged as he pushed upon your entrance with his fingers, your body screaming for want of climax. “I need you. I need you now…”

Ignis chuckled as he pressed himself more firmly against you, causing you to groan once again. “But certainly, my dearest. Although but for a second, allow me to indulge in something…” And taking his fingers away from your bud now, there was a pause for a moment and a sharp inhalation of breath from behind you, and you felt yourself biting your lip as you realized what Ignis was doing. “Most exquisite and delectable…” He cooed in your ear.

And now, feeling him spread your legs as best as possible, you felt the tip of his length press against your entrance, and in one swift and rhythmic motion, he was deep inside of you and the air surged with electricity once more.

A loud yelp escaped your lips as you felt him grasp upon both of you hips, his pelvis coming to meet your behind with just enough force not to hurt you, and you began to cry out emphatically as each expert thrust within you reached deeper depths into your heated walls. Your hands were planted firmly on the tree before you, your nails digging into the bark, and you felt yourself balancing on tippy toes as each robust movement of Ignis’s hips sent you bouncing upward. His nails began to dig into your soft skin on your hips and his breathing became heavier as the pace of his thrusts leveled out, and now he was moving at an achingly slow but powerful and deep pace that had you moaning like crazy.

“Ignis…Ignis…yes…” you whimpered as you felt your skin set on fire, and helplessly you succumbed to the tactician’s movements as he pushed into you with more force now, the girth of his manhood stretching you in the most painfully of delightful ways and sending tears of pleasure rolling down the sides of your cheeks.

“You are mine,” he said passionately and protectively, his words heavy in your ear, and as he thrust, he bent his head down and brought his lips to the back of your neck, biting down harshly with his teeth. A loud cry escaped your lips as you jerked your hips back at the sensation, and his mouth continued to nip as the sensitive part of your spine.

This was bound to leave another mark, and it was one that you would be more than happy to bear.

Your cries only seeming to spur him on even more now, Ignis began to quicken his pace, and the force of his thrusts had your hands losing their grip upon the tree and almost losing your balance on your feet. He began to grunt more loudly now, his shaft hitting the deepest depths of your walls, and now bark began to accumulate under your nails as you scratched desperately at the tree for support. Ignis placed one hand on the back of your neck to hold you in place while the other grasped urgently at the curve of your waist, and the sounds of his exertion and the slapping of wet flesh were becoming more and more primal by the second. The muscles of your walls began to tighten and flitter and coil with each noise he made, and you realized that at this point you were beginning to lose control of the pleasure coursing through your body. Throwing your head back up towards the sky, you whimpered and moaned and called his name out over and over again, and with each syllable you made only seemed to send him into more frenzied pace.

And it was at this point that it was all the pleasure you could bear anymore. Your head spinning and your sight whirling around you, your breathing became labored and ragged, your chest rising and heaving heavily as you clutched at the tree bark for stability, and with one last powerful thrust from Ignis, your walls began to crash down upon his shaft, the tightness of your passage quivering and twitching and pulsing as white hot bliss crashed down upon you in waves of ecstasy.

Groaning loudly as your walls tugged and clenched around his length, with frantic and convulsive thrusts, Ignis’s hips sputtered as he thrust into you, and his own cry of satisfaction escaped his lips as you felt the warmth of his hot seed pump inside of you, and you whimpered and moaned at the feel of his fluid filling you deeply. With a few last thrusts, Ignis’s hips twitched once more, and all strength leaving his body, he shifted against you and now hovered over you from behind you for support as you both attempted to regain control of your breathing. His hands quivering upon your hips, he attempted to pull you as humanly close as possible to him, his shaft now softening within you, and in the most affectionate of gestures, his helped pull you upright so that you were almost standing straight up, and he began to place gentle kisses upon the back of your neck and your shoulders. Your walls fluttered around him one last time as your head fell back upon his chest in pure exhaustion.

A few blissful and tender moments passed as you listened to the sounds of each other’s breathing, and at this point, Ignis had pulled out of you and rested his head upon the top of yours, his arms wrapped around you to hold you close to him. Your body was shivering with pure gratification as you placed your hands tightly over his, and you nuzzled your head up into his chin.

A contented sigh escaped Ignis’s lips, causing you to giggle.

“Hmm? What is it my love?” Ignis said, and turning your head now to look at him as he held you fast in your arms, you felt your heart fluttering at the sight of a listless grin upon his face, and this caused you to titter once more.

“Well,” you said slowly with humor in your voice, suddenly coming to the realization of where you two actually were once again and why you were here in the first place. “Maybe…just _maybe_ we should fix that cable. Ya know, we kinda are on the clock right now. And not to mention we have some pretty great bounty to cash in.”

Ignis chuckled as he placed a kiss upon the top of your head. “I suppose that you are correct in that, my darling,” he said cheekily. “As a matter fact, I think it would be most unfortunately embarrassing for the both of us if Dave had sent a search party to retrieve us, only to find us in this current state…” You almost had to laugh out loud at the fact that you were both standing out here in the middle of the woods with your pants around your ankles. That _would_ be most unfortunate. But Ignis continued as he placed another kiss on the top of your head. “Although I will happily state it: I’d rather not get caught doing anything else but this, if it meant I got to be close to you…”

Your heart clenched at the warmth his words as you turned your head to place a kiss upon his lower jaw, and you now sighed happily, never wanting this moment to end. “Me too Iggy. Me too. I…I…”

Ignis gave you a squeeze. “Yes, dearest?”

“I love you Iggy. I truly truly do.”

“And I you, my love. Forever and always.”

***********************

“Wew, ok! I think we’re officially done with this today,” you said to your new young trainee as you finished checking the last set of valves, but now at this point, you realized that she couldn’t be considered a newbie anymore. “You did a great job today,” you said to her as you wiped your brow of your sweat. “Just do your final check in with Jeanne before you head out. I’m just going to do one last survey of your work to triple check everything. I’ll see ya tomorrow and then we can get you started up all on your own!”

“T-Thank you, Y/N,” the young girl said to you, almost bowing as she ran off with a smile upon her face.

Smiling as you watched her head off, you felt yourself grinning from ear to ear as you glanced down at your watch and saw that in an hour your shift would be ending and you’d be heading back to your apartment to spend your evening with Ignis. Feeling yourself getting giddy at the thought, you headed in the direction of your last job for the evening when the intercom in your earpiece buzzed. “Hey, Y/N. I know you’ve got a little bit more left to do for the day, but do you mind coming to my office for a bit?” Said the voice of Holly in your ear.

You pressed the button on your earpiece to reply. “Sure, Holly! Not a problem! I’ll be right there in a jiffy!”

Bounding happily down the Lestallum streets and back to the plant, you arrived at Holly’s office and knocked, and with her response of “come in,” you walked inside to see her sitting at her desk with a serious expression upon her face as she looked at her computer. But turning to look at you now, a small smile placed itself upon her lips, and yet there was something in her eyes that you just couldn’t read.

“Have a seat and relax,” she said, motioning to the chair by her desk, and part of you felt your heart pounding now, feeling a slight bit of tension in the air. _Why am I suddenly feeling this way?_ You wondered to yourself, and so trying to calm your nerves that now decided to disturb you, you adjusted the bandana around your neck and then placed your hands upon your bouncy knees.

But after a moment of silence, Holly looked at you deeply, her expression going serious, and there was a flush to her that you couldn’t quite identify. But after a moment of her looking like she was at a loss for words, she sighed and opened up her mouth to speak.

“Y/N, I….I know that you hear this from me all the time, but I don’t think that enough words that I say can truly reinforce all of the gratitude that I have towards you for everything that you have done for EXINERIS all these years.  It just seems like only yesterday that you showed up here all the way from Altissia, so scared and alone after you had faced such terrible tragedy. It just absolutely broke my heart. You were so frightened and seeing this poor young girl in such distress just absolutely broke my heart. And I knew that I couldn’t just leave you standing there without a friend in the world.” You felt that you had stopped breathing as she spoke to you, and as Holly delivered her words, she appeared to trembling slightly. “And so when I took you under my wing, I felt myself becoming astounded by the drive and effort that you put into everything that you did, even though you had lost so much hope in the world. It was truly inspiring. You became like a little sister to me, helping me see what little joy there was in the world at the time. Knowing with how I was coping with my own injuries and how they brought me down, seeing you push yourself beyond your limits each day in order to survive helped me keep going. It made me and the ladies here want to work even harder, especially when the world fell to darkness and all these people needed saving. You…you did so much all those years. Everything you did was for the sake of others. And so,” she paused, and her skin was flushed, and she scratched the back of her head almost in embarrassment to her opening up to her feelings. “And so, I guess what I’m really trying to say is…well…thank you, Y/N. Thank you for everything. Thank you for everything that you have done for all of us. I really truly mean it…”

Your throat tightened as you watched a small tear trickle down the side of Holly’s face, complete and utter surprise coursing over you as you never have seen this side of your boss before. She was always one to show compassion towards you, but this? There was a vulnerability to her that was never expressed before.

“Holly, I…I…I don’t know what to say,” you said earnestly with a smile upon your face. “And I suppose that I could give you equal thanks. You…you don’t realize just how much it means to me to hear you say all that. All those years ago, to have been so lost in the world and unaware of what to do with myself, it’s certainly you that I have to thank for giving me this opportunity to find a life for myself and get to this point. I couldn’t have done it without you either…”

_But where was all of this sentimentality coming from?_

Holly smiled now and she shifted in her seat, almost as if she was antsy over something. She cleared her throat as she wiped away the tear from her face and put her hands back down on the desk, and it was almost as if she was thinking her words over carefully before she spoke.

“Getting to this point now. Yes…You have come such a long way. You truly have. And there’s more to that that I’d like to talk to you about…As you know, EXINERIS has been making tons of strides since the light has returned and thanks to all the new girls that we’ve been able to train for our team, we’ve been able to make huge progress and then some with not only making repairs to Lestallum but also expanding the city as well as beginning to fix up all the damage that has been laid all across of Lucis. Restoring power to all those outposts, facilities, and restaurants, getting people’s power back up and running in their homes? We’ve made a huge difference, but we’ve only just begun…”

You titled your head, now extremely curious over where she was going with this.

Holly continued, taking note of your expression. “Jeanne and I….we didn’t tell you, but we trained a few more of our veteran girls to also fill in supervisorial positions. You see, with our services needed more and more and the world  and the population becoming stable once more, we…we need to keep up the times, which means we need to expand, and not just be centered here in Lestallum, but also to elsewhere. Because we’re needed all across Eos, not just here.”

Your eyes widened and your heart started to quicken. What was she saying? What was she getting at?

A smile spreading across her lips as she noted that you were starting to catch on. “Jeanne and I have been working on it for a while and have been keeping it under wraps until we knew it was official, but…it’s indeed become official: we are going to now have a branch of EXINERIS established in Insomnia.”

You stopped your breathing, unable to believe what you were hearing.

“And…we want you to be the one in charge of it.”

_No…no way…is this real? I’m not dreaming am I? Can this be happening? Insomnia…I’m…I’m…_

You hadn’t realized it but tears were streaming down the side of your face and your legs were quaking, your hands clutching at your knees in response to trying to control your raging emotions. Holly, seeing your now frazzled state, quickly continued.

“You know that Insomnia is still in major need of restoration. Like majorly. The Crown City took the worst of all the damage, and even though repairs to the entire infrastructure are being made little by little, the city is going to need experts who know how to get everything officially powered up and running again. We have the staff trained and we have a certain young woman who is going to do great things leading the team into helping bring the power back to our Crown City. That’s gonna be you.”

Your words were caught in your throat as you felt your heart clenching with utter amazement, waves of emotion pooling around you as a small smile appeared at the corner of your lips, and you wiped a tear away from your eyes, trying to gather your thoughts.

“Holly, I…I don’t know what to say…I’m…I’m thrilled. You have no idea how exciting this is.” But then you stopped, noting the expression upon her face. “But Holly….Lestallum….you guys…everything here…when do I leave? When do I need to find a new place by?”

“We’re going to be just fine. Don’t you worry about us. It’s not like you’re not a phone call away or a drive up the road from us. Besides…” And now she grinned at you. “I think that you and I both know that as much as this is always going to be your home, I know that you’re heart lies elsewhere…and he’s going to be waiting back at your _new_ home. And as for your new place? Well, that brings me to the next thing I want to talk to you about...”

And now your heart was slamming in your chest. _So Holly knew…she’s known…she’s known about Iggy and I…then what does she want to tell me?_

“You get to keep your apartment here in Lestallum. I know you’ve always been fond of this city, so we’re not about to just make you leave and have to give everything away. This will be like your little vacation home. But as for your new place? Well, that’s already taken care. You don’t even have to worry about that.”

_What?_

“But Holly, affording both places…who…how do I have a new place already?

And now Holly’s grin was wider than ever as she tried to stifle a giggle. “Hmm…well, upon discussing our new business expansion with a certain king and his royal advisor, both were more than excited to know that you would be coming to the Crown City to be a part of the restoration efforts. And so therefore, they are the ones who have arranged your new living space. In addition, knowing how much that you love to travel across Lucis and how much you enjoy partaking in jobs that involve hunts, you are also being provided a car all for yourself so you can travel at your own convenience whenever you wish, both in and out of the city. And also, King Noctis and Mr. Scientia are giving you the title of official EXINERIS representative to the Royal Crown. In other words, you almost are now an official of their court.”

You felt as though a pack of Thunder Bombs exploded within the room as waves upon waves of exuberance and furor coursed through you like electricity. You were trembling and shaking with joy as tears gushed down your face, your lips quivering as you tried to fight back your emotions.

“Y/N? Are you ok?” Holly said now, her brows knit with worry as if she had thrown too much information at you at once. “I know that this is a lot to take in at once but-“

You sniffled and laughed at yourself as you tried to combat your tears of joy, still unable to believe that all of this was actually happening to you. “Holly…thank you…thank you. I…I don’t even know what to say. I’m so happy and I’m so grateful and excited and I’m just at a loss for words. I…thank you,” you attempted to say like the blubbering mess that you were. And now standing up almost too quickly and having your vision blurred by your happy tears, you rushed around to the back of her desk and dropped to her seated height, giving her a massive hug. “Thank you…just thank you for everything…”

And her wrapping her arms around you in a sisterly embrace, she laughed and patted you on the back. “You’re welcome, Y/N, but you shouldn’t just be thanking me. Now, why don’t you pack up and call it quits for the remainder of your shift today? I think there is probably going to be someone waiting for you who I know will be excited to know that you finally officially know the good news for yourself…”

Giving Holly one last squeeze, you smiled and nodded to her as you rushed out of her office and into the locker room where you immediately began to strip yourself of your jumpsuit and wash yourself up to make yourself more presentable when you got home.

_Ignis….Ignis…he knew…he knew about this all along. Oh Ignis…I’m going to get to be with you more…_

And you were rushing home now, dressed back in your everyday attire and newly freshened as you felt yourself dashing back home now, and curious eyes of the Lestallum residents stared at you as you skipped down the backstreets to your apartment, a wide grin upon your face. You felt that you were wavering as you now attempted to put your key in the lock to the front door of the complex. Managing to insert the key, you excitedly rushed inside as you almost jumped up two steps at a time, and with your heart pounding in your chest, your excitement over seeing Ignis and spilling your newfound news to him was almost more than you could handle. But now, standing in front of your door, you inserted your key, pushed open the door, and stepped inside to your apartment.

Your nostrils immediately took in the scent of freshly chopped vegetables, and your eyes quickly darting to the kitchen, you felt your body quaking at the sight of Ignis standing in front of the kitchen counters with a knife in hand and a cutting board in front of him, his skilled hands smoothly cutting a variety of carrots, lettuces, and other types of greens. But upon hearing the sound of the front door open and shut, he turned fully around to see you standing there, and upon noticing the wide-eyed and surprised expression plastered upon his face, your throat tightened and your loins immediately began to coil as you noticed that he was wearing his hair down, all messy and tousled about his head.

_Damn him…now you’re going to get it, Ignis…_

A smile spread across his lips as he sat his knife down and wiped his hands on a cloth. “Y/N, what a surprise! You’re home much earlier than anticipated. I was just in the process of prepping our salad as our appetizer and I-“

But before he could finish his sentence, you had rushed from your stance by the door and crashed into his arms, your lips immediately descending upon his. You heard his sharp intake of breath as he quickly began to kiss you back, placing his hands firmly upon your waist as you pushed into him and pressed him against the kitchen counters. Your hands gripped at the sides of his face as your lips left his and began to kiss along the curve of his jaw and his throat, and his breathing was already labored from your aggressive passion.

“You wonderful, wonderful, WONDERFUL man,” you breathed as you continued to trail your kisses on every patch of exposed skin, and your fingers quickly unbuttoning the top enclosure of his shirt, you pressed your lips to his toned chest, kissing the visible scars and trailing your hands down the expanse of his abdomen. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you but I love you and you are the most incredible man in the world.”

Ignis was gasping but a chuckle escaped his lips as his hands gripped more firmly upon your waist and he pushed his hips against yours, excitement and arousal now clearly apparent within him. “Why, whatever for, my dearest?” He attempted to say with heated breath as you assailed his body with kisses, and he truly appeared to be caught off guard as to the reason for the ferocity of your advance upon him.

You laughed now as your lips left his chest and you put your hands on his face once more, your fingers dancing across his scars. “Oh don’t play innocent with me. I know. I know everything. I found out today from Holly. About EXINERNIS. And Insomnia. And what you and Noct did for me. I’ve got a new position, all thanks to you. Once again, you continue to surprise me, and I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

Ignis’s face flushed as he now brought his lips down upon yours, his hands grasping your face gently, and he nuzzled his nose against yours. His body was trembling, and you could tell that he was suddenly thrilled knowing that you received your good news. “You deserve the world, my love. And so every day I only wish to find other ways to make you happier. I am so unbelievably joyful for you…”

Your heart fluttered at his words, almost at a loss at what to say. But with your hands now clutching at his shirt and your legs trembling as you felt the heat of his breath upon your face, your walls began to tighten and clench as your desires began to get the best of you, your nose catching the scent of his natural musk and cologne that always drove you crazy. Suddenly recalling Ignis’s messages from earlier today, you realized that your body couldn’t handle the titillation of your anticipation and excitement anymore, your hands already starting to open each button of his shirt to reveal his trail of toned and muscular torso.

“Ignis…Oh Ignis, how I love you.  I love you. I really do. And you deserve absolutely everything and all in Eos. Just let me show you how much I appreciate all that you already do for me…”

And grasping his hand firmly and leading him down the hallway with fever in each step, you showed him the world and more…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was actually SUPER hard making sure that I kept Iggy in character while him now coming to his realization that just how much he actually affects the Reader intimately. I wanted to portray him as being very VERY confident in himself now while still maintaining a sense of poise with his actions. I hope I did well with that!
> 
> Ugh, why is he so dreamy?!
> 
> Also, I don't know why I'm obsessed with Coeurls. They truly are a fascinating creature in the Final Fantasy universe. But as I have had Noct die several times at the paws of these creatures, as well as to the actual fact that their whiskers cause static interference, I thought they would work well in the conflict for this chapter.


	16. Shake It Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Makes incoherent noises* Holy crap. Just when I think I'm going to be posting a short chapter, I somehow manage to make it five times longer than I had thought! I don't even know where to begin with thanking every single one of you who as been supporting my work since December. I honestly didn't think that I could make it this far, let alone create an in-depth story to this magnitude. I truly appreciate each and every bit of feedback as well as bit of inspiration that you've all provided me with, as already I am managing to take this story way past than what I had anticipated.
> 
> So on to the story itself! Yeah....a lot happens in this latest edition but I felt it would be wrong to break everything up into separate chapters. In particular I'm a fan of the "flashback scenes," and so while you read them I suggest listening to the Comrades theme of "Choosing Hope." 
> 
> What is that thirst called that all us Iggy fan girls have for him? Ignis Hell? Well yep. You're welcome for that in this chapter. Enough said.
> 
> And so to celebrate a belated birthday to our dearest Iggy from the 7th and for an early Valentine's Day gift for you all in just a few days, I present you with the latest chapter! As always, I love and function off of your comments and feedback. Enjoy! :D
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_Regrets collect like old friends_

_Here to relive your darkest moments_

_I can see no way, I can see no way_

_And all of the ghouls come out to play_

 

_And every demon wants his pound of flesh_

_But I like to keep some things to myself_

_I like to keep my issues drawn_

_It's always darkest before the dawn_

 

_And I've been a fool and I've been blind_

_I can never leave the past behind_

_I can see no way, I can see no way_

_I'm always dragging that horse around_

 

_All of his questions, such a mournful sound_

_Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground_

_S_ _o I like to keep my issues drawn_

_But it's always darkest before the dawn_

_\- “Florence and the Machine” – Shake It Out_

 “All righty there, Y/N? You ready to go?” Asked Cindy as she smiled broadly at you and wiping the sweat that was accumulating on her brow. Despite the seasons now shifting into early autumn, the heat within Lestallum still raged on like that of a hot summer’s day.

“Y-Yeah,” you said, smiling at her in return as you sat your last box of possessions in the back of her truck. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” You took a deep breath now as your eyes scanned over Cindy’s vehicle. Rather than traveling in her usual massive tow truck, it was decided that today’s odyssey would require something less conspicuous and gargantuan in size to carry your belongings. Your hand touching its yellow paint to ground yourself, almost as if you were debating on whether the reality in front of you was actually present or not, and finding yourself whirling slightly upon your feet, you took a deep breath once again as you looked at your confidants.

“Still can’t believe today is the day!” Iris said cheerfully as she climbed up on the back to peer inside, almost as if making sure nothing got left behind. “Starting today, you’re officially going to be an Insomnian!”

“Who would have thought, huh?” You said as you grinned back of her.

Yes. Today was the day of your official move. Having spent the last few days putting aside all of your affairs and loose ends with the Lestallum office of EXINERIS and getting your first set of instructions from Holly to take with you when you arrived in Insomnia, you had cleaned up what needed to be taken care of in your apartment and packed any necessities that you needed to take with you to the Crown City. The belongings in which you were bringing with you was a small collection of boxes and two smaller pieces of furniture, having been informed that you would be arriving to your new apartment, fully furbished and ornamented to be aesthetically appealing to the eye and homey to your tastes. You felt tears streaming down your face as Iris described vaguely what would be your new living quarters. Knowing that your friends literally slaved over making sure your transition into the next phase of your life went as smoothly as possible made you wonder why you deserved to have such wonderful companions who literally and repeatedly gave you the world and supported you in every way.

“B-But Iris, that…that has to be so damn expensive,” you murmured as you had wiped away the tears of happiness from your eyes. “You guys didn’t have to do that. I just don’t see how you could afford all of that or even find the time to get the place ready! You are all so busy as it is.”

Iris giggled at this as she playfully poked you in your shoulder. “You forget that you’re dealing with royalty,” she said with a toothy grin. “Besides, we are all more than stoked to have you practically be our neighbors now. It’s the least we can do. And don’t tell him I said this, but Ignis has been nothing but a klutz all week as he’s been helping set everything up until the late hours of the night. I don’t think he knows how to contain his excitement as he’s suddenly become this awkward and bumbling mess. It’s rather adorable.”

You had blushed deeply at this, finding yourself smiling broadly at wanting more than anything to witness the tactful and elegant chamberlain become a blundering hodgepodge over the thought of seeing you.

Today for your big move, Ignis and the boys would be awaiting you at your new residence for your arrival, Ignis having explained to you the night before that he and the boys would be putting together the last finishing touches and gathering any necessities that you would need to survive your first week in the big city.

“My deepest apologies that I shall not be traveling with you in the morn tomorrow,” Ignis had said to you sincerely on the phone last evening with a sigh in his voice. “I can only begin to imagine the feelings that are percolating within that beautiful mind of yours at this moment over this new change. But I can assure you that once you arrive, the gentlemen and I shall give you the warmest welcome and help you feel right at home immediately.”

Having been lost in your thoughts for the last few minutes, your mind snapped back into focus to see Cindy staring at you attentively with her sparkling olive eyes, and it was almost as if she was reading your mind. She crossed her arms and titled her head as she gazed at you, grinning. “Yer ready to get the show on the road and hitch on outta here?”

Nodding to her with a smile, almost in unison the three of you ladies jumped into the truck where Cindy turned on the ignition and the roar and rumble of the engine came to life. You felt your heart reverberating within your chest as you peered to look out the window, and you almost felt as if each fiber and tendon in your heart were ready to snap and burst from the anxiety that was coursing through you at this moment.

_Lestallum…to think you had become my home for all these years…and now I’m moving onto somewhere else. Will I be ok in Insomnia? No….of course I will be. Why wouldn’t I be? Why…_

You felt a gentle hand touch yours that made you jump in your seat, and you rotated your head now to see that Iris had turned around from the passenger’s seat in the truck to look at you, her expression earnest and her touch upon your hand soothing and temperate.

“Are you ok?” She asked you, and you could tell by just the very tone of her voice that she was genuinely thinking about what was going on in your head at this moment.

You turned to look back at the quaint bustling town and a small and melancholy smile found its way to your lips. “Y-Yeah, I’m ok. It’s just…a lot to take in at the moment. I’ve come to accept this place as my home just as much as I had with Altissia, so…I guess you could say that I’m just having a hard time accepting that tomorrow I won’t be waking up here to go to work.” But you turned back to look at her to give her a reassuring smile. “I promise you, I’m ok though…”

Iris quirked her lips as she looked at you, almost as if not buying your words. “You know that you’re _really_ not leaving here. Don’t forget that you are keeping your apartment and that you can literally come back any time you want. Heck, you can even come back tomorrow if you wish! Just…think of it as you now obtaining a sweet little summer home when you want to get away from Insomnia.” But she smirked now, and you almost read her mind with what she was about to say. “Although once you get to the Crown City, I can name a few good reasons why you’ll never want to leave...”

Cindy chuckled in the front seat as she looked back at you through the rear view mirror. “Ya know that home is where the heart is after all,” she said with a wink, and you immediately felt yourself blushing. You hadn’t even been the first person to tell Cindy the certified news about your officially established relationship with Ignis (it clearly had to have been Iris or Prompto, but you wouldn’t have had put it past Gladio to spill the news), but you rather much liked the fact that she almost even seemed to have known even before anyone told her. “Yer gonna be just fine, Y/N. Yer gonna have all yer friends to help you each step of the way. Now why don’t we talk of some hapy times so you we can start allievatin’ all those worries in that pretty lil’ head of yours!”

You laughed now, and truth be told, both of the gals were right. In fact, your situation almost became golden, all things considered. Not only did you not have to completely uproot yourself from the town that you had come to know for its every tower and steam valve to each crevice in every corner of its buildings, but you also were not going to have to stress about learning the routine of your new position from the ground up. According to Holly and all that she had instructed to you during the remainder of the week as she prepared you for your journey to Insomnia, you were not merely subject to work within just the Crown City alone and in fact would continue to partake in particular jobs outside the wall that would require you to utilize your skills as a hunter.

Even more to your surprise and delight, you would not be moving to the new EXINERIS office alone. Jeanne along with several of the senior girls and many of the new batch of newbies would be heading along with you as well, and you still could not help but feel insanely astounded at how Holly had managed to arrange the whole new operation under your nose, especially considering your own supervisorial position within the company.

Holly would continue to remain the one in charge overall in both offices and would send you memos and e-mails about the specific tasks that were requested of you and the girls. And the one who was in charge of all of those requests? You found yourself laughing but also in shock when Holy explained that it was actually going to be Noctis who in essence truly would be your new boss, as it was the city’s technicians that would report back to him and give him the details on what would need maintenance. Therefore, you would be working very closely in hand with the Citadel in what needed repairs and examinations, and you had soon realized what Holly meant when she said that you would be considered a member of “the court.”

“It looks like you’re going to have to answer to your king now,” Noctis said playfully and jokingly on the phone when you had called to speak with him about some details with your new position, and you felt yourself laughing jovially on the line at his snark, even though you had wished to punch him for his ego and bigheadedness at that given moment.

And it was now that as your trio zoomed out of the northern exit of Lestallum, and with one last look back at your former home that you sighed deeply, timorous but roused and excited about what lay before you within the next few hours.

Before you could allow the silence to permeate the air of the mood as you began to head towards the Kelbass Grasslands, a wave of nostalgia and reminiscence popped into your thoughts as if the former part of your life went flashing before your eyes.

“It’s….it’s just hard to believe how fast all this time has gone by,” you said from the backseat, almost to yourself as you gazed out the window of the truck at the vegetative green lands before you.

“Hmm? What do you mean?” Asked Iris as she turned around to look at you.

You turned to her now and smiled, not even exactly sure where to begin with your thoughts. “I just…I don’t know. You know how many times you’ve heard me say this, but I just still can’t believe how far we’ve come from where we were. It’s only been how many months since the light has returned, and yet, it feels like forever.”

Cindy sighed blissfully as she drove. “Yer certainly darn right about that!” She said cheerfully as if she too was suddenly starting to reminisce. “As much as I love lookin’ at how perdy a brand new set of headlights looks on a dark night, there was only so much of that darkness that my mind and heart could stand! The feeling had me feelin’ crazier than a swarm of Killer Bees in a hurricane!” But she paused as she briefly glanced up to look in the rear view mirror at you. “Needless to say though, those times are done fer good, and boy does it make me happier than ever to know we can all live like we deserve.”

You nodded now, agreeing with her words more than anything. As you surveyed the fields along the road and observed a Kujata walking across the grasslands with its young by its side, you felt your heartstrings tighten as more musings of the past materialized in your mind.

“Iris…” you said slowly as you played with the fabric of your shirt now. “Do you…do you remember all those years ago, when we had met, how different we both were back then? We were both so naïve it seemed. Well, maybe I was the only naïve one. But we’ve come a long way since then, haven’t we?”

Iris inhaled acutely as she turned back around to look at you, and you could tell that she seemed to know exactly what you were thinking. “We both changed, but for the better,” she said with a smile. “But I think that you have definitely changed the most, and I think you should know that as your best friend, I am so proud of you for what you’ve become, and for everything we have done together…”

**********************

_Ten years ago…_

"Is that the best you can do? And you asked for this training session too," Gladio asked gruffly as he towered over you, glaring down at you with his broadsword drawn over his head.

You slowly raised yourself upon two feet after having been sent flying backwards onto the floor a good ten feet away after Gladio pommeled into you with his broadly massive shoulders. Your knee and elbows were scraped and bleeding dreadfully and profusely and your palms were scuffed with the skin peeled back now. You winced as you braced yourself upon one knee, your body shaking and aching with pain as your trainer scowled at you with the upmost disappointment in his eyes.

This had been your official first training session with Gladiolus, having wanted to hone in on your skills in the battlefield and learn better techniques for guarding against precarious creatures and daemons. Despite your miraculous success so far with helping the Glaives and other hunters, you knew that you were still way far in over your head and could certainly not take on a hoard of beasts on your own. And so, it was at this very moment you realized you weren't taking your training as well as you anticipated you would as the chilly breeze scaled over the rooftop on which you trained, away from prying and curious eyes of the city goers and refugees.

Finally standing upon two wobbly feet, you raised your spear in front of your face to guard your body and you inhaled harshly, your lungs stinging with lactic acid, Gladio's eyes intent upon you as he once again began to circle you.

"Come at me then, Y/N," he said with a smirk, and the blaze of his battle hungry eyes sent shivers down your spine.

"Come on, Y/N! You can do it! Don't back down on him now!” Iris cheered, and you glanced over to her to see her sitting on a stack of barrels with a hopeful look upon her face. Her youthful, teenage features showed immense concern and you gulped hard as you did your best to manage the pain coursing through your joints. There was something still overly inspiring to you that this young fifteen-year-old girl was able to hold herself so well on the field and blew you out of the water with her battle finesse, but that shouldn’t have come to a surprise to you, knowing it was in fact her brother and Cor the Immortal who had helped train her to become the demon slayer she became known for.

"That's a big mistake: Never take your eyes off of your opponent!" Gladio growled as he began to charge at you with his eyes flashing. Despite how incredibly large the man was you were still completely caught off guard by his utter swiftness and agility and how well he carried himself upon two feet, and nothing could prepare you for him lifting his broadsword over his head to ready it and bring it down towards your head.

"Watch out!" Iris shrieked from her perch, and bracing yourself upon fluctuant feet, Gladio lunged at you with heavy arms and his sword ready over his head, and screaming out loud with fear, you quickly brought up your spear to block his blow. Falling down to one knee once again as you fought back to propel the blade away from you, you gritted your teeth as you glared into Gladio's eyes, and instantly his eyes were ablaze once more with anger. But leering at you now, he twisted his body so that his elbow came underneath yours, and swishing his heavy leg underneath your braced foot, you quickly found yourself collapsing to the ground beneath you and landing upon your back with a loud crack of your skull. You heard Iris scream your name as you felt the wind being pulled from your lungs, and now laying supine upon the rooftop in which you trained, your head was spinning and your hands and elbows were bleeding as Gladio kneeled over you with a look of utter disappointment upon his face, his sword piercing into the cement flooring beside your head.

"Seriously? Is that the best you can do?" Gladio said smugly as he now stood upon two feet, and he was shaking his head as he pushed his hair back away from his face. "Is that _really_ the best you can do? And you want to fight the daemons? You want to protect others?"

"Y-Y/N!" Iris said breathlessly as she had jumped off the barrels and attempted to make her way over towards you. But Gladio held up his hand to stop her from getting any closer to you, his expression serious and him shaking his head.

"Nuh uh. This is her fight. This is her training session. You can't intervene here. You know how it is, having gone through this yourself before." He paused as he turned to look back at you, his expression overtly serious and boring into you. "You want to fight the daemons. You want to protect people. But how are you gonna do that when you can barely stand upon two feet? That deal with the Skeletons way back? Those Galvanades and those Mesmenirs you’ve talked about? You were lucky to have handled all of that so well and survived up to this point having no real experience. If you want to take hunting seriously you gotta do better than this."

You slowly maneuvered yourself onto all fours as you felt yourself breathing heavily with tears beginning to stream down your face. Your back burning from impact upon the ground, you attempted your best to brace yourself upon your hands as you coped with the agony that surged through you. But despite how much pain you felt, Gladio's assault of words upon you seemed to hurt even more.

"Just what are you fighting for? What are you doing this all for? Because if you don't step it up this moment you won't be able to protect anyone!" Gladio demanded as he took a step closer to your broken form.

"Gladio, that's not nice!" Iris said as she covered her mouth in complete and utter shock, her brother's words more than harsh and cruel for your fragile state. "Take that back!"

"N-No...he's right," you said breathlessly through the wave of hot tears that poured down your cheeks. "He's absolutely right. I'm pathetic. I'm never going to be able to do anything to protect people if this is how I am. I'm scared. I'm terrified, and I really don't know what I'm doing. But," you said, pausing your words as you tried to breathe, your bloody palms clenching into fists as you readied yourself. "I might just be a child in your eyes, Gladio, but I can do this! I know I can! And I'm not going to give up!"

And as if your entire life flashed before your teary eyes, you envisioned every memory of love and joy fostered between you and your parents. Taking you to the parks. Your first bike ride. Your first visit to the arts museums and your first gondola ride and your very first gelato. Each and every birthday that was planned out of the goodness of their hearts. Every cookie baked lovingly by your mother and every joyful piggy back ride given by your father. And every sunset cast over the Altissian skylines and all the laughter and merriment experienced with your friends. _No, no_ , you thought to yourself as you wiped your mouth with the back of your bloody hand. _You will not have died in vain, Mom and Dad. You haven't been lost to this world for nothing. And I'm going to make sure of it!_

Now bracing yourself back upon one knee, you peered angrily back at Gladio with heavy tear-ridden lashes and you bit your lip. "I have something to fight for! I may have lost everything and everyone that I loved in my past, but I'm not going to give up! I never will! And you're not going to make me think otherwise! I...I..." And as a last wave of tears coursed down the side of your face, you gritted your teeth once more as courage and bravery surged through your veins. And now, you yelled at the top of your lungs, "I have something to fight for in the future! Not just for everyone in this world but for myself! And I'm never going to give up!"

Almost in a split second as if the world around you slowed down, you spotted a katana upon the ground that had been piled along with other various weapons that Gladio was testing upon you. Finding the strength within the balls of your feet to push yourself up and the power in your legs to force you forward, you dashed forward and rolled underneath the bewildered and off guard form of Gladio who could only gawk in amazement at your sudden strength. Rolling onto the ground and grasping upon the blade with a swift motion, you forced yourself onto two feet once again and lunged at him with the swiftness of a Voretooth and brought the katana clashing down upon his broadsword that was held over his face. A smile slowly spread itself over his lips as you gritted your teeth at him, and now pushing against him with all your might, you managed to gain leverage in your feet and throw your shoulder forward into his stomach. With an "oof" escaping his lips, you braced yourself as you swept one leg underneath his foot, causing him to lose his balance and come tumbling somewhat gracefully to the ground upon one knee.

Iris gasped loudly as you noticed her covering her mouth out of the corner of your eyes, and Gladiolus stared up at you as your chest was heaving frantically with the sudden surge of pumping adrenaline and energy through your body. _Did I...did I just do that?_ You thought to yourself incredulously as you stood with your feet planted firmly and your katana pointed at Gladio, and you felt your body quaking at the sudden exertion of force upon your tiny frame.

Gladio kneeled there breathlessly for a moment, his eyes bewildered and wide but showing a sign of an expression that you just couldn't read. Silence pervaded the rooftops of Lestallum as a dusty zephyr blew past, and you did you best to level your breathing as the hulking man stared up at you. You began to feel anxiety course over you as he looked to you in silence, but little by little a broad smile graced his lips as he admired you.

"Now THAT'S what I'm talking about," he said proudly as he got to his feet, and dropping his blade to his side for a moment, he reached out his hand to you.

Your body shaking still with surprise at your own strength, you slowly lowered your katana and dried your hands upon your pant leg, now slowly extending your hand out to his. Gladio grabbed it firmly and gently, smiling more widely than ever. "See? That's what I was looking for. I knew you could do that. That fighter had to have been within you somewhere. I just knew it." And pausing for a second, tilting his head sympathetically at you, he sighed. "I'm sorry I had to say those things to you. But I needed to get that drive out of you. I needed to get that anger outta you to bring out that hunter and fighter within you. I needed to know that you can actually do this, no matter how much it hurts and no matter what hell your body is put through. You know why? Because fighting for the people you care about and the future you want isn’t easy. But after that? Now I fully believe that I know that you can do this."

Smiling at him in return and nodding, deep down, you knew you could too, and little did you realize that in ten years, you’d find that special someone that would have made all of your shed blood, sweat, and tears worth the suffering…

****************

_Five years later…_

“ASTRALS DAMN IT! PROTECT CINDY AND THE TRUCK AT ALL COSTS!”

The situation could not have possibly gotten any worse.

As you stared in horror at your scattered comrades laying broken and bloody across the Lucian highway, the idea of hope was nothing but a figment of your imagination.

Word had been found out about a rather large and sumptuous stockpile mine of raw meteorshards and other precious gems buried within the depths of the Kettier Highland. Realizing the importance of not only the shards in powering up many of the pylons that were left darkened and not galvanized across the lands of Lucis, but with the ever growing need to protect the refugees of Lestallum from the potential plagues brought upon by the Starscourge, it was more than a priority to obtain the precious gems for Dino Ghiranze so he could craft protective accessories. Managing to avoid any major contact with the daemons, you, Iris, and your fellow ragtag gang of hunters and Glaives managed to steal away into the depths of the caverns in the hillsides and find the precious source of your cargo. Loading the stacks of now filled to the brim crates onto Cindy’s tow truck, all were hopeful in the success of a rather precarious and dangerous mission in which you embarked, and your group set adrift back home to Lestallum where you could begin the process of processing the shards and purifying the gemstones.

But all was going too well until you reached the pass of the Kelbass Grasslands, right north of Aracheole Stronghold when you were suddenly swarmed by a massive hoard of Bussemands that seemed to materialize from behind the walls of the once Niflheim base. These formidable and violent creatures that have always been known to have an affinity for precious gems and other objects of wealth must have sensed within their daemonic blood your approaching vehicle and bombarded the highway with aggression. Had it been just a few Bussemands? Perhaps the battle would not have been too dubious of a struggle for you and your companions. But with your group of eight severely outnumbered to their thirty, even the power of the Glaives was almost not enough for their onslaught. It was almost though the darkness brought upon by the Starscourge drove them on more viscously than ever.

The battled had ensued for much longer than wished. Two of the hunters had been knocked out cold from the powerful fists of the daemons while the Glaives desperately warped with blades and shields in hand, trying to bewilder and distract the creatures from approaching the truck and Cindy, who from behind the windows stared with mortified terror in her eyes and a pistol in hand, trying to defend herself much to her helpless situation. You and Iris, who had only ever encountered the creatures once before in the last five years of your hunting experience were now bruised beyond compare from the flying fists and savage kicks of the monsters, and several bloody lacerations decorated your delicate features as you attempted to slash mercilessly at the pair of daemons that bombarded your company.

A Glaive was sent flying from a surprise kick from one of the daemons as the two hunters slowly came to, their bodies equally scraped and bloody as yours as they defended themselves from the incursion and wrath of the goblins. You and Iris who stood back to back desperately tried your best to continuously draw away the creatures from the precious loot you held. It was at the point in the fight when only a few of the creatures were left standing when one of the battered Glaives finally managed to cast off a devastating fire spell that blew the daemons into scourged-plagued chunks, and the creatures were no more.

Silence impregnated the darkened air as you all stood pummeled and wrecked, and finally losing all of your strength in your legs, you had collapsed to the ground upon your knees with tears in your eyes.

“We….we did it…” you said breathlessly, looking upon your scratched hands to check to see if your living and breathing was actually reality.

“I-Is everyone alright?” Cindy now said as she opened the door to the tow truck and took a step out. Her chest was rising and heaving from fear and she frantically scanned each and everyone’s faces.

“W-We’re alright, Miss Cindy,” said the Glaive who had cast the fire spell, and he ran over to the hunters to inspect their wounds. “A bit battered you could say, but it looks like some of us are going to be out of commission for a while.”

You bit your lip as you now once again stood upon two feet and looked to Iris. Your heart broke at the very sight of her trembling shivery frame, and chunks of her hair had messily fallen out of her ponytail. Dirt was caked everywhere upon her body and a large cut ran down her bicep that was bleeding more profusely than you had wished to see. Walking over to her with shaky steps, you placed your hand upon her shoulder, and her eyes snapped open wide as she now looked at you, almost in disbelief that all of you were actually alive.

“Iris…” you said hoarsely, almost not knowing what to say. But what was there to say at this moment? What could possibly be said that was already not being felt?

“Y/N,” she said quietly in response, placing her hand upon yours. She opened her mouth to say more, but it was a sound that now broke the silence of the permanent dark that disturbed the short lived peace.

It was a groaning sound. A loud groaning metallic sound and a rumble from the earth and the sound of a massive metal blade now materializing through the pavement.

_Astrals no….no please….don’t do this to us…_

But the blackened air around you was now filled with a blazing glow, and slowly, you and your companions turned around to stare in horror at the towering menace that stood before you with its blade engulfed in massive flames.

A Red Giant

_No….no…but how….how?_

A sob escaped the lips of one of the battered hunters as the Glaives now rushed forward to stand by your side, their blades drawn in shaky hands and their lips trembling.

“How is this even possible?” One of them said with terror in her voice. “Red Giants only appear after an Iron Giant has been felled. Why the hell did this thing just show up?”

“Damn it! I have no clue!” Screamed the Glaive in charge who brought his long sword up to defend himself. “I don’t know what the hell has happened to this mad world, but we gotta take this thing out as fast as possible!”

But the Red Giant that had slowly been lumbering towards you with each passing second now quickened its pace, and drawing its blade up ahead, it out of nowhere began to charge at you with ferocity.

“ASTRALS DAMN IT! PROTECT CINDY AND THE TRUCK AT ALL COSTS!”

“Cindy! Get the hell out of here!” Iris cried as she braced herself upon her two feet. “Get out of here with the cargo! You gotta go!”

“I can’t just leave y’all here!” She yelled, but something in her voice told you that she couldn’t remain where she was without getting hurt.

“Then drive the truck up the road!” yelled one of the Glaives in reply with panic in his voice. “We’ll distract him!”

Cindy frantically got back into the truck and revved up the engine, beginning to pull away from your entourage. But the sputtering of the truck engine only seemed to anger the Red Giant as it roared angrily and lowered its blade to the ground with a fierce swipe. You and Iris tumbled to the road as you rolled out of the way, the hunters weakly following your move, despite their broken bodies hindering their every step. The Glaives began to warp through the air and slash at the towering daemon, but given the nature of these creatures and their tough iron bodies, the weapons of the Glaives did significantly less damage than they should. The hunters now each took out their crossbows and began to fire bolts at the creature in hopes to distract it, and the Giant now whipped its free arm in the air, knocking one of the Glaives out and sending him crashing to the pavement.

“Shit!” You cried as you lunged at the ankles of the beast with your katana. The distinct clank and clink of its armor percolated the air, and growling with frustration at being assaulted by so many human nuisances , the fiend kicked at you, causing your body to be sent flying and tumbling across the pavement.

Gods, did you only hope that you did not just break a rib.

Your body went rolling and smashing into the road, your head smacking against the pavement. “Y/N!” You thought you heard Iris scream, but your vision whirled as you felt blood begin to trickle down the side of your head and seep into your hair.

_No…no….this can’t end like this…It just can’t…._

Gods only knew how long your body lay crumpled there upon the ground, but as your vision slowly came to you and you watched your companions one by one suffer from the blows of the monstrosity, you felt yourself sobbing like a child with no hope in the world.

_I’m not ready to die. I can’t watch my friends die. Not like this…_

Ignis.

But as your mind came into focus and your hands clutched at the pavement to steady yourself, you felt your eyes widening and your heart pounding in your chest at the very thought that just crossed your mind.

_Ignis…Ignis…why am I thinking about him all of a sudden? Why in a time like this? Why…_

All you had known of the man was from the stories told by your friends. The tactician had never graced your presence in the five years that you had known of his existence, and yet you were here at this very despondent and dark moment, watching the end of you and your companions come nearer, and yet it was he who had crossed your mind in this most desperate of times.

_Ignis…Ignis…He…He…_

But then it made sense. Somewhere within this darkened and plague-ridden world, he was out there, fighting for the light, just like you. He was fighting for hope. He was fighting for his king and all those he cared about. He was fighting for the light and for the future that you all hoped to see. And he was giving it his all, bleeding and sweating and crying and experiencing the worst pains imaginable, just like you, so that all of you could live on and move towards peace, tranquility, and happiness.

_I can’t give up…No….I’ll never give up, because I know that you aren’t giving up either, Ignis. And gods damn me to hell if I give up and never get the chance to thank you for never giving up on this world either…_

And now, with your heart slamming in your chest and adrenaline coursing through your veins, you brought yourself to your feet. Drawing your katana and glaring up at the Giant that assaulted your comrades, your eyes quickly scanned the scene before you when your eyes caught something off the side of the road, only twenty or so feet away from where the battled ensued.

Barrels. Large rusty steal barrels by a shed that had been completely forgotten about.

And each barrel bore the words “CAUTION: FLAMMABLE.”

_Yes…that’s it…_

You knew that Red Giants were resistant to most magic, but this might just be what you needed to distract the beast to save your friends.

“The barrels!” You cried hoarsely, now rushing towards the fight once more. “The barrels! I’m going to lead it to the barrels!”

The Glaives continued to warp while Iris and the hunters continued to hack at the creature’s ankles. Taking note of what you were referencing, the lead Glaive spoke up breathlessly as he maneuvered around the monster. “What? A-Are you crazy! You are going to get yourself killed doing that! What the hell are you thinking?!”

“We’re all going to die if I don’t try! Just listen to me!” You yelled. “I’m going to lead it to the barrels. One of you set them off with magic when it gets close. Then when the barrels explode, you guys need to use your light magic while it’s distracted. It’s the only way that we can get out of here!”

There was a silence of words for a moment followed by a few grunts. But at this moment, your companions knew that this would work.

“Ok! Just do it!”

Iris and the hunters took note now and ran off for cover while you stood before the Red Giant, glaring up at it. “Come follow me, you son of a bitch!”

The Giant roared now as he began to lumber after you, and leaping off the road and into the earthy grass, you ran up the hill towards the shed and neared the barrels. The Red Giant lumbered after you with its fiery blade raised above his head, roaring and gurgling with anger as it tried to catch you. But standing near the barrels now, you readied yourself as the Giant took singularly large steps, reading to hack you down.

3….2….1….

“Now!” You screamed.

Vaulting yourself as far away from the location as possible, you felt your body being hurled through the air, once again smacking hard onto the ground as you felt the heat of the explosion course through the chilly air. The Red Giant screamed in agony and frustration as its body was engulfed in flames, and although your hearing was muffled from the impact of your head hitting the earth, you swore you could hear someone say, “Do it now!”

And through your blurry vision was the sight glorious. A beautiful illumination filled the air as you heard the daemon’s thunderous cry rumble through the sky, its body creaking and groaning and now bubbling as its form began to melt, the last of its life now spent. And with one last flash of light, the world around you was dark and silent once more.

_We…we did it…_

“Y/N! Y/N!”

You turned your head in the direction of your name, and before your body could process what filled your sight, you felt yourself being lifted up onto a seated position with soft and gentle arms wrapped around you.

“Oh Astrals, Y/N! Are you alright?” said the calming voice of Iris.

Your vision slowly started to focus as you looked at the young girl staring at you now, wide-eyed and with the upmost heedfulness upon her face. You winced slightly as you tried to move, but gathering the strength in your lungs, you managed to smile.

“Iris…Iris…I’m fine…we…we did it…”

“Oh gods!” She cried, pulling you close to her again. “I was so worried! I was so afraid I lost you… But you saved us! We did it because of you. We…”

“No, Iris,” you said, squeezing her back now. “We _all_ did it. We did this together. And we’re going to keep doing this together until we bring back the light.” You pulled back to look her in the face, and once more the thought of Ignis popped into your head, causing your heart to clench. “And I’ll sacrifice whatever I have to in order to make sure we save this world. Will you stand by me always?”

“Always and forever,” Iris whispered, a tear of happiness rolling down her cheeks.

It may be hard to dance with joy and hope when daemons are upon one’s back. And perhaps that every single daemon wants his pound of flesh to seek revenge upon those who want the light. But as you would find out just in five more years, the dawn that would ensue would be worth all those darkest moments of the past…

*******************************

_And the present day…_

“Alrighty, Y/N! Just a couple more minutes and we’ll be there in no time!” Cindy said cheerfully as you three ladies now entered the metropolis of Insomnia.

“This is so exciting!” Iris said cheerfully as she turned around to look at you. “You’re just going to absolutely love the place. I’m almost jealous that it’s not my own!”

You felt yourself blushing as you looked out the window, taking in the sights of the city before you. In the beautiful and broad daylight of the morning sun you were able to fully take in all that surrounded you, and you felt your heart swelling as you looked at what structures stood proudly and what lay fallen before you, several of the buildings from the attack on Niflheim still broken and scattered throughout the municipal.

_There is so much still here left to do…and I’m going to be someone who helps put it all back together…_

You smiled now as you turned your gaze from away the window to look at Iris. “You guys really didn’t have to do all this. I don’t know how I’m ever going to be able to repay you all for everything that you have done for me…” You paused, taking a deep breath. “Thank you Iris…I really mean it. And thank you Cindy for helping out today as well!”

Iris smiled her usual adorable toothy grin. “Well don’t be thanking us just yet. Mayyyyybe you’ll want to wait until we get to the new place. Besides, I’m sure the boys will equally want to hear your gratitude.”

“And speakin’ of the new place, it looks like we’re almost there!” Cindy said cheerfully now as she looked at you from the rearview mirror.

Sitting forward on your seat now, you felt your eyes broadening as you peered out of the windshield, and at this moment you found yourself speechless. Luscious tall trees stood before you as you passed through a stone archway, and you found yourself gasping as you took note of the cobbled sidewalks and floral gardens scattered around patches of grass and plazas.

“This…this place…it’s…it’s…” You began breathlessly.

“Gorgeous? Awesome? Yeah, we know!” Iris said with a giggle. “This is one of the few suburban residential areas that didn’t get completely destroyed in the attack all those years ago. It’s kinda a miracle actually, which is all the more reason why I’m stoked we managed to snag this place for you!”

“B-But…” you said as you admired the lush and picturesque lawns in front of each housing complex.

“No buts!” Iris said, cutting in as Cindy took a right turn and rounded a corner. “Ah! There it is, Cindy!” she exclaimed, pointing at a place to the right.

And Astrals did your jaw drop. A cobblestone and brick-faced building stood before you with gardens of every imaginable flower planted in the front yard. In front of the building was a driveway in which you spotted the ever illustrious Regalia and a cute red convertible in which whose you couldn’t identify. Cindy slowly came to a stop and parked her truck along the sidewalk, and cutting the engine, she and Iris now excitedly jumped out from their seats and exited the vehicle, leaving you sitting there speechless.

“Y/N! C’mon! You can’t sit in the car forever!”

Dumfounded, you watched as Cindy grabbed a box from the back of the truck while Iris headed towards the front door and inserted a key into the entranceway. “We’re here!” you heard her call, and suddenly coming to the realization of what was actually happening, you clumsily made your way out of the truck and rushed to the front door to follow Iris inside as you Cindy trailed closely behind you.

“Oh…Oh Astrals,” you said breathlessly, soaking in the sights in before you.

“Nice, huh?” You heard a voice say to your left, and turning in its direction you saw Gladio and Prompto standing there with wide grins upon their faces.

“I….I…” you said, still trying to process all that you saw, but you couldn’t help but notice that you too were grinning sheepishly with excitement.

“Yeah, pretty sweet is what I’d say too,” Prompto chirped cheerfully as he skipped over to you to wrap his arms around you and give you an enormous hug. You embraced him back tightly as you felt your head spin, and letting go of him, you began to once again gaze at your surroundings before you.

“Sweet” was an understatement. Where you stood right now was a small hallway with several offshoots of different rooms leading into various sections of the “apartment.” Upon the walls hung countless paintings and renders of art from all around Lucis, and as you began to peak into each room (starting with the living room), you felt yourself gasping at the beautiful plush couch that was centered in the living space with beautiful shabby chic shelves and furniture lining the walls with other pieces of small art and various trinkets.

“We’re sorry that we forgot to call you to tell you that we were close,” Iris prompted, and you noticed that at some point she had gone out to the car to bring in one of your boxes. “We were so caught up in taking a stroll down memory lane in our conversations that we lost track of time!”

“It’s no big deal,” Gladio replied, and now he gave you a hugged you as well, noticing your excitement. “We’re just glad that you’re here ok. Noct and Iggy are somewhere around her. They’ll be happy to know that you here safely.”

As Gladio let go of you from his bear hug, you felt your eyes catching something of interest across the room. You walked over to a particular shelf and noticed a set of photo frames, and picking one up to closely examine it, your heart immediately swelled and a small tear of happiness formed in the corner of your eyes.

_This….this is from Altissa…._

The photo in question was a group shot of you and the retinue posing happily inside of Maggho’s and your heart fluttered at the delight of seeing how happy everyone looked together. A couple other shots that decorated the shelf showed you posing individually with your friends, but the one photograph in particular that made you hold back a joyful sob was the very one of you and Ignis that Prompto had been more than delighted to show you during your trip.

“Prompto…Prompto…” you said, holding back your tears. You turned around to see him grinning bashfully at you, almost as if he was extremely pleased with himself. As you continued to look around, you also noticed various street signs decorating parts of the wall, very similar to how Noct’s “man cave” was adorned, including one from EXINERIS and an old sign advertising Ebony Coffee which both hung side by side. You turned around to look at your friends who were smiling broadly. “Guys…this…this….”

“This is just a small part of the joint,” Gladio said, crossing his arms and tilting his head to look at you as he smiled. “You might want to keep checking out the rest of the place!”

“We’ll go outside and help Cindy and Iris finish with the rest of your stuff,” Prompto said as he grinned at you, and rushing out past you now, he and the others headed back outside.

But before you could leave the room to explore, you were stopped in your tracks as Noctis now peered into the living room, a broad smile on his face as he spotted you. “Ah, you guys made it here!” He said cheerfully as he crossed the room to stand before you now. “What do you think of the place?” he asked as he drew you in for a giant hug.

“I’m…I’m speechless,” you said with a laugh, “but the girls and I literally just got here. They just headed back outside with Gladio and Prompto to get everything. I feel silly for not helping right now but…I’m just in shock. This…this is all so much. Noct, you guys didn’t have to do all this for me!”

Noctis chuckled as he looked at you now, scratching his head. “Believe me. This is no big deal. It’s honestly the least that we could all do. Believe me. I’ve told you a billion times. You’ve done so much to help us all. Consider this a token of our appreciation and you officially being part of the Crownsguard.” Your heart skipped at this, realizing the implication of these words. Noctis had never been one to just accept new friends into his life at random, and him knowing you the shortest time out of everyone in the group, it made you want to shout with delight in knowing that he considered you to be one of his most trusted companions. But he looked at you more truly now as he continued. “But seriously, what do you think of the place? We kinda just took charge without getting any input from you at all..”

“I didn’t get past this very spot, since we just walked in,” you said, smiling warmly. “But quite frankly, if I love the living room this much then I know I’ll love everything else. I’m super excited to see the rest of the place.”

Noctis chuckled. “Then I’d suggest heading next to the kitchen. It’s straight down the hall to the right. I’m gonna head outside and see where everyone else is,” he said with a wink, and he motioned for you towards the alcove of the living room. Nodding to him you hastily exited the room and began your trek towards your next destination.

“I just still can’t believe this,” you mumbled out loud to yourself. “This place is utterly amazing.” And truth be told, you felt your heart swelling as you touched the walls and noticed the elegant and fine details of your new establishment, having it remind you so much of your home back in Altissia. “This feels almost like the Leville. Just how much did they really spend on putting this all together? It’s literally one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I…”

But as you came to the entrance to the kitchen and looked in, perhaps you were wrong about your apartment being one of the most striking things you had ever laid eyes upon.

You would have said that you would have been in complete awe of the chic appliances and modern interior of your kitchen, but it would have been foolish to say that this was what caused your breath to be taken away. Standing there, in front of the refrigerator, kneeling down in front of its opened door and examining closely the array of food and other necessities to see if all was stocked properly, was Ignis, and losing your breath at the sight of him, you felt your heart begin to slam in your chest, realizing that this beginning to your new life was all actually very real.

“Ignis,” you said breathlessly, bracing your hand upon the doorway.

Ignis now turned around as he made eye contact with you, and immediately his sparkling green eyes light up at the sight of you as he stood up, a broad smiling spreading across his lips.

“Darling, you’re here!” he said, making his way over to you like an eager child. You approaching him with equal enthusiasm, he reached out to you, wrapping his broad arms around you and pulling you tightly to his chest. “I’ve kept checking my cellular for the last hour but did not see a message or call from you and I was beginning to get worried for you. When did you arrive here?”

“I-I’m sorry, Iggy,” you said as you nuzzled yourself against him, burying your face into his chest and taking in his scent. “We’ve only been here for maybe ten minutes now. The girls and I kinda got caught up reminiscing and lost track of time as we drove.” And now you looked up into his eyes, smiling widely at him. “But I’m officially here in the flesh, and I have to say that I’m speechless. This place is absolutely awesome.”

Ignis chuckled as he stroked your cheek with his gloved hand, and your spine tingled at the touch of warm leather against your soft skin. “That pleases me greatly to hear, my love. Have you seen all of the amenities yet?”

“Not yet,” you said nervously. “Except for the living room and now the kitchen, I didn’t get too very far. But from what I’ve seen? I have to say that I’m feeling a little overwhelmed right now. I can’t wait to see everything else.”

“Hmm…” Ignis said, taking your hand now and stroking the digits sensually with his gloved hand, and held back a moan at the way he caressed each knuckle and nail. “Then perhaps I can show you upstairs? Hmmm…I can show you to your new bedroom for starters...”

 _Oh Astrals help me…_ Your throat tightened and your loins coiled as you felt yourself melting at his touch, and swallowing hard, you smiled bashfully at him, fluttering your eyelashes at him. “Yes please, sir,” you said with a curve of your lips. “I’d like that a lot….”

Ignis’s eyes inhaled sharply at your address to him and his sparkled almost devilishly as took you by the hand and led you towards the direction of the staircase, and feeling your heart pound heavily within your breast, you felt yourself feeling equally astounded at just how much larger this apartment was than your residence in Lestallum, not expecting to have two floors of living space. Bracing your hand upon the white painted railings as you were led upstairs, you once again admired the beautiful art that hung upon the wall, and it was truly now that you could appreciate just how much work your friends put into making your new place feel extra special and tailored to your interests. You were lost in your thought as Ignis stopped in front of a doorway, and looking up at him now, he grinned at you as he pushed the door open and lead you inside.

“Oh Astrals…it’s….it’s beautiful…” You said, your mouth hanging openly now. Looking around, you felt as though your dream bedroom had come to life, a beautiful gossamer canopy stretching over a large plush bed covered with soft velvety blankets and pillows in hues of purples, silvers, and black. You knelt down to touch the lush carpet, the softness of the fibers tickling your fingertips. Soft silver curtains billowed around an open window, letting in the freshness of the morning air and your eyes fell upon a beautiful floral arrangement of sylleblossoms that sat upon the dresser. Next to the window stood a small stand with a beautiful vintage radio on top, and you felt yourself inhaling deeply, excitement and joy coursing through you at the thought of how meaningful such small details meant to you.

“Iggy….” You said as you stood up now, and reaching up to grasp gently onto the side of his face with your hands, you began to place kisses upon his jaw, nose, and ears. “Oh Ignis, thank you….thank you….this is so beautiful…” And feeling your loins begin to tingle at the sounds of his deep breathing, you trailed your lips over his slowly with your own, nibbling slightly at the scar that adorned his lower lip.

Ignis inhaled sharply as you felt his hand begin to grasp upon your waist, and you immediately wanted to cry out at the sensation of his gloved fingertips almost tickling your hips. He pulled you closer to him so that his hips were flushed right up against yours, and you began to place kisses upon his nose and trailed your lips down to his throat, breathing heavily upon the skin. He was trembling as he stood before you, the heat emanating from his body almost now too unbearable for the confines of your living quarters, and the heated thought of pursuing him further now popped not so innocently into your mind…

“D-Darling…Y/N,” Ignis heaved, his words almost catching in his throat. His hands left your waist to grab a hold of yours, and he brought your hands down to your sides and held you in place. His face was flushed and he was breathing heavily, but there was a devious look to his grin. “What I would give to pursue this more at the moment,” he said huskily as he chuckled. “But if we both recall, we do in fact have our companions waiting downstairs who are most likely wondering where we wandered off to. Perhaps it’d be best if we join them, and…” he paused, bringing his mouth to your ear to nip at the lobe, “we can indeed continue this later, that is if you so desire …We will have all night, after all.”

 _Damn him, trying to get in the last punch,_ you thought as your eyes widened, looking deeply into his eyes. “All night?” You said breathlessly. “You’ll be staying with me tonight?”

He chuckled once more, cupping your chin with his hands, and you felt he was looking at you oddly for you making such a silly remark. “But surely you wouldn’t believe that you’d spend your first night all alone in a new place, would you now? I could never allow such a thing to happen.”

Your heart clenched at his words as your hands began to trace over the span of his chest, the sweetness of his gesture warming your insides. “Oh Iggy….” But even more so, the implication of his words sent heat coiling down through your loins as you tried best to control your hands from tearing at the buttons of his shirt. Bringing your lips up to his once more, you slowly placed a chaste kiss upon his mouth. “Then yes…yes…I would absolutely love that, Mr. Scientia...” you cooed.

Ignis inhaling sharply once again at your formality to him, you let go of him as you giggled, and leaving the room now, you two made your way back downstairs to join your companions who were now gathered in the living room. Your boxes of belongings had been unpacked and Iris seemed to be helping sort everything when she looked up from her work to smile at you. “Soooo what do you think?!” She asked excitedly as the others now looked to you. “Did you check out your closet yet?” Iris’s affinity for fashion was one of the factors that helped bring you together as friends to begin with, but in your privacy alone with Ignis you hadn’t even thought to look.

“I didn’t get a chance to look yet, but I know I won’t be disappointed! But the bedroom itself? It’s gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous,” you said as you sat down next to her on the couch, and your body immediately took delight in how soft and squishy the seat was. “Seriously, did I explain what my dream place would look like to you guys? I know you all know me so well, but still. This whole place is basically what I envisioned. Really guys, thank you all so much. I…I don’t know how to properly thank you all.”

“No need to thank us,” Gladio said reassuringly once again. But looking more closely at your flushed face and then making eye contact with Igis who seemed equally flustered at the moment, he chuckled and smirked at you. “Hmmm….right….I’m sure you love the place,” he teased. “I’m glad.”

Blushing more profusely now, you coughed as you tried to hide your embarrassment, and from across the room Cindy and Prompto began to giggle. Ignis pushed up his glasses upon his nose, but as he turned his face slightly away, you caught a little smile upon his lips.

Almost oblivious to what was going on under his nose, Noctis yawned widely as he stretched out onto the loveseat next you guys. “It’s really no big deal,” he said though with a genuine smile. “I’m just really glad you like the place.” He winked now, but for a moment his face became serious. “I just…we thought of giving you a spot right in the Citadel, but we figured that that might be too much to handle with you moving to a whole new place and adjusting to life here within the city. It can get really chaotic there though. But you’re literally only fifteen minutes away from the Citadel and the new EXINERIS office in either direction and so it’s not like you’ll really be that far away from us at any given time. I just-”

“N-No, this is perfect,” you said reassuringly as you looked at him. “I mean it. Besides, I like the peace and quiet. This really is quite wonderful.”

“And it’ll be nice for us to all come and chillax with you away from the craziness of the Citadel too,” Prompto said as he stretched his arms above his head. “That is if you’ll have us!” He added with a grin.

You laughed now as Gladio crossed his arms again, his massive biceps and forearms pressing against his chest as he smirked at you again. “Yeah, and besides. It’s not like you’ll be spending too many nights alone anyways,” he said, looking at you deeply, and once more you caught note of the blush that was creeping up through Ignis’s cheeks.

A laugh at your expense filled the room as your companions began to help you finish rearranging what you had brought with you from Lestallum. Your eyes drifting out the window as you placed a throw pillow upon the loveseat in the living room, you couldn’t help but take note once more as you looked out the front window to admire the cute red convertible that was parked within in the driveway, and when asking who it belonged to, everyone smiled broadly at Ignis who seemed to turn a deep shade of red as he smiled.

“Are ya gonna tell her, Iggy,” Prompto asked with a wide grin.

“What? What is it?” you asked confoundedly.

“The car…” Ignis began as he walked over to you now as he took your hands in his. “You do recall Holly telling you that you would be receiving your own car, correct?”

Your eyes widened now, not believing it. “Oh gods…the one…the one she said was from you?”

“That is correct,” Ignis said with a smile.

You assaulted Ignis with kisses, and it was all your friends could do to leave the room while laughing to give you two your moment of space to express your gratitude to the advisor.

Upon further inspection of your new place, you still could not help but find yourself being amazed at the amount of work your companions put in to making your new start to life as an Insomnian as smooth of a transition as possible. You had noticed that your kitchen was fully stocked with every pot, pan, and kitchen gadget you could ever need, and you were looking forward to the prospect of now being able to be the one who cooked for Ignis more often. Upon going back to look more at your bedroom, upon opening your closets to put in your own clothing, you finally got to see the beautiful and brand new wardrobe that Iris supplied you with, and you felt yourself crying in her arms with absolute appreciation for how she knew your style so well.

An hour or so had passed and Noctis had informed you that he, Gladio, and Prompto needed to return to the Citadel for a few hours to take care of business with Cor. Cindy and Iris had other engagements that needed to be taken care of in terms of Gladio’s wedding, and so you would be parting ways with one another until later until later on. You would be convening once more at a high class bar in center city called Fujin’s and Raijin’s to celebrate your official move in to the city.

“We’re gonna party and let loose!” Prompto cheered excitedly, and as each hour passed you didn’t think that it would be possible to appreciate your companions more than you already did.

In the meantime, it would be Ignis who would give you a personal tour of the surrounding area as well as show you to the new EXINERIS office for when you began work after the weekend. Deciding to take advantage of the lovely weather for the afternoon (and because you were so used to doing this back in Lestallum), you and Ignis decided to head off on foot for your afternoon escapades. Your first stop of course was EXINERIS, and you were shocked when you arrived to see that Jeanne was already at the office as if waiting for you.

“You’re going to absolutely love the new office,” Jeanne said excitedly as she led you and Ignis around the sparkling new amenities of the facility. As she showed you where everyting was located, you felt part of your anxieties mitigate, reminding yourself that you were more than an expert in this job at this point in your life and that you had more than a handle on what you were doing. And so therefore, your transition wouldn’t be as scary as you thought. After taking you through the main facility, Jeanne led you on through the tour, and as the three of you turned around a corner, you stopped dead in your tracks at what you saw before you.

“Is that...what I think it is?” You asked with surprise in your voice.

Taking note of your flabbergasted expression, Jeanne smiled broadly. “Yep! We now have our own refinement mechanism right within Insomnia, so we can work on purifying the meteorshards, mythril, and any other precious substances that need to go through the process. This should save majorly on top with transport issues.”

“That’s incredible…” you said as you stared in incredulity at the machine. You turned to Ignis now, and it was difficult for you to interpret his mysterious expression. “Iggy, did you know about this all this time?”

A smile crept up at the corner of his lips. “Hmm, perhaps,” he said coyly as he took your hand and squeezed it. But his expression went serious for a moment. “Based upon the files that you and Ravus obtained back in Niflheim? We have reason to believe that there are more stashes of mythril hidden away north of Insomnia in the Cavaugh region. And so,” he paused, kissing you upon the forehead (and right in front of Jeanne, too), “it is more apparent than ever that we are in need of the services that EXINERIS has to offer.”

“We’ve got a bigger and more important job than ever,” Jeanne added in, standing proudly.

Jeanne went over with you the procedures of the new office, and much to your initial stress over getting accustomed to the new workings, the conduct, customs, and schedules would proceed exactly the same as in Lestallum. Sighing with relief, Jeanne placed her hand upon your shoulder with a soft smile upon her face. “You’re going to be great here. I’m a little bit nervous too about getting everything officially going, but in essence this is no different than from back home. Trust me,” she said with a wink.

Feeling more confident about what was to come with your first official day in the new office next week, you and Ignis continued your adventure throughout the city, and soon enough you became acclimated to all the necessary essentials you would need for your new life start. Ignis showed you the nearest branch of the Lucis Bank (this branch was much fancier than the one in Lestallum), and it was with much to your surprise that Insomnians used a particular form of currency called yen. After stopping at the bank to withdraw some funds in the unfamiliar currency, you passed the Hobby Angler Sushi Restaurant, one of Noctis’s personal favorites places because the chefs would cook one’ aquatic catches. Much to your delight there was a marketplace very similar to the one in Lestallum just a few mere blocks from EXINERIS, and finding yourself starving over the excitement from the day, you decided to treat Ignis and yourself to a sound helping of Crown City dumplings. You passed several branches of a shop called YRP 24, a convenient store in which you knew would be more than handy for you as you adjusted to life here. You also made your way past other shops and businesses such as Gandof Yoga (a personal favorite place of Iris’s), Little Eiko Karaoke (apparently Prompto used to go here all the time when in college), Minwu Pharmacy (in case you got sick), and the F.H. Lounge, a place in which apparently played the most lovely of jazz music.

“I know this all can be quite overwhelming, given the vast change in pace and lifestyle of us Insomnians compared to those in Lestallum,” Ignis said to you as you finally arrived back at your new apartment, and he placed a kiss upon your forehead as you stood upon the doormat before the front door. “But I can assure you as always that you are not alone in this transition and that myself and everyone else shall be here with you each step of the way.”

You smiled up at him, nestling yourself against him and sighing deeply. “I know Iggy, and that’s why I’m not afraid.” You paused, looked deeply into his eyes. “You’re really wonderful, you know that?”

Almost caught off guard by your sweet compliment, Ignis blushed profusely in the warm light of the setting sun over the horizon of the Crown City. “I am what you make me, my dearest,” he uttered sweetly as he placed his hand under your chin and kissed your softly. You melted into his touch, wanting more than ever to never have this moment pass. But he smiled at you now, tilting his head as he looked at you. “Now my darling, why don’t we head inside so we can get refreshed for our diner tonight. You will surely love the offerings at our choice of dining.”

You sniggered as you fished for your key in your pocket and inserted it into the front door. “After having your cooking? Pleeeeease... I feel like nothing I have eaten will ever live up to what you make.” But as you went to take a step through the threshold of your apartment, Ignis gently grabbed onto your hand to stop you, and your turned around to look at him curiously. Smiling shyly, he knelt down, and you with a surprised squeal, you felt yourself being lifted up and scooped into his arms, Ignis cradling you against him.

“Iggy!” you said breathlessly as you laughed, his arms holding you close to his body.

Ignis grinned widely now, blushing all the while. “What?” he asked, almost innocently. “Allow me to enjoy the moment of being able to walk with you through this doorway together for the first time.”

You giggled and flushed deeply as he carried you through almost bridal style, and sitting you down upon your shaky feet, you quickly kicked off your shoes, looking back at him with a smile. His lips were curved into an innocent grin but you noticed his gaze upon you was heavy and heated, almost as if he was holding back every ounce of his fiber that wanted to unleash the beast that had been raging inside of him since the early morning. A moment of silence passed between the two of you, the electricity shared crackling and almost becoming unbearable, and you did everything in your power to control your heavy inhalations and the heated thoughts that ran through your mind.

 _I have never wanted anything so badly in my whole life,_ you pondered as you looked at him, and your eyes darted to the skull pendant that dangled between his beautiful collarbones. Your eyes trailed up to his lips that were parted slightly with a smile, and you were more than grateful that he at this moment finally broke the heavy silence.

“Fujin’s and Raijin’s is a rather upscale establishment, so I am more than delighted in you being able to experience it for the first time.” Ignis said as he took a step closer to you with a smile upon his face. “The gentleman and I only have ever been there a few times back in our youthful days when Regis requested more formal outings for us. I do have to make a quick call to Cor back at the Citadel, but please do take your time in freshening up and preparing yourself for our evening. I will get ready myself and then shall be waiting down here patiently for you when you are ready.” With a wink, Ignis made his way down the hallway and into the kitchen, leaving you standing there utterly breathless.

But not wanting to waste any more time, knowing that you had somewhat of a time restraint and soon enough, your friends would be waiting for you, you almost skipped upstairs two at a time and into your new bedroom. Turning on the ceiling light and opening your closet, your eyes scanned over the beautiful garments that dangled on their hooks, and a wave of panic rushed over you. You realized that your wardrobe was much more vast than you anticipated, and even though all was organized by style and occasion, you could not help but feel a bit overwhelmed at your choices.

“Oh gods, now is not the time to be freaking out over what to wear,” you said out loud, almost laughing to yourself. But wanting to keep things simple but elegant and not wanting to draw attention to yourself in the public eye, your eyes quickly spotted a simple black dress that upon taking it off of its hanger, you realized would swish and twirl beautifully while wearing it.

 _Perfect_ , you thought. Smiling now, you brought the dress as well as some fresh undergarments and a simple black pair of high heels with you and headed to the room that was to be your bathroom. Opening its door for the first time and clicking on the lights, you immediately gasped. “No…this isn’t a bathroom…it’s a freakin’ spa!” And truth be told, you couldn’t help but feel delighted over this. A large vanity was placed before the sink, giving you lots of room to primp and prim when you wished. There was a beautiful walk in shower with a separate tub that included jets, and you knew immediately that you could not wait to take the hottest bath possible in it to soothe your achy muscles that you also managed to suffer from after long days at the plant. “Unbelievable…” you said, shaking your head in amazement as you hung up your dress over the door and stripped yourself of your clothes. Tossing your soiled garments into the hamper, you located a wash cloth and soaked it with soap and water, creating a lather and began scrubbing your body away with the bubbly suds of the grime that had accumulated on your skin over the course of the day. You patted your face lightly and applied fresh make up. Then shimmying into your dress and placing your shoes upon your feet, you twirled in front of the full body mirror, finding yourself smiling at yourself, appreciating the fact that you felt you looked pretty sharp (and maybe just a bit striking too).

It had been a while since you had to look so fancy, and quite frankly this made you nervous. But breathing deeply, you looked at yourself again in the mirror to give yourself a nod “Ok, Y/N. Here we go,” you said confidently as you left the bathroom and headed back downstairs.

All was quiet at first as you looked around the living room. “Iggy?” You said, not hearing the man speak on the phone. But suddenly, you heard a pair of footsteps behind you from across the room, and turning around to face the direction of the noise, immediately you felt all breath being pulled from your lungs at the sight of Ignis standing before you.

Ignis had always usually opted for more formal attire to begin with, and yet every time he dressed in such a way utterly took your breath away. _When and where did he even change?_ You thought as you breathlessly examined him up and down. He now wore a solid black sateen dress shirt that was unbuttoned just enough to show off the upper details of his chest. His gloves had been completely discarded for the evening, allowing you to gaze lustfully upon his large bare hands. He now donned a beautifully and sinfully tailored black blazer and pants to match, and it was all you could do to refrain from lunging at him with want at how incredibly dashing and princely he looked. But swallowing hard, the detail of his appearance that surprised you the most was that he was not wearing his glasses, and you could not recall a single moment in which you had ever seen him go out in public without them on.

_His eyes…I’ll never get used to being lost in those beautiful eyes…_

But as if you were caught utterly breathless, gazing upon the tactician that you were madly in love with, he too now seemed to be at a loss for words right now as he stared at you with admiration and veneration in his eyes. He took slow steps towards you almost as if holding his breath, and placing his hands gently upon your waist as he reached you, almost trembling as he held you, he brought his lips down to yours and kissed you gently, his breath soft upon your face.

“You…You look absolute stunning, Y/N. And alluring. And ravishing, might I add,” he murmured with bated breath and a smile upon his lips, and bringing his hands up to cup your face, he kissed you once more, breathing in deeply as he savored the flavor of your lips. You kissed him back, trembling within his grasp now, and as always, no matter how many times he kissed you like this, it always felt like your shared. “You are the most beautiful being in all of Eos…”

“Ignis…” you whispered, nuzzling your nose against him, and your body trembled with love but the raging desire to touch every single inch of his skin.

“Yes, my darling?” he asked with hushed words, skimming his thumb over your lower lip, and it was almost as if he knew exactly what you were thinking.

Your words caught in your throat as you attempted to speak. “We…we should probably get heading to the restaurant now, else everyone might start to get suspicious and worry about us.”

Ignis chuckled softly as he kissed you one last time. “You are quite right my dear. It would indeed be such a shame too, missing out on a delectable meal too, along with our company.”

You would just have to wait patiently until later to have your dessert.

*******************

A roar of laughter burst around the table as Gladiolus slammed his fist down upon the table.

“You’ve gotta be shitting us, Cindy. There’s no way that guy said that to you!” He said hysterically as he tried to stifle his laughter.

“I ain’t kiddin’ ya!” Cindy said as she too was now laughing just as much. “You’d be more likely to have a Tonberry make more sense than he was!”

“Bullshit! Absolute bullshit!” Gladio said again, shaking his head as his fiancé could only put her palm to her head, shaking her head with embarrassment over the elaborate and ridiculous story that Cindy just finished sharing.

“Gladio, do take care and mind your manners,” Ignis said as he pushed up his glasses upon the bridge of his nose, and you couldn’t help but giggle over his reprimanding of the Shield. And yet, you also couldn’t help but notice the small smile that was spreading itself across Ignis’s lips, he too amused at the story.

To say that Fujin’s and Raijin’s was “upscale” was an understatement. Having stepped into the establishment with Ignis’s arm looped through yours, you felt yourself gasping at the sights of shimmery and small crystal chandeliers and fish tanks filled to the brim with the rarest of sea creatures and fish. You felt your body tingle from the warmth emanated from the candelabras that hung from the walls and the open fireplaces that blazed brightly, even for a warm autumn night. Soothing lounge music filled the air and helped to ease your anxious mind, not having felt this ritzy since you attended the Royal Ball from what seemed like eons ago. Not having always been a social butterfly, you felt your anxiety rise upon gawking at the restaurant patrons, and as you looked at their attire, part of you felt severely underdressed, despite yourself being all dolled up.

Ignis held onto you more firmly and gently now, squeezing your arm within his, and turning to look up at his face you could see that he too seemed a bit anxious, his more reserved nature now shining through. “Relax, my darling,” he said, leaning over to kiss you gently upon the top of your head. “You look absolutely beautiful. I am here with you…”

You did however take absolute delight in the moment you spotted your friends waiting over by the bar that was illuminated with blue and silver lights, and you truly had to admire the way your friends cleaned up, having not seen them dress in such a way since the Ball. Each of the gentlemen wore finely tailored dress shirts, although Noctis was the only one who wore a jacket just like Ignis. Gladio’s sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and you couldn’t help but stare at the way his biceps pulled at the fabric of his shirt, and you had to stifle a giggle at the way Prompto’s shirt was already starting to come untucked. Gladio’s fiancé looked simple stunning in a tight, form-fitting grey ensemble (and as always you became self-conscious because of how gorgeous she was). Iris looked undeniably beautiful in her usual choice of burgundy, donning a swishy A-line dress with crisscross straps in the back. And as for Cindy? It was always such a rarity to not see her caked in grease from a hard day’s work, and so she looked like an absolute knock-out in her tight dark green dress that accentuated her voluptuous features, and you couldn’t help but smile the way that Prompto couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of her.

“DaaaaaaaamnY/N! Lookin’ good again!” Prompto said as he rushed over to greet and hug you.

You laughed now, feeling your nerves melt away amongst the presence of your companions. “Oh hush, Prompto! You’re going to make me blush! Although I have to say that you guys look pretty nice yourselves.”

“We’re glad you actually managed to make it,” Gladio said as he clapped his hand on Ignis’s shoulder and causing him to jar forward slightly, and you couldn’t help but blush at the implication of Gladio’s words.

“Shall we get our seats then and dig in?” Iris said happily, and everyone nodding in agreement, you secured yourself a cozy and somewhat private booth away from the rest of the bustle of the restaurant goers.

When it came to your choices of cuisine, you had almost felt guilty for ordering anything off of the menu. It took a moment for you to do the mental math of converting gil to yen, and you blanched slightly at realizing the heftiness of the prices on the menu. But seeing your hesitancy, Noctis insisted vehemently on choosing whatever you wanted.

“This is your night, just for you,” he said with a smile as he sat to your left.

But still feeling too humble to take advantage of your friends’ kindness, you settled on a less pricy option of creamy milk risotto and braised chicken, and while you in your personal bias would place Ignis as the culinary mastermind of Insomnia, you still couldn’t help but appreciate just how enjoyable your meal actually was.

And as bellies became full and laughter and stories were shared, Noctis took a moment to look at each of you, his eyes falling upon you last as he raised his glass.

“A toast,” he began, and soon enough everyone began to follow suit. “A toast to old friends and new adventures, and even more so continued hope in the world.” And pausing, he looked to you deeply once again with a smile upon his face. “And to you, Y/N, for finally joining us here in Insomnia. We’re excited to have you here with us and we’ll be here with you each step of the way.”

Your heart immediately clenched in your chest as you attempted to fight back a tear, and noticing how overwhelmed and at a loss for words you became, your friends raised and clinked their glasses together in unison.

“Here here!” Cheered Prompto, grinning at you.

“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Gladio affirmed, now taking a swig of his drink.

Ignis placed his hand upon your leg and squeezed gently as he smiled at you, all the warmth and love of the world in his eyes as he gazed at you, and placing your hand on top of his, you squeezed his hand back and you didn’t think it was possible to feel more loved and accepted than you did at this moment.

The merriment continued and laughter resumed when Ignis sat his glass down and pushed his seat away from the table. You raised your eyebrow as you watched his graceful movements, him placing his hand upon your shoulder as he stood. “Would anyone care for another drink? I’m feeling rather parched myself at the moment from all our revelry.” His eyes fell upon you first, his hand trailing slightly down your shoulder and sending shivers down your spine. “Darling?” he asked.

Blushing at the use of his endearment in front of everyone, you shook your head with a beam as you looked up at him. Never really being one too consume liquor regardless, you’d rather be sober as you partook in the hijinks of the evening. “I’m ok, Iggy. My water is just fine.”

“Very well then,” he said with a smile, squeezing your shoulder now. “Anyone else?”

“Mind getting me another beer, Iggy?” Gladio asked, seeming to have already quenched himself of his current one.

“Ohh! Me too, Igster!” Prompto said, almost way too childlike for the context of the situation.

“Mind havin’ the bartender prepare me something sweet? Anything will do!” Cindy said with a grin. “I greatly appreciate it!”

Ignis simply nodded and smiled and the conversation around you resumed as you rested your chin upon your hands and watched your lover gracefully maneuver himself across the crowded dining room and over to the bar. You felt your toes squirming in their shoes and you felt yourself biting your lips gently as you watched each and every step he took with elegance. You felt your loins tighten as you watched the sway of his hips with each movement and your eyes were glued to the way he carried his poised shoulders and shifted his broad back, and not caring whether or not anyone heard you, you let out a sigh, truly pondering for a moment of whether or not you were experiencing reality or a dream.

 _I swear I’m the luckiest woman in all of Eos_ , you thought to yourself as you watched Ignis speak to the bartender who nodded to his requests. _I really don’t know what I did to deserve him…_

But before you could continue to get lost in your thoughts any further, you noticed two women (two utterly GOREGEOUS women), stand up from their table not too far away from yours as they giggled over something, and with your curiosity piqued you watched each of their dainty steps across the room. They too now headed over to the bar, and as Ignis seemed to wait patiently while gazing up at the television that hung itself behind the bar, you felt your blood start to surge as you realized that the two women now slinked up next to Ignis’s blindside. Watching their mouths move as they started to speak, Ignis turned around, looking almost started at being approached. You felt yourself holding your breath and your spirit sinking as you watched this scene before you transpire, your hands now clutching at the hem of your dress from under the table. The taller woman, a rather busty brunette, took a step closer into Ignis’s personal space while her blond friend leaned suggestively over the bar, and with your heart racing you attempted your very best to read her lips. Her ruby-red lips were curved up into a devilish grin, and before you even could realize it, you found that your foot was bouncing anxiously under the table, the heel of your shoe clicking on the floor.

 _Oh gods….I’m….I’m…am I_ jealous _?_

And by the Astrals, did you realize that you were. But then again, you’d be a fool to think that not every single woman in that restaurant found the man you loved so much to be so damn attractive. And Astrals were you too frozen in place to get up and prove that he was yours.

_Am I…afraid? Afraid of losing him?_

Was that a realistic possibility that you should be concerned with?

But just as you felt your heart begin to sink and the color drain from your face as the blond woman now took a step closer to him, you realized that the entirety of this time Ignis’s face was straight laced with an almost disapproving grimace, and with each movement of the ladies’ lips, he showed no interest or even an acknowledgement that they were trying to make advances upon him. But as the brunette slowly reached her hand up to touch Ignis’s arm, he raised his hand firmly with his palm out to stop her, his body shifting backwards almost in disgust, him shaking his head in the process.

_Ignis…Ignis…_

And now your mind flashed back to so many months ago as you recalled a rather important conversation with Iris about this very particular man.

_“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this before it sinks into that silly head of yours. Trust me. I’ve known Iggy for my entire life since I was a little girl. For how many years I’ve witnessed what that man has done every day and it seems like he doesn’t have a moment to spare for himself. Gods only really knows what he would do for himself in all of his private moments alone. But regardless of that mystery I can tell you one thing for certain: I’ve noticed something different in him in the last month or so and I wholeheartedly believe that I think it has everything to do with you. There are times that I will catch him checking his phone between meetings and he’ll smile like I’ve never seen before. He’s never done that before. Ever. Not since I’ve known him. And believe me when I say this: there are a TON of really gorgeous women that work at the Citadel. From back in the day to even now, a lot of these women would try to flirt with Iggy, but him being him, he just seems to either ignore it, or kindly brushes it off in obliviousness or disinterest. When I really think about it, he’s never mentioned a word to me or the guys about a hint of attraction towards someone. His whole life his, his love life remained this mystery to all of us and Astrals even knows if he thought about women at all with how he behaved. But you? You? He’ll always make sure to ask me how you are, even though he can reach out to you easily on his own. I mention your name in passing and he perks up like a hungry Coeurl. Trust me. He’s got something going for you; I can just feel it. He’s just very private with the way he feels. He’s always been reserved with this type of stuff, and I think that for you, given how you too are also very reserved? I think this is a good thing. You just have to be patient with him. Trust me. It will all be worth it. I just know it.”_

“Y/N, are you alright?” Iris’s voice said to you as you snapped out of your thoughts and your stare, and you looked to your friend from across the table to see her expression wrought with concern.

And thus you realized it. This had all been worth it. Your patience paid off and you and Ignis found each other. And here in that one fearful moment was the proof that he had loved you and you only, more than you thought you ever deserved.

You were more than ok.

“Y-Yeah, never better,” you said to her with a grin, your eyes beaming as you noticed Ignis leave the bar out of the corner of your eye to rejoin your company

And now, with that love within your heart for him kindled and raging more than ever, you just knew that when you got home, you wanted to declare to him just how much you wanted him and more….

*****************************************

The evening had passed as you all parted ways, and in the typical fashion of your friends, each of them decided to be inscrutable to you as Noctis said that there would be “more adventure in store for tomorrow.” But having not the slightest clue of what he could mean nor the energy to decipher that said mystery of the morrow’s carousal, you left it at that by giving everyone a big hug good night in anticipation for what tomorrow may bring.

But it was now that you and Ignis drove home in the softness and stillness of the night, your hand in his as you listened to a soothing female singer on the radio lull you into assuagement. As you shifted your legs comfortably in your seat, a sudden warmth came over you once more as you envisioned the sight of the female pursuers upon you mate back at Fujin’s and Raijin’s. What had been fear and apprehension back at the restaurant had now turned into something much different. Fighting back a loud inhalation, you free hand clenched upon your seat and you swallowed hard as a rather devious contemplation came to mind, stirred on by the threat of such deadly and alluring opposition.

And gods did your walls tighten and your loins slicken at just the thought of what you wanted so badly at this very moment, something in which you ached painfully to be seen played out.

“Darling, we have arrived home,” said Ignis’s gentle voice, and you were immediately yanked from your ponderings as you turned to look at his handsome faced darkened by the night. Him bringing up your hand to his lips to expertly kiss the palm softly, you fought back a moan as his warm breath fluttered to your hand, your other free hand once more clenching at the seat in which you sat. Him giving your hand a final squeeze now, Ignis exited the Regalia and came around to the other side of the vehicle to open the door for you, and only momentarily did such a sweet gesture placate the raging desires that were coursing through your bloodstream. Standing up from the car now, you two made your way to the doorway, and you inserting the key into its lock, you pushed the door open gently, and now both of you stood within the privacy of one another’s company for the remainder of the night.

Alone at last.

And Astrals, did you seek sanctuary and mercy.

Gingerly taking your heels off by the doorway, you made your way into the living room to turn on a lamp by the sofa (you still had to get accustomed to where everything was of course), and as you snapped on the light and took a deep breath to brace yourself, you turned around to see that Ignis had followed you into the living room, taking off his blazer and neatly placing it over the back of the loveseat. You had to stifle your sharp inhalation of breath as you admired his lithe physique that was hidden underneath the black sateen fabric of his shirt, and your eyes hungrily darted to the way his hips shifted as he moved as well as how the skull of his pendant dangled at the base of his throat. But even more so, you felt yourself lost in the shimmer of his stunning green orbs lit by the warm lamp light, and by Shiva’s grace had you never seen anyone so unbelievably handsome and divine in your entire life.

“Y/N, are you alright, my darling?” Ignis asked, and once more you were pulled from his bodily observations as you took note of the way he unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and began to roll up the sleeves to his elbows.

But doing your best to stiffen your appetite for just a moment longer, you smiled at him and sighed as you made your way over to him, the plush carpet beneath you soothing to the achiness of your feet. “I’m wonderful,” you said blissfully as you placed your hands upon his chest and rested your head against him. “A bit tired from today, but nonetheless I think I’m living in a state of bliss. I’ve never felt better.”

And by gods, was that the truth.

Ignis chuckled as he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close to his heated frame and drawing another sigh out of you. Your senses were immediately bombarded once more by the scent of his cologne, mixed with the smell of the cuisines concocted at the restaurant. “That brings the upmost joy to my heart, my dearest,” Ignis said affectionately as he placed a gentle kiss upon the top of your head. “I know that this is rather much to take in in such a short period of time, but I can assure you that you shall not fear in having to make such a transition alone.”

It was you who laughed softly now, looking up into his eyes. “Alone? I don’t think I will ever have to fear feeling that way again, especially not with you by my side…”

You nuzzled more closely to him now, your heart beginning to pound harshly within your breast, and his musky scent started to cloud your senses with the most painful of desires. Your hands began to trace up his chest towards his shoulders, and you looked up at him once more, your countenance deep and your eyes heavily lidded.

“You probably get tired of me saying this,” you began, “but…thank you, Iggy. Thank you for everything. You are the most incredible man in this whole world and I love you more than anything.”

Ignis’s cheeks flushed deeply at your words as he leaned down to brush his nose against yours, the stray strand of hair from his pompadour tickling your forehead. His breath was warm upon your skin, his eyes emanating all of the love in the world. “Anything and everything for you, Y/N. For ever and always, my love. And as I always say, if only there was more that I could give you…”

And it was at this that your nostrils flared, the scene from the restaurant formulating within your mind once again, and you felt your toes curl into the carpet beneath your feet. You had just comprehended at this moment that your hands had been looped under his suspenders, your tiny hands clutching at them desperately almost as if supporting yourself. You bit your lip as you fought back a moan, and it was now that you decided to charge forward in your pursuit.

“Perhaps….” You began, your voice innocent but more husky than you intended it to be, your syllables getting caught in your throat as your eyes locked lustfully into his. “Perhaps there is something you could give me,” you said coyly with a flutter of your lashes. Ignis raised his eyebrow at that, tilting his head slightly as he waited for you to continue. “Tonight at the restaurant, I…saw something.” Pausing for a moment, Ignis’s brows knit together in confusion, but after a moment of silence as if pondering the course of the night over in his head, immediately you watched a flush creep up through his neck and cheeks, realizing what you were probably referring to. “I think you know what I mean,” you said, continuing nonetheless as your hands pulled at his suspenders. “Those women. Watching them hover around you like that. It paralyzed me in my seat. Maybe I could say that I was feeling a little bit jealous tonight too, but as I watched you, it made me realize just all the more how much I love you and how you are the most beautiful man in existence. And I haven’t stopped thinking about what I saw all night.”

Ignis seemed to be holding his breath as you clutched more tightly at his suspenders. “Y/N…” he said breathlessly with hushed words. “I-I’m sorry that you had to see that. I tried to talk them away from me. I-“

But you hushed him with your finger to his lips, shaking your head and smiling. “You don’t need to apologize for anything because you did nothing wrong. As I sat there and watched them attempt to flirt with you, it just made me appreciate you even more. I saw how you backed away. It warmed my heart. And it made me feel all the more special that of all the fools that exist in this crazy world, it’s me that you love…” You swallowed hard as Ignis’s eyes lingered on yours, and gods could you just see how much he adored you by the way he looked at you in this moment. “I…I love you Ignis. And you make me feeling things I never could have imagined. And so I suppose what I’m trying to say is…”

“Y-Yes, Y/N?” Ignis said, his hands grasping tightly upon your hips.

“I want you,” you said shortly. “I want you more than anything in the world right now. And I want to see more of you than you’ve ever shown me before. Show me what I have yet to see what you are capable of.”

Ignis inhaled sharply as his eyes immediately darkened, seeming to play your words over in his head. “Are you certain, love?” he said, his words cracking slightly as he began to tremble, his own lust seeming to overtake him now at the world of permission that you just handed him.

“Yes…” you whispered.

Instantly Ignis’s lips came crashing down upon yours as he kissed you with the most passion you could imagine, the force of his lips on yours almost sending you backwards on your feet. Your hands immediately wrapped around his neck to support yourself and you pulled his face closer to yours as humanly as possible. Ignis nipped hungrily at your lower lip, causing you to whimper with delight, and the lewd sound only seemed to drive the man on further as his lips parted from yours. You were about to protest from the break in contact when he suddenly scooped you up in his arms, once again carrying you bridal-style within his powerful limbs. You felt as though you had never seen the man move so fast in his entire life when before you knew it, you were whisked upstairs and were now within the confines of your bedroom, Ignis immediately laying you down upon the bed as gently as possible as much as his body would allow him to control himself. His contact with you only broke for a moment to turn on the lamp beside your bed, and once the light emanated the darkness of your bed chamber, you felt yourself attempting to catch your breath at the way that his heated and admiring gaze stared down upon your trembling form.

But before you could open your mouth to speak, Ignis slinked over you, his body blazing hot against your flushed skin as he began to assault your face, neck, and chest with zealous kisses, and you gasped loudly as his teeth began to graze over the sensitive flesh and his one hand hiked up your dress above your thighs.

“I-Ignis,” you whimpered, snaking your hand through his hair and pulling his head down towards yours. Instinctually you wrapped your legs around his waist, finding yourself already at a loss for breath as Ignis wrapped his arm underneath you to press you more tightly against him.

“Yes, my dear?” He said, breathing heavily upon your skin as he brought his mouth down to your throat to nip at the sensitive skin, causing you to gasp loudly with lust-ridden agony. You felt your eyes widen as he began to grind his hips against your loins, and the feel of his already prominent and hardened bulged pressed painfully against your panty-covered heat.

“I…I need you…please…”

Ignis chuckled as he looked down at you, firmly cupping the side of your face in his hand. “Patience is a virtue, my darling. But then again, who am I to leave a lady waiting in such dire need when she asks so nicely?” Ignis slid off your body and pulled you up to your feet, your hands immediately going to his chest to stabilize yourself. With unsteady hands, your digits immediately went to the clasps of his suspenders upon his waist, desperately attempting to remove them as you wanted more than anything to see those sharp abdominals and the beautiful scars that littered his body of the skin that lay beneath his shirt. Ignis snickered as he put his hands over yours, using deft fingers to assist you, and reaching around his back to remove the back buckle, a loud clink was heard as you watched the suspenders fall to the carpeted ground.

Panting with excitement now, your eyes instantly glued themselves to his broad chest, your eyes particularly focusing in on the buttons of his shirt. But as your clumsy fingers grasped at the top button of the fabric, Ignis stopped you with his own hands, causing you to raise your eyebrows in misunderstanding.

“Do you trust me?” Ignis asked with a coquettish and devilishly handsome smile, and you could swoon and ponder at the implications of such a question.

“Oh Astrals yes, Iggy. More than anyone and anything on this earth,” you said with bated breath as he held your hands warmly.

Ignis’s smile broadened and his eyelids became heavy, his gaze upon you hazy once more. “Then might I kindly make a request of you and….ask you to undress for _me_.”

You bit your lip and held back a moan at the way his request rolled off his tongue, and so stepping back from him to give yourself space to move, you looked upon him with bashful eyes, wondering why in the name of the Astrals you were suddenly feeling so shy around him. As Ignis now sat upon the edge of the bed and leaned back upon his palms to watch you, you felt your heart slamming in your chest as your audience now seemed to wait patiently in anticipation at the reveal of your body. Shakily, your arms reached around to pull down the zipper of your dress. Tooth by tooth, you heard the zipper slowly creak open, and slowly shimmying your hips, you allowed your black garment to fall to the floor and pool around your feet.

Ignis inhaled sharply at the sight of your slightly bare body now, shifting himself forward as his eyes fell upon the dark purple bra and silky pair of panties you wore (because of course, purple was his favorite color). Biting your lip again, you took a step closer to the bed, trying to control your breathing and apprehension over the way he stared at you with amusement, and just for a moment, your eyes darted to the prominent bulge that was begging to escape from the confines of his pants. Licking your lips, with trembling hands you reached back around to uncouthly unhook your bra with nervous fingers, and feeling the pressure of the strap release from your back, the straps to your bra fell off your shoulders, exposing your bare breasts for the tactician to see.

A delighted hum vibrated in his throat and his lips curved into a captivated smile, and he shifted even further towards the edge of the bed. Inhaling deeply again, you now brought your hands to loop around the hem of your panties, and in a painfully slow and seductive motion, you pulled them down over your soft thighs and calves, bending at the hips to suggest your submissiveness, kicking the tiny garment away from around your ankles once they pooled to the floor. And so now, it was in the privacy of the night that you were fully naked in front of the king’s advisor, willing to submit yourself to whatever mercy you would beg of from him.

And even more so now, the scent of your arousal began to freely permeate the room, and Ignis’s nostrils flared at the aroma and his eyes blazed with lust at the tale-tell sign that you were ready for him in so many ways.

Ignis’s chest rose and fell heavily as he finally stood up slowly and sauntered towards you as if stalking you like you were prey. Running his fingers gently through the tresses of your wavy hair, he took his other free hand and cupped your chin with it, bringing your lips up to his mouth to kiss him softly. The chasteness of his kiss combined with the sensuality of the moment transpiring before you sent fiery hot bots of pleasure to your loins, and you could only wonder how the man refrained from touching your breasts and other parts of your now exposed form. You pressed your thighs together to help yourself constrain your desires for but a moment longer.

But it was Ignis’s next words and what he was about to do next that made you whimper aloud.

“Turn around, my love,” he commanded softly, and obeying his every word, you turned yourself away from him, only to have his hand gently reach around the base of your throat to tilt your head to the side, kissing the sensitive flesh of your neck and nipping it possessively. “Promise me that you shall tell me at any moment if this becomes too much,” he inquired, and turning your head to look back at him, you felt your heart melting at the concern that twinkled in his eyes. But even more so, your curiosity was piqued more than ever at whatever was about to transpire. Nuzzling your head against his for a moment, you nodded to him with a gentle smile, and once more his eyes seemed to blaze with exhilaration and yearning.

Ignis now took both of your hands and placed them behind you upon the lower curve of your back, and you could only help but wonder what he was up to. A long finger traced down the line of your spine, and you arched your back in response as the touch sent shivers coursing through every single one of your nerves. But removing his hand from you now, your heart began to slam in your chest with anticipation, and waiting patiently but for a second, you heard the clink of clasps, but not from his belt buckle.

_….the suspenders?_

_Oh. Oh gods…._

And instantly your eyes broadened as you felt Ignis begin to wrap the elastics gently but skillfully around your wrists.

_Shit. Holy shit._

And gods did you become more excited than ever.

Ignis’s hands touched your hands as he attempted to pull them apart slightly, testing the strength of the restraints. “This doesn’t hurt you, does it love?” he asked you softly as he kissed the side of your neck, drawing forth a gentle moan from you.

Swallowing hard and attempting to pull apart your wrists, even though you certainly could not move your hands whatsoever, you did not feel any pain or discomfort. “N-No, I’m ok, Iggy,” you said, your voice trembling slightly with a mix of fear and eagerness.

“Good,” he said, his mouth now kissing your bare shoulder, and you arched your back again, begging with want to see what he would do next. His hands now leaving your body completely, he began to circle around you as he stood before you, looking you up and down with satisfaction as another hum left his lips.

“Kneel.”

_Astrals…_

You inhaled sharply and bit your lip as you quickly obliged, lowering yourself comfortably to both knees as the tactician stared down at you, your legs spread slightly and your chest rising and falling as intense and painful desire surged through you. Ignis tilted his head as he looked at you and you could only help but wonder how the man was able to show such restraint in the heat of the moment. But knowing that his whole life trained him to be nothing but patient and self-possessed for any given situation, this truly did not come to a surprise to you. Taking a step slowly closer to you now, with what would have been just an arm’s reach away from you, he slowly and teasingly began to unbutton his shirt before you, finishing the job that you so frantically tried to start before. A whine escaped your lips as he watched the plain of his chest be exposed inch by inch, the etching of his scars shining on his skin in the lamp light. A playful smirk now adorned his handsome features as he completely removed the garment from his torso, tossing it unceremoniously to the floor in a manner that was no unlike the usually systematized chamberlain.

“You seem a tad flustered, my love,” he said ever so sweetly, running his hand back through his hair (and by gods, did that gesture make you want to beg for release alone). He paused but for a moment as your eyes darted to each inch of toned and lithe muscle, and soon enough he resumed his striptease before you. You could only watch helplessly with your teeth sinking into your lower lip as you watched his hands yank apart his belt and then unzip his tight pants with dexterous fingers.

“Iggy…” you whined, wishing more than anything to touch him right now, yet there was something so enjoyable and sensual about watching the way his hips shifted as he slowly pulled down his pants and removed his socks. You felt yourself gasping at the glorious sight of him standing there so statuesque and regal, and your mouth watered as your eyes immediately locked on to his groin to the obvious tenting within the confines of his black silky briefs.

Ignis smirked a rather proud smile at you as he took one more step towards you, seeming to enjoy the fact that you were becoming unraveled without him even having to touch you. His hand reached down to cup your chin within his hand, and he trailed his finger over your lower lip, pulling the lip down slightly to expose your lower teeth.

“What is it, love?” he said, teasing you playfully but still managing to sound so affectionate and loving.

“Iggy, please…” you whined, shivering at his touch as the slick moisture pooling in between your legs was more obvious than ever. “Let me see you. Please…”

“Certainly,” he said huskily, and bringing his hands to loop around his briefs, he pulled them down past his thighs to have his swollen girth spring free from its confine.

 _Gods, why is he so beautiful_ , you thought to yourself as you gazed up at him with lust-ridden eyes, his musky scent filling your nostrils as you now trembled upon your knees. Ignis now stood mere inches away from your face, his shaft twitching slightly as your breath escaped your lips and tickled the sensitive flesh. What you would have given at this moment to reach forward and touch the velvety softness of his length, but the strength of your restraints prevented you from doing so in the most tauntingly of ways.

“Y/N…” Ignis said, his own words even getting caught in his own throat, and inhaling sharply, he began to slowly move his hand up and down his shaft, drawing a pleasured sigh forth from his lips. He groaned loudly now, for even though Ignis was not one to be shy about the idea of pleasuring himself, it was still a rarity to actually get to witness him performing such an act for you. As he pumped his hand up and down his length, he titled his head back slightly with parted lips, his hips pushing forward slightly and teasing you even more. But after a few moments of watching the enchanting spectacle, he stopped his motions as a smile now crossed his lips. Within given you the moment to mentally prepare yourself, he closed the gap between the two of you by taking that one last fateful step forward, causing the tip of his manhood to press gently against your soft lips.

Moaning loudly now with no hesitation, you opened your mouth to allow him entrance, the salty taste of his length bringing delight to your taste buds. Gently grasping the sides of your head with his large hands, Ignis braced himself as he pushed his shaft all the way to the back of your throat, a contented sigh of relief escaping his lips as you took in his length. Gagging slightly in the most wonderful of ways, your loins tightened at the sound of the deep moan leaving his throat, and looking up at him you saw his eyes flutter shut in absolute pleasure.

“Y/N,” he hoarsely murmured. He began to pump his hips forth as he lost himself to his desire that had been pent up all evening long. His hands upon your head helped you move your mouth back and forth over his length, and as he began to pump faster, your elated cries became more and more muffled as tears of delight began to stream down your cheeks, the taste of his manhood in the confines of your throat making you moan.

Ignis looked down you as he bucked his hips forward, and he suddenly inhaled sharply at the way you gazed up at him. “Oh darling,” he said through strained words, and reluctantly pulling his shaft out of your mouth, you almost began to protest when Ignis moved quickly behind you and helped you to your feet. Turning you around to face the bed, your chest rising and falling heavily as you waited with bated breath for his next move, you watched as Ignis situated two pillows on top of one another. Taking you by the shoulders now, Ignis guided you over to the bed (perhaps a little bit too excitedly) and helped push you down upon the mattress. Your breasts and face were now pressed into the pillows he placed, your knees supporting you upright as your behind was positioned high in the air with your legs spread wide apart. With your arms securely tied behind your back, it was at this moment you realized the true vulnerability of your position.

_Oh heavens yes…_

Your breathing now heavily labored, you felt the mattress sink behind you as you turned your head as best as you could against the pressure of the pillows to see Ignis now situated behind you. His nostrils were flaring and his mouth was parted as he placed his hands on your behind, squeezing the tender mounds within his palms and causing you to whimper out loud.

“You are a sight to behold,” he murmured heatedly as his hands began to trace down the back of your thighs, and the delicate touch of his fingertips against your sensitive skin made you squirm with anticipation and giddiness as you bore your entire backside to him in the most revealing of ways. “And I shall give you all you ask for….”

Your loins twitching at the lasciviousness of his words, in one swift motion he brought his mouth down to bite at the backsides of your left thigh, causing you to cry out loudly and push your behind more closely to him. Your exclamations only seeming to drive him on further, he now bit the other thigh, causing you to yelp more sharply as his teeth sunk and grazed across the skin and his mouth moved achingly slowly towards your drenched entrance.

“Ignis…Ignis…” you panted, wiggling your behind with want. “Please…please…”

“What is it, my dear?” he asked almost smoothly as he placed kisses on the mounds of your buttocks. “What is it you want?” He took his hands and grabbed once more at your behind, making you whine again.

“Need…you…inside!” You moaned loudly as without warning his tongue found its way to the entrance of your heat, cutting your words off. Almost burying your face into the pillow beneath you now, you began to writhe as his tongue expertly moved over your bud, flicking the sensitive bundle of nerves and teasing you in the most painfully delightful of ways. Grazing his teeth over the nerve, he breathed in deeply behind you as he began to suck at the bud. You muffled your cries as you trembled upon your already weakened knees, the pleasure he was given you already seeming too much for you to handle. But Ignis removed his mouth from your entrance for but a movement to reach up to help lift your face away from the pillow.

“Please don’t hide those salacious sounds from me, my darling,” he murmured tenderly, despite the heat of the moment. “You know how much I enjoy hearing the proof that I am pleasing you…”

And so you turned your head again as best as you could, utterly gasping and begging for air as he now straddled you with one foot upon the bed, his other knee resting upon the mattress. Cupping your behind with one hand, you felt him take the other and insert a digit slowly and deeply into your heat, causing you to whimper out loud once again and bite your lower lip. Your walls clenched around his finger as he pushed it deep within you, him driving his finger in and out of you deliberately, almost as massaging your insides, and it was all you could do to not squirm like a Midgardsormr upon the bed. Finding his digit to slide in with a tightened ease thanks to the slickness of your arousal, he inserted a second finger now, causing you to yelp loudly. As he swirled and curled his fingers within you, he moved his face down one more to now bite at the base of your spine above your buttocks, a little more harshly this time, and you shrieked as his teeth sunk down more robustly than usual.

But _gods_ did you love it and gods did you want more.

“A-Are you alright, Y/N?” Ignis asked, his words tight within his throat as you sensed his intense arousal getting the best of him, and you felt his throbbing manhood now brushing impatiently against your thigh. Stopping his motions for just a moment, you angled your head even more to see that his eyes were laced with concern for your comfort.

“Y-Yeah,” you replied breathlessly, feeling utterly weak in the knees, your loins tightening more tightly as he caressed your lower back with his free hand. “Ignis, I want you. I need you. I need all of you…”

His chest heaved and his eyes darkened more as he now achingly slowly pulled his fingers out of you. You cried with a sense of relief for a moment’s reprieve at intense satisfaction that was coursing through you, and yet in an instant you immediately wished to be filled once more. Your heart skipped in your chest as you felt Ignis situate himself more directly behind you with his one leg braced up upon your hip, the other now grasping the base of his shaft with its head pressed firmly to your soaked entrance. “I will not hold back unless you tell me to stop, my love,” he lulled with heat in each syllable. “I do hope that you are ready…”

And with a moment’s pause, you inhaled deeply to prepare yourself as Ignis forcefully slammed into you in one swift motion. You shrieked loudly as his massive girth slid deeply into you up to the hilt, the heat of his length throbbing within your heated walls with anticipation. He remained there for but a moment, and now taking his other hand to hold onto the restraint around your wrists, Ignis pulled his member about of you almost, only to once again surprise you by thrusting himself back harshly into your depths. Your knees shifted foreword upon the bed and once again you attempted your best to keep your head lifted for him to hear you. After another moment’s pause, Ignis slowly slid out of you, only to once again forcefully pound into you, he grunting loudly as the force of his thrust sent your body reeling forward and your desperate cries to permeate the room.

And in this painfully slow and teasing pace, Ignis rammed into you over and over again, and you wanted more than anything to beg for salvation of release.

_More…I need more…_

“Ignis, faster,” you pleaded, your breathing ragged as Ignis shifted his hips behind you, and you could feel every inch of his heated length caress and pulse within your depths. “Please, I need you….”

And instantaneously at your request, he gave you what you wanted and more. Ignis hurriedly began to pick up his pace without for a second diminishing the power of the incursion of his hips. Slowly you felt yourself being pulled upright, your upper body now hovering in the air as Ignis’s tight grasp upon your shackles remained. With each surge of his manhood into your depths escaped a desperate groan from his lips and your body jolted upright with a bounce of your breasts. “Y/N…Y/N….” he moaned loudly now, almost as if it was _he_ who was at your mercy. The lewd sounds that left his lips caused your groin to coil even more, tightening around his shaft and sending him into a sudden panicked frenzy. Only the Astrals knew how such a mere mortal was able to move with such inhuman grace and such a heated pace, but as the seconds and minutes ticked by you were screaming his name in pure ecstasy, his ministrations quickening at an ungodly pace. His pouches of seed smacked loudly against your drenched entrance, and now finding yourself miraculously pulled entirely upright and still upon your knees, Ignis let go of his grasp upon your wrists and maneuvered one arm around your waist to splay his broad hand upon your stomach, the other wrapping around the base of your throat to hold you in place firmly against him as he pounded into you from behind. The feel of his back pressed again yours and the heat of his breath upon the back of your neck sent you reeling, and realizing you were soon to lose control, you tilted your head back to rest upon his chest that was glazed in the sweat of your love making.

“Ignis…I’m…I’m…I’m gonna…”

“Let me hear you, my love,” he uttered passionately into your ear, placing kisses upon your earlobe and trailing his tongue across the sensitive flesh. Then moving his mouth down the side of your neck and to the juncture of where neck met shoulder, never losing a beat in his frantic rhythm, he sunk his teeth down hard into the flesh, harder than he had ever before and slightly broke the skin.

And Astrals did it hurt, but by _gods_ did it feel so right…

And that was all it took to send you over the edge as your climax overcame you, wave upon wave of hot pleasure drowning you in absolute ecstasy as your heat clenched and pulsated around his shaft. Ignis growled as your walls grabbed and tugged at his manhood, and slowing his pace ever so slightly to allow you to ground yourself, he thrust into you hard one last time as your orgasm subsided and all your senses came back to the earth.

Ignis stood kneeling behind you with his shaft still deep within your depths as he held you close to him, his breathing ragged as he held you protectively close to him. Shifting his body against you, his manhood now seeming to be more rigid within you as you felt it twitch within the confines of your womanhood, Ignis began to kiss tenderly the flesh in which he marked you, lapping at broken skin, the sweetness of his kisses a delightfully arousing contrast from the fierceness of his passions.

“D-Darling, are you alright?” he murmured into your ear, and trembling around you now, there was almost a sense of fear in his voice that he may have gone too far.

You tilted your head around to nuzzle against him, wishing more than anything at the moment that you could touch him. But wanting to remain complacement with your own wishes and demands upon him, you’d have to wait.

“Never better,” you said softly, and you had never uttered truer words.

Your reply causing him to shiver, his shaft twitching within the borders of your heat, his body was quavering against yours as if he was trying to refrain from plunging into you violently once more. But knowing how much he must be begging within his mind for his own release, you too realized that your own appetite had been yet to be fully assuaged.

“More,” you whispered. “Iggy please. More. I want to feel your release…Please give it to me.”

Gasping now at your gentle and desperate request, Ignis seemed to snap as you felt yourself flipped onto your back, sighing with relief and the relinquishment of being removed from the stance on your knees. You shifted uncomfortably upon your back, your arms still wrapped firmly behind you and now underneath you, and Ignis as always being perceptive on the feelings of others, quickly lifted you upright and shifted himself so that you were seated upon his lap. Immediately you whimpered at the feel of his girth rubbing and sliding up against your bud and entrance, and Ignis grasping your waist firmly with strong hands, he began to kiss you passionately with lips that danced with grace all over yours. Your lips met his with equal fervor, your breath hot and heated upon his as you nipped the scar of his lower lip. Ignis growled again, his hands now almost excruciatingly tight upon your waist, and nuzzling his nose along the line of your chin and jawline, he lifted your head with his nose to places kisses and bites at the base of your throat.

You cried out sharply and jerked your hips forward, feeling your walls begin to slicken and drip once again as he teasingly ground his shaft against your entrance. “Ignis, please. Now. I need you now…” you whimpered.

“My pleasure…” he cooed, and lifting you up slightly and positioning himself at your entrance, he pushed you down upon his shaft and began his hungry assault upon your body once more.

And did the world set itself ablaze, and you would have sworn his eyes were on fire too.

Ignis skillfully thrusting upward from a seated position, he maneuvered one hand from your hip and up to your breast, finally allowing himself he indulgence he restrained himself from of your soft mounds. Cupping your right breast in his hand, he began to kneed to flesh as he brought his mouth down upon your nipple and began to trace kisses and laps of the tongue around the sensitive nerve. You threw back your head as you cried out with pleasure, finding relief at the wonderful contact as you ground your hips down upon him, and your reactive sounds only made him thrust upward more harshly with more zealous force. You bounced upon his lap as he now looked to you with a heated yet loving gaze, his lips parted as he made love to you, and the flush of his cheeks and the mumbling moans that escaped those beautiful lips sent your walls clenching and tightening around his length in response. He somehow managed to keep you perfectly balanced and upright, and you were more than grateful for the support as you felt yourself becoming more exhausted with each passing moment.

“Y/N….Y/N….” he muttered as he now shut his eyes, relishing every single sensation of his shaft deep within your body, and you lost yourself in the beautiful sight of watching this man become more and more unraveled by the second. You were crying out loudly as he reached depths within you that sent you screaming out his name, and him continuing to grunt with each plunge within you, you realized at this moment with your hands restrained behind you that you wanted one thing more than anything else, something that you couldn’t stand bearing any longer.

“Ignis…please…please…I need to touch you.”

Him inhaling sharply at your wish, his eyes snapped open as he quickly reached around behind you to skillfully unwrap the bindings of his suspenders, only taking a moment to pause his thrusts. But once your restraints were finally released, you sighed a sigh of relief and joy the moment you were able to wrap your arms tightly around his neck.

“Oh, Y/N…Oh how much I love you,” Ignis whispered as your hands clutched at his shoulders, and thrusting into you more harshly now, he maneuvered himself with the strength of a god onto his knees and managed to plop you onto your back, his body immediately shifting over yours as he continued to pummel within you. Arching your back at his vigorous thrusts, you cried out his name once more as your threw your head back onto the mattress, desperately wrapping your legs around his waist as the sound of slapping flesh once more filled the air.

“Ignis…Ignis…I love you too,” you mumbled with incoherent words, and his eyes almost widening at your sweet utters, he rested his forehead upon yours and breathed heavily onto your face as he pulverized into you with the power of the Astrals themselves. You were almost folded over in half as your nails dug into his broad shoulders, tears of absolute joy and fruition streaming down your face as you claimed you over and over and over again.

But as the sinfully ruthless moments passed, Ignis’s breathing became more sporadic and his grunts became louder and more frantic. Wth his shaft almost seeming to thicken twofold within you, you noticed the tell-tale signs of his impending release, and this only seemed to send you closer to your second. Ignis brought his mouth down to the top of your forehead as he inhaled deeply your scent, and snaking his arm underneath your body to pull you closer to him, his hips began to jerk off rhythm, sending waves of anticipation coursing through you.

“Y/N, I…I….” he attempted to say, but bending his neck down to place his mouth at the base of your throat, he bit down once more as his movements sputtered, and the sting from his bite sent you over the edge once again. Simultaneously you both reached your peaks, shivers and tremors of desire crashing over you as Ignis continuously mumbled your name over and over, spurts of his hot seed shooting deep within you and filling you with warmth. With a few more thrusts with what energy he had left and the last few pulses of his member within the tightness of your walls, Ignis collapsed upon you with exhaustion and contentment, his face resting upon your shoulder and his hand reaching up to cup your face.

A few moments passed in serene and satisfied silence as both of your breathing and heartbeats began to level out. Ignis shifting over your broken body, he brought his face up from your shoulder to look you in the eyes, and you were almost startled at the amount of apprehension that was seen within the depths of those beautiful emerald lenses.

“I….I didn’t hurt you, my dearest, did I?”

Your heart clenched at his endearing and tender words. A smile spread across your face as you shakily reached up to brush the hair away from his forehead, his locks becoming messy and astray in your pursuits of one another. “I have never felt better in my entire life,” you said sweetly, bringing his face down to yours to kiss the scars around his eyes and his nose. “Allow me to die a happy woman at this very moment.” You started to play with his lock of hair, pushing away the sweaty bangs from his forehead. “What…what about you though, Iggy? Are you ok too?”

“Marvelous, my love. Indeed marvelous,” Ignis said, and he squeezed you closer to him, you whimpering slightly at the feel of his shaft that was slowly starting to soften inside of you.

Blushing more deeply now, a small grin spread across your lips, and you once more began to feel bashful as he blanketed himself over you. “Although I do have to say one thing: I’m going to be very sore for a while after that…not that I’m going to mind. Let’s hope I’ll be able to walk around work to get those jobs done this week.”

It was Ignis who blushed deeply now, and you still could laugh over the fact that no matter how many times you praised him for his prowess and finesse in the bedroom, he always tried to be humble and unpretentious about it. But he too smiled playfully now, seeming pleased with his performance, and the lopsided curve of his grin made you feel extra giddy. “Perhaps despite my wishes of never wanting to cause you harm, that…may have been my intention. And lest be I a fool to say that I did not enjoy the symphony of sounds that I have heard from you.” He winked at you as he chuckled, but his expression quickly went serious as he cupped your face once more, touching you with an embrace of all the love in the world. “But in most seriousness, my darling, I….I wish that this moment would not have to end. May it endure for eternity, lest before the dawn arrives once more…”

It was you now who brought your hand up to his face, tracing along the scars that marked all that he was willing to sacrifice for hope. “Then lay with me here, Iggy. Let us not have it end right now. Be with me now, my love, and let us worry about what our next new day will bring us tomorrow…Because I want to keep showing you the world right now and what you can show me…”

And as if that was all the encouragement he needed, you began your pursuits of one another once more in the passion and love of each other’s company, pushing aside all those fears and worries of what tomorrow might bring.

For it would be tomorrow that would lead way to the joy of adventures and the perils of beasts in what your journey would lead you to next.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don’t hate on Gladio with how I portray him in the flashback. He was equally a hardass to Noct when the two used to train together, and quite frankly, if he had never pushed the Reader like this, I don’t think she would have become the tough character that she is now.
> 
> Fun Facts with the Bussemands: According to the game’s bestiary these daemons actually do “have a penchant for pilfering the precious possessions of others.” Also according to the bestiary, they often appear in large numbers, and there apparently was a case where about a dozen or so Bussemand attacked the Saxham Outpost and killed many adults and kidnapped children. Even with my own experience with these creatures in the game, they have always shown such aggression and ferocity, and so I thought they’d be the perfect creature to bombard our group of comrades!
> 
> The stores and restaurants mentioned here in this chapter are not only actual places of business that you can see in Insomnia in Chapter 14, but they are also all references from past Final Fantasy games. How cool is that? I managed to find a list of all of these places on Reddit and so I thankfully did not have to painstakingly play through Insomnia to find these names. >.< If you are curious to see all the Final Fantasy games referenced, here is the extensive list that was posted! https://www.reddit.com/r/FFXV/comments/6pyipb/signage_in_insomnia/


	17. Bird Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goodness these chapters keep getting longer and longer
> 
> I actually had a challenge picking out the song for this chapter, but I felt that Flo's "Bird Song" was appropriate. If you listen to it with its intro, you'll notice that the song goes back and forth from being peaceful and quite to energetic and loud. I felt this represented well the emotions our Reader experiences during the course of this chapter.
> 
> So yes, warning ahead! Domestic fluff and smut and experimentation and political business and nostalgia of the past. A little bit of everything until more adventure awaits. 
> 
> Please enjoy, and as always, thank you all for your support and for pushing me to keep this story going. :)
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_But in my dreams began to creep_

_That old familiar tweet tweet tweet_

 

_I opened my mouth to scream and shout,_

_I waved my arms and flapped about._

_But I couldn't scream and I couldn't shout,_

_Couldn't scream and I couldn't shout._

_\- Florence and the Machine – “Bird Song”_

 Blood. Blood everywhere.

_Astrals…Astrals no. Bahamut…Shiva…Ramuh…why…why is this happening?_

Your body lay plastered upon the mucky, rain-soaked ground as crimson blood began to seep through the soil. Cries of anguish and terror pierced the air but were instantly muted as you slowly attempted to push yourself upon your feet. You screamed in absolute agony as you shifted yourself weakly upon all fours, and deliberately you brought one bloodied hand up to your ribcage, pressing fingers into the flesh and bone.

_Cracked. One has to be cracked. Gods, please no…I have to help everyone…don’t let this happen again…_

You were panting profusely with your mouth wide open, and much to your countless surprise blood was sleeping from the orifice. With your other trembling hand you began to touch your mouth and lips, and you felt much to your dismay that one or more teeth had to have been smashed and were causing your gums to bleed. With tears streaming down your eyes you attempted to wipe away the dirt and remnants of your precarious struggle as cold rain pounded down upon you from the heavens, and you once again felt a cry of terror escape your lips as you truly began to comprehend the devastation before you.

Blood, and blood with bodies. The corpses of Glaives and hunters alike scattered and smashed into the muddy earth. The very people you had come to know and love in all your years of struggle through blood, sweat, and tears. Gone. All gone and leaving you here all by yourself in the midst of the oncoming night.

“No…” you whimpered through torn up lips, now somehow miraculously finding the strength to stand upon two broken and shaky legs, and it almost felt like the bones of your thighs and shins were cracking as the exertion from standing upon two feet almost crushed you even further. “I can’t let them all die in vain. I can’t let this happen…” And so clutching onto your shoulder that you were certain was broken at the joint, you marched forth, looking for any kind of sign of life.

_Why didn’t I see what did this? What made this happen. How…just how…_

But as the shower continued to pelt upon your head with more fervor now, it was through the foggy dusk that your eyes managed to adjust and you spotted only a mere twenty feet away a ghastly sight that left your mouth hanging open with absolute dread and despair.

“No….NO!” You screamed. And yet, no sound came out as you looked upon the fragmented bodies of the earth, as if all the worst fears you had ever known had come to fruition in an instant.

Prompto. Gladio. Iris. Noctis. Holly. Cindy. Ravus. Now rushing forward with what remaining strength you had and falling to his side and painfully wrapping your arms around his body was Ignis, his emerald eyes somehow shut peacefully as he and those you loved more than life itself lay lifeless in the shadows of the darkening sky.

_No….No…It can’t be….no…_

Your lip quivered and your fingertips trembled as you slowly began to touch Ignis’s face, his skin icy to the touch and his lips cold like marble, blood crusted in the corner of his lips and his hair matted upon his forehead. Lifeless.

_Please…no…this can’t be. This can’t…._

“Ignis, no! Y-You can’t leave me! You can’t leave me!” You sobbed uncontrollably as you clutched at his corpse, burying your face into his chest as you feebly held onto him. “You all can’t leave me all alone! Y-You promised me! You promised that you’d stand by me always! You can’t be gone! You just can’t! I just-.”

But a gurgling growl filled the misty air and your head snapped up from the chest of your lover as you frantically looked around for the sound that materialized out of nowhere.

The sound of which belonged to the murderer of all those you loved.

 _Crash_.

Weeping hysterically now as your grip began to falter and slip around Ignis’s shoulder’s, the deafening boom of what you presumed to be footsteps of the assassin got progressively closer and closer.

 _It’s all over_ , you thought as you touched Ignis’s face again, your hand trailing over the handsome features of his eyebrows, nose, and lips. Ignis, _I’m sorry I failed you. I’m sorry it had to end like this. Maybe…just maybe, and I pray for the Astral’s grace that I will see you on the other side…_

And leaning your head down to place a one last tender kiss upon his lips, you gently sat Ignis’s shoulders back down onto the ground as you lifted your head to see the looming beast before you, teeth and tentacles and claws and glowing eyes peering down at you. Closing your eyes and inhaling deeply, you sensed the beast lunging forward, and in one swift motion, not giving you time to react, he reared its mouth open and-.

A loud and harsh gasp escaped your lips as your eyes shot open and began to slowly focus in on the darkened and quiet surroundings around you. Fighting back the wave of tears that was ready to deluge down upon your face, you attempted your best to control your ragged breathing as you sluggishly began to come to your senses of where you were. While it was still dark, you could make out the slightest and smallest tint of daybreak behind the curtains of the window, the gentle sound of trees rustling outside.

 _I’m…I’m in my apartment_ …you slowly thought, taking one last deep breath before finally officially calming yourself down. But as you brought your hand up to wipe the sweat that had accumulated on your brows and the small tears that had begun to formulate at the corner of your eyes, you were startled at the rock hard and lithe form that was pressed up against you and had its arms wrapped around you tightly in the most protective of ways. Your eyes now astoundingly adjusting to the dark, your nose was instantly occupied with the soothing scent of masculinity and Ebony, and with a flutter of your heart you finally came to rest at affluence.

“Ignis…” you whispered in the dark as the heat from his body set you at ease, and never before in your entire life had you been more grateful to feel him next to you. _What…what was that dream? Why would I have dreamt of something so awful_? You thought to yourself as you looked at the way Ignis’s mouth was parted slightly as he breathed in gently while he slept, and you felt your heart almost break at the thought of seeing him in such a ghastly way as presented in your nightmare. You brought your hand up to brush away the hair that was tousled about his forehead, and you maneuvered yourself just enough so that you could place a gentle kiss upon his lips.

Ignis shifted slightly at your touch, and the fear that had previously engulfed your heart was now replaced by joy at the way his lips twitched slightly. The man who had always declared to be such a light sleeper and had proved to you as such as he would awake in the middle of the night to place kisses upon your body and make love to you was now proving to be quite the opposite, barely making motion of your gestures and sleeping more soundly than you had ever seen him before.

 _He’s probably exhausted from last night_ , you thought to yourself as heat crept over your skin, envisioning the way he made love to you and brought you to crying out with pure ecstasy. But as you felt your loins begin to tighten at just the thought of the way he had restricted your hands and unleashed his strength upon you, you were pulled away from your deliciously devious thoughts as Ignis squeezed his arms around you more tightly and moved himself to nuzzle his face into the crook of your neck.

“Y/N…” he mumbled dreamily as he let out sigh in his sleep, and once more you smiled, breathing in deeply his scent once more as he held you close.

_But that dream…_

_It….it just has to be anxiety_ …you thought reassuringly to yourself as you relished in the warmth of your love next to you. _I can’t deny that I’m nervous as hell about my new position. And apparently we have some important business today at the Citadel…Nerves. Yeah, nerves. That has to be it, right?_ But you sighed deeply, and feeling your heart clench with fear for just a second, you knew that from your past experiences with dreams that perhaps, just perhaps, this could be...

_No. It was just a dream, and that is that. And I’m not going to let this ruin my moment of peace for me._

Reaching over as best as you could to the night stand next to your bed, you pressed the button on the screen of your phone to check the time. 6:43 it read, and looking back at Ignis’s face once more you couldn’t help but stifle a giggle. While it wasn’t to say that Ignis never indulged a little and slept in on his days or mornings off, he still had a manner of never faltering with his royal routine of somehow waking relatively early, and so to see him so blissfully lost in the dream world with the purest and most gentle expression upon his face made your heart burst with bliss.

 _You deserve all the rest in the world,_ you thought as you brushed away another strand of hair on his face. _Especially after all you do for me…_

And thus, as you realized that there was no chance you would be falling back to sleep, an idea came to mind as you gazed upon the tactician’s face, but it was an idea that you couldn’t enact unless otherwise awakening him. But as if almost reading your mind and sensing your need to arise, Ignis snaked his arms out from under you and rotated to face the opposite direction in bed, mumbling something under his breath that sounded very much like royal protocol. Stifling a snicker once more but now finding your body free from his grasp, you quietly and slowly slinked out of bed and began to rummage around in the dark for your dresser. Silently opening the top drawer, you managed to grab a tank top and a pair of fresh panties, and maneuvering into them and careful not to disturb Ignis, you padded with light feet out of the bedroom, refreshed your face with cold water from the bathroom sink, and headed downstairs into the kitchen.

A slight shiver ran down your spine as you turned on the light and walked onto the tiled floor, quickly doing your best to become accustomed to your new surroundings. You realized that one of the windows had been left open from last night and you proceeded to shut it to prevent the chilly morning breeze from coming inside.

 _Strange_ , you thought as you took a moment to gaze outside into the street to see the glimmer of sunrise beginning to stretch across the horizon. The seasons had shifted into fall at this point, and yet despite a small layer of frost that blanketed the grass outside, you couldn’t help but take note at this very moment something that had been quite peculiar of your observation. _It’s fall now…and yet the days are still so warm, almost like it’s still summer. Has Lucis always remained this warm for so long, or has something changed?_

Another shudder ran down your spine as a small frown formed at the corner of your lips. _No, get your mind thinking positively today,_ you said to yourself, patting your cheeks to help bring yourself back to reality. _No more of that today!_

And so, relieving yourself of your negative thoughts once again, you forced a smile onto your face and began to look around the kitchen. Having had such a bustling and busy day prior, the kitchen was the last part of the apartment that you had a chance to familiarize yourself with, and so upon opening up the refrigerator to see what was in stock, you felt your eyes widen at what was within.

“Holy shit,” you mumbled softly to yourself as you shook your head, your stomach now rumbling.

Ignis must have thought that you had the intentions of starving yourself and thus stocked the fridge with so many ingredients and food stuffs that you could have cooked a meal for and fed the entirety of the Kingsglaive force. Your eyes skimming across the shelves and rummaging through drawers, you found yourself tickled as it happened so to be that everything in which you had the intention of preparing for the first meal of the day was within your grasp. While you by no means would ever compare yourself to the culinary expertise of your beautiful significant other, you had always enjoyed the rare opportunities in which you actually did in fact decide to cook for yourself. EXINERIS days always left you too exhausted to partake in the endeavor, and most days you found cooking extensive meals for yourself a lonely process. And so, quickly you began to assemble your ingredients in which you would prepare your favorite breakfast meal for yourself and the man who slept peacefully upstairs. Locating the pans, knives, and cutting boards that you needed, you were about to slice your knife through a Leiden potato when your eyes quickly fell to the small table under the other window which sat your radio that you had brought with you from Lestallum. Smiling, you trotted over to the device, turned the dial to one of your favorite stations, and adjusted the volume as the music slowly and soothingly began to imbue the room.

A soft sigh escaped your lips as you immediately began to lose yourself within the gentleness of the music. You once more picked up the potato and sat it upon the cutting board as the unhurried and soft chords of an acoustic guitar and the popping of a bongo drum began to dance over the plains of your eardrums. As you sliced the potatoes with immaculate undistracted precision, you found yourself tapping your toe upon the tile, having always enjoyed this particularly favorite melody of yours on those steamy nights back in Lestallum.

Finally letting go of the anxiety that had pervaded your dreams and thoughts and letting your shoulders relax to the rhythm, your vocal chords began to vibrate as you started to sing along to the instrumental melody, your body swaying lightly to the strokes of the guitar chords. Your potato was now fully sliced as you set the vegetable aside and placed its pieces into a bowl, coating the spud pieces in olive oil and other various fresh spices. As you continued your quiet singing, you began to place numerous pans upon the stove top, examining the dials and how they worked to ensure that you would not burn the food.

 _Simple enough_ , you thought as you smiled, truly admiring your new lovely modern kitchen. You now turned back to the center island of the kitchen where you opened up a package of freshly butchered Garula bacon and peeled apart the slices to place upon the griddle portion of your stove top to be seared. Washing your hands away from the grease of the raw meat, you turned around to open up a carton of Birdbeast eggs, removing several from the packaging and cracking them with nimble fingers into a small bowl. You tossed the shells into the trash and began to whisk the eggs to a frothy foam.

Breathing in deeply as you continued your tune, you pushed back once more the dark thoughts that popped into your mind. _No…the dream meant nothing. It was just a nightmare. It was just nerves. I’ll be ok…_ you thought. But pausing your singing for but a moment to swallow hard, part of you somehow just knew better…

_Something just feels off. And I am determined to find out just why I feel this way…_

And so once more as you forced another smile onto your lips as you beat the yolks and whites, it was at this moment when you became hyper aware of another presence within the room, causing you to look up from your task.

You lost your grasp upon the whisk as you saw Ignis standing within the alcove of the kitchen doorway, his hair beautifully disheveled and messy about his head and his emerald eyes laden with sleep. A deep blush began to creep up your neck and cheeks at the sight of him standing tall with his hips shifted slightly to the side, his torso completely naked and displaying his lithe and toned body, the scars of his past sacrifice shining over the plains of his defined chest and abdomen. Slung loosely upon his waist was a pair of dark grey sweat pants, and not having recalled seeing him carry spare garments with him into your bedroom the day prior, you blushed even more at the thought that he obviously had already prepared a set of clothing for himself whenever stayed the night with you. But trembling even more as he looked at you, it was the softness of his gaze and the hint of a smile that pulled at the corner of his lips that sent your heart a flutter like you were falling in love with him all over again.

“Y/N, darling, what are you doing up so early?” He asked tenderly as he took a few steps into the kitchen (you almost had to laugh at this, him being no stranger to being the early bird.). His voice broke slightly as he spoke, his vocal chords still not accustomed to speech for the day, and the sight of the unkempt and sleepy man made your heart swell even more. But his eyes falling to the kitchen island and gazing upon your array of produces, he inhaled deeply the scent of freshly chopped herbs and spices. “Ahhh,” he said, his syllables rumbling in his throat, but before he could take a step further, he tilted his head to the side in the direction of the radio.

Quickly you caught note of him listening and felt yourself blushing. “I-I’m sorry if I woke you, Ignis,” you said apologetically as you pushed a strand of hair behind your ear and took a step closer around the island in his direction. “I-I couldn’t sleep anymore and I thought that I’d surprise you with breakfast.”

Ignis looked at you for a moment, and slowly a smile spread across his lips. He approached you now with graceful steps, and before you could even react to his approach, he pulled you right into his arms and brought you directly against his chest. Once more your senses were filled with the scent of his musky order and the remnants of his cologne from the night before, and your eyes fluttered shut with delight in the warmth of his frame. But slowly, he removed one arm from around you and took your hand, his other hand now placing itself upon your waist. And as the instrumentation of the music shifted, the piano and percussion and cymbals now joining the sweet musical symphony, Ignis began to sway with you in his arms, his chest now vibrating against yours as his own melody began to fill the morning air.

 _He’s…he’s singing to me_ …you thought incredulously as you began to move together across the kitchen floor, and you felt your face flush and your lashes flutter as you were pressed tightly against him in his arms, your feet dancing with his to the sway of the tune. _And beautifully too…_

“Are…are you singing? I’m not imagining this, am I?” You said out loud to him as you looked up into his face.

Ignis chuckled as he continued to move with you, your stomach now filling with butterflies at this all too familiar scene.

“Why yes. Yes I am. Are you surprised?” he said with an almost cheeky grin, and it was now you that had to laugh.

“With you? I suppose I shouldn’t be since there doesn’t seem to be a single thing that you can’t do,” you said, holding onto him more tightly. “But then again, you’re always throwing surprises at me. Every day it seems I learn something more about you, you know that?”

Ignis chuckled again. “I like to keep things fresh and alive,” he said with a wink as he kissed your forehead. “But I shall suppose that I can say the same as you my love. I have always known of your infinity and love of classical and jazz genres, but I too think this is the first time that I am graced with the exquisiteness of your singing voice. It is most marvelous and pleasing to my ears.”

You blushed more deeply now, almost feeling too giddy to look him in his eyes. But as you continued to sway to the rhythm of the music, you now instantly recalled why this all felt so familiar.

The ball.

And as you opened your mouth to speak, a wave of nostalgia sweeping over you, it was almost as if Ignis read your mind, speaking now with hushed sincerity and delicateness in each syllable of his voice.

“Darling…do…do you remember the day in which we first me?”

Lifting your head from his chest, you looked him deep in the eyes as he gazed down at you with all the adoration for you in his eyes and you could have swooned right there on the spot.

“Oh Astrals, of course I do, Iggy. As if I could ever forget,” you said breathlessly, now trembling within his arms, and truth be told, a light-headedness coursing through you right now made you feel as though you were experiencing that special and sacred moment all over again.

Smiling broadly at you now, Ignis exhaled happily as he held you more tightly and placed another kiss upon your forehead. “Nor could I,” he murmured, seeming to instantly get lost in his thoughts. “It astonishes me to muse over how quickly time has transpired since then as if it were only yesterday. To say that evening was a nerve-wracking experience is a quite the understatement, to be all but honest.”

You titled your head as you looked up at him, now feeling curious. “Really? For you? Why?” Ignis Scientia? _Nervous_? The man who was always nothing but poised, calm, collected, and prepared in all situations he was presented with? But as soon as you had asked the question you knew that you had already knew the answer.

Or so you thought you did.

But Ignis chuckled. “For ten years the world had been plagued with the darkness. Ten years of uncertainty and indecision and preparation all leading up to one moment of the return of deliverance. Had we not succeeded? All those years of searching for salvation for Noctis and the return of the light would have been for naught. And so, I recall the moment that Noctis and I walked through the doorway to the Grand Hall to see all those patrons reveling and basking in the warmth and love of one another’s company made my heart swell beyond compare, and that moment had been all the proof I needed to know that the sacrifices I myself had made as well as everyone else had not been committed in vain….”

You hummed in agreement as you got lost in his eyes, knowing that all too familiar feeling that you shared, having been more than afraid that during that evening, you had been but dreaming and would awake to return to that horrid nightmare of perpetual gloom.

“But,” Ignis continued as he brought up the hand from upon your waist to cup the side of your head, and you noticed now that he was blushing deeply, “the sight of the crowd was not what made me the most apprehensive…”

And now your heart was aflutter once more as he pressed himself warmly up against you, and clutching on to his shoulders to brace your shaky legs, you did your best to control your unsteady breathing. “Y-Yeah? And what was it that you were most nervous about?”

And thus Ignis’s smile widened even more. “It was a certain someone standing all by her lonesome from across the chamber in that saliently dazzling blue gown that accentuated the lambency and life in her exquisite eyes. That striking woman that I had all but excogitated in whether or not her current visage that I saw before me was merely just an apparition of the mind or a reality of the flesh. And so, I amassed the forte within me and assemble the courage to determine whether she was real or not…”

You now stood completely frozen in place as you clutched onto his bare shoulders, your chest rising and falling and your heart fluttering a million miles a minute. “Ignis…you…you were anxious to meet me?” You asked him, and it was almost more than your brain could handle to ponder that _he_ of all people has been just as scared as you were when you had met him. “B-But…why?” And becoming overly bashful now, you fluttered your eyelashes as you looked away from him for just a moment, biting your lower lip. “It was just me, after all. A little ol’ EXINERIS girl who just happened to hunt on the side. I wasn’t… I’m not…-“

Grasping onto both sides of your face to draw your attention back to his, Ignis’s countenance was more than earnest as his looked adoringly at you. “Special?” he breathed as his cheeks flushed even more. “Y/N, you are exceptional beyond compare. Imagine but for a moment all that mused through my mind as I approached the woman who had fought so bravely in the name of all she had lost and for the future that she hoped to have. The stories I was told little by little over the years of what you had done to save the innocent lives of Lucians and the hours you spent at the plant working tiresomely to restore the light... Your hours endured training with Gladio to foster your abilities and the many attempts upon your life as you stood by Prompto’s and Iris’s side to fight off the daemons. I had never heard of anything so miraculous from anyone who had lost so much. And yet whenever I had made attempt to seek you out and acquire more about you myself, providence seemed to toy with our meetings of one another all of those years. To this day I still feel exceptionally foolish in not having made more of an effort in finding you, but it was my fear over what would happen to Noct that had prevented me from herding my energies elsewhere to seek you out...”

The music on the radio shifted to a quiet tune of a piano accompanied by a flute, and in that moment you had felt that all time in the world had stood still. You were beyond speechless as you felt a tear of joy stroll down the side of your cheek, and it was now you who brought your hands up to his face and ran your thumb over the scar on his lower lip. “Ignis…oh Ignis…” You breathed sweetly as you stood upon tippy toes to kiss him softly. “And to think that I thought that at that moment I was the only one who was feeling that way…”

Ignis breathed in harshly at the tenderness of your words, and looking you deeply into your eyes with all of the admiration that one could possess, Ignis brought his face down to kiss your nose and then your lips, his hands trembling as he pressed his form more closely to your body. You kissed him with such vivacity and love in each stroke of your lips over his, and you had prayed to the Astrals that they would give you ever lasting love and peace with this man for the remainder of your days. And so as your lips parted and your stared lovingly once more into each other’s eyes, your fingers danced gracefully upon his handsome features.

Within an instant, your mind recalled the evening in which you and Ignis lay at each other’s sides in your guest room at Fenestala Manor in Tenebrae, and the question you had asked Ignis that evening had once more popped into your mind, and you felt a smile playfully creep across your lips. “So…” you began, blushing as you already knew his answer, “if you were ever given a chance, would you have gone back and changed the way you did things then?”

Ignis smiled in response and brought his lips down to kiss you tenderly once more. “Never. Never in a millennia of existence of this world.”

And neither would have you.

****************************************

Breakfast had been more than a success as Ignis commented delightfully at the fluffiness of your scrambled eggs and the superb crispiness of your home fries and bacon, and you could have died a happy woman knowing that the chef praised your meal to the extent that he did. While you had dined together within the contented company of one another Ignis explained superficially the extent of your visit to the Citadel for the morning, remaining vague with any details. While it drove you nuts with anticipation at not knowing what to expect upon your arrival, you trusted his judgement as always and remained compliant with his mysteriousness for the time being.

After dining, the two of you tag teamed the dirty dishes, opting out of using the dishwasher and using your own bare hands to clean the flatware. You felt yourself bubbling with delight as you stood in front of the sink, side by side as he washed and you dried, and you could not help but keep getting distracted as you watched his hands move gracefully over eggy dishes that were now covered in soapy suds. You watched the tendons in his forearms shift as he worked, your eyes trailing slightly to the sharp V of his hip muscles that disappeared into the depths of his sweatpants. Holding in your breath as you noticed his abdominal muscles tighten, you felt heat coil into your loins and a flush creep up through your neck as you clumsily hand dried the plates.

Almost as if Ignis noticed the change in your behavior, you began to blush even more deeply as a smile crept across the corner of his lips, and now washing the last dish in his hands, he took the one from your hands, placed it upon the drying rack, and then pulled you in for a passionate kiss, the water on his hands tickling your shoulders as he trailed his hands down to your forearms. “Perhaps we ourselves should now wash up to make ourselves presentable for the day,” he murmured with a smile, and taking note of the hint of playfulness in his voice, you giggled as he took your hand and led you upstairs into the bathroom.

Knowing that you two did not have the necessary time to enact upon your raging desires that coursed through your veins, you had to fight tooth and nail and strike back at the urge to pounce upon Ignis as he slipped himself out of his sweatpants, and you had to stifle a moan as you took note of the fact that he had not been wearing briefs. He turned around to look at you coyly, almost timidly as he now stood in the nude before you, somehow remaining as calm and restrained as ever as you always had expected of the tactician. You refraining from staring directly at his softened length, Ignis took note of your bashfulness and approached you, pulling you up against his naked form and nuzzling his nose against yours. His hands delicately began to tug at the fabric of your tank top, and instinctually you lifted your arms to allow him to pull the garment up over your arms and toss it to the floor. Ignis leaned back down to nuzzle his nose against your ear and then kiss your shoulder gently, causing your spine to shiver in the most delightful ways. Unable to handle your excitement anymore, you peeled off your own panties and joined him in his nudeness. Ignis now led you into the shower where you experienced for the first time in your life the delightful and intimate experience of partaking in a hygienic routine with a partner. Hands wandered, kisses were exchanged, bodies trembled, but with all the restraint you both could withstand, you knew that your desires for one another would have to wait until later.

After the two of you dried off, you couldn’t help but notice a smile creep up on Ignis’s lips as the two of you made your way back to your bedroom. Ignis stopped at the edge of your bed and you titled your head with curiosity as you took note of his secretive behavior.

“You look like you’re up to something,” you said as you ruffled your towel through your wet hair one last time and sat the terry cloth down to cross your arms.

Ignis chuckled. “I….I have something for you. Well perhaps it would be incorrect to say that this was solely just from me. Consider this a gift from all of us at the palace.”

Raising your eyebrow, you watched as Ignis knelt down at the edge of the bed and pulled out what looked like to be a rather large and oblong black box with a thick silvery ribbon wrapped around it, and once more you felt yourself surprised at the fact that whatever this so-called gift was had been under your bed this entire time. But now you walked over to stand next to Ignis, placing your hand curiously upon the lid and running the silver ribbon through your fingers.

“What is it?” You asked enquiringly as you twisted your lips and looked up at him playfully.

Ignis laughed once again. “That is the curious thing about gifts,” he said teasingly. “They are meant to be opened.”

And so following through with his encouragement, you began to tug at the ribbon with anxious fingers and then slowly removed the lid. With your eyes widening, you felt yourself gasping, partially in awe but also in shock, attempting to fully comprehend what you were looking at.

Amongst a layer of gossamer tissue paper lay garments made of the finest and richest leather, and with unsteady hands you began to lift each from the box to inspect it thoroughly. First to grab was a sleeveless high neck blouse with silver buttons fastened down the front, the silky fabric soft to the touch. Next was a cropped jacket with silver cuffs at the edge of the sleeves. Following this you pulled out rich leather pants with a beautifully luxurious belt to match with silver skulls inlaid in the buckle, and at the very bottom of the box were boots that were made to be worn up over the knees, adorned with rows and rows of shiny silver buckles. But picking up the jacket once again to inspect it more throughout, you inhaled once more as you immediately recognized the distinct emblem that was almost engraved in silver on rich leather.

Crownsguard.

“Ignis…this…this….” And as you stood there beyond being speechless, you felt a tear of love roll down your cheek at the implication of what these clothes really meant.

“Noctis and all of us wanted you to feel at ease and at home while within the Citadel and thought that you more than deserved to be given the garb that indicated as such,” Ignis said with a warm smile, seeming overjoyed at your reaction. “You of course may wear what you please whenever you make visit to the Citadel, but Your Majesty figured it best that you be given your own set of official wears to feel the part.”

“Oh Ignis….they’re beautiful,” you said breathlessly, almost still in utter disbelief. To think that this was their way off accepting you as an unofficial official member of the retinue made your heart soar. “I’m going to put them on right now.”

Ignis flashed his teeth as he smiled. “I am most pleased by that. Now I do say that it is time that we should be preparing for our departure to said destination. In the meantime while I wait for you to prepare yourself, I shall be downstairs doing the same, but I also must make a call to the Marshall to let him know that we shall be on our way within the hour. He is most looking forward to meeting you.”

You felt your eyes widen at this as you stopped in place and inhaled deeply. “THE Marshall? Cor Leonis?” You said disbelievingly, and you almost felt yourself faint as Ignis nodded to you. Cor had certainly made his way through Lestallum during the years of darkness, helping to train the Glaives as well as work with the hunters while everyone made their rounds through the royal tombs in search of answers, but like so many others you had never had the chance to meet him in person. But with every story you had been told of him by Gladio, Prompto, and Iris, and through all the rumors that had spread itself through the town, you had been more in awe of the “Immortal,” finding yourself in utter admiration at his raw strength, bravery, and his tiresome endeavors.

And somehow, just like with Ignis, the two of you had never managed to cross paths.

Ignis took note of your surprised expression and chuckled once more. “Do trust me when I say my love that your reputation is beginning to proceed you.”

And soon enough, your path would continue to cross with more destined souls from the past.

***************************

The soothing air of the warm autumn morning swept through your hair as you and Ignis made your way through the already bustling streets of Insomnia. While you were excited over the prospect of testing out your new convertible, you couldn’t help but find yourself smiling lovingly at the way that Ignis insisted on being the chauffer for you on another rather important day in your first week in the Crown City. Although trying your best to hide the varying levels of anxiety that were coursing through you at this very moment as you took note of the lively Insomnians who walked down the streets amongst the wreckage that still scattered itself about, Ignis being perceptive as always seemed to take note of your tensed shoulders and slightly clenched jaw.

“Darling, are you alright?” He asked you, his tone overtly serious as he placed his gloved hand upon your thigh. You jumped slightly at his touch, being pulled away from sightseeing to now look at his face that was laden with concern. While he tried his absolute best to keep his eyes focused upon the road, you took note of the way his gaze darted to you for a moment. In fact, you began to blush over the notion that he had hardly taken his eyes off of you the entire morning. When you had walked downstairs from your bedroom to meet him in the living room after getting dressed, donning your new Crownsguard attire, he inhaled sharply at the very sight of you, seeming to more than admire the sight of you in full-on leather and silver.

But as you sat in the passenger seat, admiring him now dressed in his dashing Kingsglaive apparel, you felt yourself swallowing hard as you placed your hand gently upon his. For but a moment the horrible visage from your dream popped into your mind, and once more you had to fight back at the awful feeling that began to rumble around in your stomach.

 _Should…should I tell him about my dream? Would that be the best thing to do? Or should I stop worrying so much about it?_ Your dreams had a way of being metaphorical, and yet there was that part of you that felt the need to be on edge in terms of this particular nightmare.

But breathing deeply now, you pushed the awful thought from your head and attempted a feeble smile at him. “Y-Yeah, I’m ok. Just…I guess I’m thinking too much as always? I don’t know. I know that I am more than capable of taking charge at the new EXINERIS office, but I still can’t help but feel a bit intimidated. I mean jeese. Look at the size of Insomnia compared to Lestallum, and obviously the city sustained so much more damage here…” And you paused as you once more resumed you observations as you two drove, taking note of the wreckage that had yet to be cleared by the prototype models. “I just…I don’t know. I guess what I’m really nervous about is just disappointing everyone. Noctis and you guys went through so much trouble to get me here and the last thing that I want is to fall through and not get the job done right. And then meeting Cor? Oh boy. I’m freakin’ honored beyond belief but shit, Iggy, he’s the _Immortal_. That’s kind of a big deal and I don’t want to make you look bad.”

But as you looked back at Ignis you took note of the manner in which his beautiful lips were drawn into a thin grimace, and you almost winced at the sight of his countenance, always hating whenever he looked upset and instantly regretting your confession to him. But then after a moment, he sighed deeply and turned to you to look at you with a somewhat small smile formed on his lips. His squeezed his hand gently upon your thigh, almost causing you to yip with delight, and you felt yourself blushing at the way that he’s eyes quickly glanced at you.

“Y/N, I shall utter this to you a thousand times over and over until I turn blue in the face: I have complete and utter faith in every deed you commit and every endeavor you succeed at. You are the most gifted woman that I know and I’d lay shame upon those who would feel otherwise about you. And as for the Marshall? Consider it an honor for me that you shall walk into the Citadel to greet him with you by my side.”

Your heart swelled tenfold and you felt your lips part with awe at the sweetness of his words, and your grip upon his hand tightened even more. “Iggy….” You breathed, not even beginning to know what to say in response.

But instead, he smiled gently once more as you took note of the Regalia coming to a slowed pace, and you realized that you had reached the main gate to the Citadel. You had to fight back a small laugh as you noticed the two attendants at the booth who were the same duo that had almost denied you entrance so many weeks ago, and as the Regalia slowly pulled through the gate, you caught each man blushing at the sight of you dressed in such royal attire. After passing through, Ignis drove the Regalia to the private parking garage where you had parked next to Gladio’s and Prompto’s vehicles, and upon exiting the car with Ignis’s hand taking yours firmly, you exited the lot and made your way into the Citadel itself.

You could have sworn that it was still the weekend and naturally expected business to be less bustling like it had been since your last daily visit to see Ignis and the retinue, yet today had seemed to be the exception. Passing through hallways and each winding corridor, alcoves, meeting halls, and various reception rooms, you could not help but regard of the myriad Citadel employees who hustled about partaking in their duties. As you and Ignis passed through, each and every one of them bowed with a respectful “Mr. Scientia” to Ignis, and several of them stopped to look at you curiously. Immediately you felt heat creep up through your cheeks, suddenly feeling very out of place within the establishment, despite the fact that you looked the part.

“Relax, dearest,” Ignis murmured to you as you walked, and you looked up to see him smiling at you. “I am here with you each step of the way.”

Smiling back at him, you still could not help but feel anxious though. “So where exactly are we headed?” You decided to finally ask him, and truth be told, other than the mention of getting to meet the Marshall, you truly had no idea for what reason you were making acquaintance with him today.

But then, your mind shifted back to your conversation with Holly. _“_ _And also, King Noctis and Mr. Scientia are giving you the title of official EXINERIS representative to the Royal Crown. In other words, you almost are now an official of their court,”_ she had said.

 _Huh…maybe it has something to do with that?_ You thought.

Ignis smiled at you as he led you along, but there was something very overtly serious in his expression, and part of that kind of unnerved you. “Today we shall obtain for you your parking permit as well as necessary clearances that you need in order to enter the Citadel without the supervison of myself or one of the others,” he began, and part of you shivered over the mention of entering this massive facility all by yourself. “Other than getting to make your acquaintance, the Marshall also wanted to discuss with you your key role as our official EXINERIS representative. Knowing of your skillset and success rate in the various missions that you have partaken in, he is more than enthusiastic over the prospect of potentially getting to see you in action.”

“Well shit,” you murmured quietly, and for a second you almost forgot where you were, having forgot to censor yourself. But once again, you felt yourself turning red at the thought that of all people, it was Cor Leonis who intended to seek your expertise, a lowly and simple EXINERIS girl just trying to make end’s meet.

Ignis slowed his pace slightly as his brows began to knit together, his expression becoming more worried. “Darling….I’m…we’re not making your new life in Insomnia too overwhelming for you, are we?” he asked softly, out of the blue.

 _Huh_? You tilted your head as you continued to walk, passing by another receptionist who couldn’t seem to help but stare at you as you two walked by. “Why do you mean?” You asked, somewhat dumbfounded.

Ignis stopped in his tracks and sighed, and something within his expression made your heart break. “I know that you already have much concern in your heart over leaving Lestallum as it is. I know for a fact that you have slight apprehension over the vast difference in size between the two cities and that you are already fretting about your performance at EXINERIS. And now I speak of royal protocol through the Citadel? I am just feeling somewhat suddenly that I have thrust you into more responsibility that you didn’t ask for…”

_Ignis…_

But it was you who smiled now, and truth be told, despite how utterly anxious and afraid you were feeling about failing anyone, you knew that you weren’t going on this new adventure alone and that you’d be fine not matter what situation you were thrown into. “Iggy, it’s ok. Trust me. Maybe I was being a bit of a scaredy-cat on our way here, but believe me: I want to help. I want to do what I can to help those in need and to make this city a better place. And besides,” you said, your smile widening even more now. “I think it’s the least I could do to offer a helping hand to the royals, considering everything that they have done for me and more…”

After almost seeming to have held his breath for several minutes, Ignis finally smiled a smile of relief as he nodded and continued to walk ahead once more. “I…I am most pleased to hear that,” he said breathlessly, and hearing these words lifted your spirits as you watched the weight of a sudden burden lift from his shoulders. You reached over to subtly grab his hand and give it a squeeze for reassurance, not wanting to draw attention to yourselves as you walked among many government officials, and it was now that you realized that Ignis slowed down his pace even more. “We are almost there, my love,” he announced.

And it was at this moment that you neared your destination that you took note of the Glaives who proudly patrolled the hallway and various entranceways, and you once more swallowed hard at this implication.

 _After Noctis being gone for so long, I can only imagine they’d want to keep security high on end here_ , you thought, and an unnerving feeling dropped into the pit of your stomach just at the thought that something awful would ever happen to him again. Your dream _. No…no…that would never happen. And I’ll help make sure that it won’t…_

Several eyes of the Glaives fell upon you as you walked past and you couldn’t help but fight back the blush that creeped up through your neck and cheeks, these gentlemen seeming to take interest in you as you walked alongside the advisor. But Ignis almost sensing eyes upon you shifted more closely next you as you walked, and as you rounded one last final corner, you now came to a short hallway with a large doorway at the end, guarded by two rather gargantuan Glaives. Ignis nodding to both of them (and each of them looking at you with interest and curiosity), the Glaives opened the doorways and let you to pass through.

You found yourself standing within what seemed to be a deliberation room, very much like the one that belonged to Ravus at Fenestalla Manor. Your eyes quickly darted around the room to the sets of armor that stood displayed along the walls as well as a rather large map that hung from the east wall, reminiscently marked like the one that belonged to Ravus. But despite the hints at military engagement that made themselves present in the room, it was now that your attention was drawn to three figures that stood at the opposite end of the room gathered around a desk that was scattered about with various files. You inhaled sharply at the sight, and immediately you once more felt your nerves tingle with anxiety.

The first figure of familiarity was that of Noctis, and despite how much you declared him as a dearest friend, there was still something overtly intimidating at seeing him dressed in his kingly raiment. His black suit was tailored and crisply pressed and the gold detailing of his clasps to his cape shined brightly in the sunlight that cascaded into the room. His clean-shaven jawline was tensed tautly as if strained from the heat of conversation, but once he had officially realized that you and Ignis had entered the room, his expression softened and his eyes gleamed happily.

“Ignis! Y/N!” He said merrily in the most regal of manners, and despite the intimidation of the other two figures in the room, you had to hide a smile from forming at your lips at Noctis’s restraint in being his usual carefree self.

“Your Majesty,” Ignis said with a smile as he bowed to his friend, and your heart swelled at the endearing gesture. But not knowing yourself what to do in this given moment, you found your attention drawn to the other two men, feeling utterly daunted as whose presence you were in.

The second figure, who loomed next to Noctis in his regal presence of his own Kingsglaive coat had to have been none other than the Marshall himself. His blue eyes flashed brightly as his attention was now drawn to you. His middle-aged face was decorated in weathered lines from his years of experience in battle, both the brunette hair on his head and face peppered with grey. His foreboding stature of his tall height and broad shoulders somewhat intimidated you, but it was his gentle smile upon his handsome face that helped bring your anxiety to be eased.

And the third figure, another individual who you yourself never had the pleasure of partaking in hunts and missions with but knew about what he looked like was the veteran fighter and leader of the Kingsglaive soldiers himself, Libertus Ostium. You took note of his distinct hair that was braided on the sides and pulled to the back of his head and mall crow’s feet were tattooed upon his forehead. The stocky man stood proudly next to the Marshall and the King and seemed to have taken an immediate interest in you as you stood next to the advisor, causing you to become hyper aware of the fact that you were within the company of many an important people.

 _This is too surreal_ , you thought to yourself as you felt your heart begin to slam in your chest, feeling overly anxious now. All these years of hearing about these men and how they fought and struggled just as much as you did, and yet you never had the chance to meet them to share your adventures. _It’s like it was destiny that brought us all here to this point. Maybe all of this is a sign that I’m meant to be doing the work that I’m about to set out to do._

And so to hide your nerves you smiled at each man as best as you could. However, even still, Noctis in his kingly maturity took note of your anxiety and cleared his throat. “Cor, Libertus, I would like you to finally meet Y/N,” he said regally as he took a step to you now and gestured to you. “She is the one that I have been telling you about all this time who has worked with Ignis to retrieve the Niflheim files as well as help Ravus break into the base to obtain the mythril we’ve getting refined for the new machines.”

You blushed deeply at the notion that Noctis had been talking about you all this time to these two very imperative gentlemen, and taking note of your reaction, Cor smiled and extended his hand to you. “Y/N, what an absolute honor it is indeed to finally be graced with your attendance. I have heard nothing but good things from Ignis and the King about all of your conducts that you have committed all across the land in helping the Lucians get back on their feet. As the commander of the Crownsguard I have to say that I am feeling more than humbled in this moment.”

You shook his hand, his grip strong upon your dainty hand, but the strength emanating from his grasp almost made you feel stronger and inspired yourself. You looked to Ignis for a moment, blushing deeply again at the fact that Ignis spoke so highly of you to the Marshall of all people, and suddenly you felt your confidence boom.

“T-thank you, Marshall,” you said shakily with a smile. “Although I do have to say though that I think it is I who is feeling a little bit honored right now. It’s not every day that a commoner gets to meet with the military figureheads of her country. And so I guess I am thanking you for giving me the time of day today to get to finally meet you after all of these years of hearing about you.”

Cor chuckled, and the contrast of his foreboding stature to the lighthearted noise that left his mouth made your spine shiver. “Please, do not think so lowly of yourself. From what I am told your abilities are more much than just of what a ‘commoner’ would possess, and hence why I wanted to request to meet with you today when I learned that you had finally moved to Insomnia to begin your new position at EXINERIS.”

Now your curiosity was truly piqued, and you watched as Cor began to move back towards the desk in which various documents were scattered about. But as you watched him move, you took note of Libertus who was staring at you as if he has just seen a ghost. _Why is he looking at me like that?_ You thought to yourself curiously and nervously. But in an instant you realized how seemingly rude you must have seemed for not extending your hand to his. You opened your mouth to say something to him when Cor cut you off and began to speak again.

“First and foremost,” he began as he held out to you a folder, “here within this folder is the paperwork for all of your clearances. In order for any individual to enter the Citadel unescorted, he or she must have their clearances filed away in our system to indicate that you are cleared to enter the building at any time you please. Your background checks have already been ran and so all you have to do is sign where indicated. Of course, given the level of someone’s access authority, not every part of the Citadel will be accessible to you, but you’ll be able to access the locations necessary for any work you may do.”

You took the folder from his hand and began to look through the paperwork, nodding to him with understanding. The last thing you would ever feel would be offended at knowing you couldn’t go anywhere within the building that you wanted (but then again, would you really want to anyways with all of these intimidating employees walking about?).

But Cor continued, pulling your attention back to him. “Also, there will be times when Ignis, the others, or myself will not be available to you, and so at least you will not have to rely upon one of us to get inside.” You bobbed your head to him again, although the thought walking around the Citadel on your own just made you shiver with uneasiness. “In addition,” he continued, motioning to a silver adhesive that you just found within the files, “that is your official parking permit to grant you access past the main gates. You can park your vehicle right next to the others with where you are familiar with.”

 _This is so surreal_ , you thought to yourself as your fingers began to deftly shift through documents emblazoned with the royal sigil at the top. _Never in a million years would I have imagined that I would have gotten this far in my life after everything that I have been through…_ This was all seeming to become too real for you, and as you stood upon wavering feet, trying to take in all that was said to you, Ignis placed his hand upon your shoulder. You looked up into his face to see his expression masked with concern, but you simply smiled back at him, attempting to keep your self-assurance shining through.

And now Cor motioned for everyone to take seats around the desk as he resumed his position behind it. But he smiled at you now, and this was the point of the day that you had been most anticipating. In other words, just why exactly did Cor want to speak with you of all people in the first place?

“As you may know, Y/N, we are more than indebted to you for all that you have done to help the Lucian Crown rise once again and for the people of Lucis to thrive and live happily once more. You will see that once you begin your normal shifts at the Insomnian EXERNIS office that several of the prototype machines that we now have called LC-X have been making their rounds around the city in the restoration efforts, the very same models that you witnessed being tested back in Lestallum. We can say that we are more than ecstatic to see how much progress our researchers have made in such a short time in adapting the blueprints that were obtained combined with the power of the meteorshards, and we only hope to continue forth from here.”

You inhaled deeply at this, knowing how excited you were when you saw these prototypes in action for the first time. _They mean hope_ , you thought. _They mean progress and hope and change, and I am more than exited to know that I have been a part of that._

But where was Cor going with this?

“But of course, it doesn’t just stop there,” Cor continued, his expression now going more serious. “Our researchers have continued to dive deep into the files that you and Ignis obtained at Pepetouss, and Ravus’s men upon further inspection of the storage facility south of Tenebrae managed to uncover more files with other blueprints as well as other locations and access codes to other bases. And so our research has essentially only begun.”

Your eyes widened as he said this, and while it still shouldn’t have been a surprise to you, you still couldn’t help but be amazed at the vast amount of mysteries that lay hidden within the lands of Eos.

“And so…” you began, feeling you know knew what your obvious role in all of this was to be, “whenever you find these locations and need someone to help you get inside, that will be my job.”

“Exactly,” Cor said with a small smile, and you felt your head spin slightly. “Our own researchers and technicians could attempt the job, but given your expertise in the manner previously as well as your knowledge of how to work with the meteorshards, we knew that you were a viable candidate for us to hire that could help us get these jobs done.”

You breathed out deeply, your head whirling at the realization of just how much Cor would want to rely upon you when necessary, but you were pulled from your worrisome thoughts when Ignis placed his hand upon your shoulder, and despite his concern from earlier about worrying if he was placing too many burdens upon you, his gaze was still soothing and reassuring, helping set you at ease. “Your main priority as always will be to EXINERIS,” he explained, “as that is where you are needed most and why you moved to Insomnia in the first place. But think of these potential additional jobs as no different than those that we have had the pleasure of completing together in the past.”

“Which brings me to my next point,” Cor said, drawing your attention back to him. “As I mentioned previously, given the nature of our work here at the Citadel there are chances where Ignis or those close to you will not necessarily be available to you (as you knew all too well during the duration of your friendship with everyone). Given a situation that arises when you need to head outside of the Crown City to complete your usual duties and Ignis is unavailable, we will be having one of the members of our Kingsglaive escort you and assist you to guard you while you work. And so here, Libertus has offered for you his protection, and if he is engaged in other affairs, another Glaive will be there to watch you.”

You looked at Libertus now who appeared to be blushing, but he sat up straight and offered his hand to you. “For hearth and home, I vow to ensure that your duties will be completed safely.”

You took his hand now, curious at his peculiar behavior, but not wanting to question it during the middle of a serious conversation, you shook his hand and smiled in return. “T-thank you,” you said warmly. _Libertus, just what exactly are you thinking right now?_

But as you let go of his hand, you felt your motions stop dead in their tracks, the cogs in your mind instantly trying to make sense of the information that was just presented to you. As a resident in Lestallum, while most your work resided within the city itself, more often than not you were sent out with a fellow teammate to make repairs and work on power lines to the outskirt facilities that lay scattered across Lucis. In several cases you had done so all on your own, and so now a raging question popped into your mind that began to make you feel more than troubled.

“I…I don’t mean to be rude,” you said slowly as you looked to each men with your brows knit. “I am more than grateful for whatever help that I receive, especially knowing how many responsibilities each of you already have on your own. Hell, I am more than honored to feel like I’m important in all of this. But there is something that isn’t making much sense to me now. Other than the occasions where Ignis and I would have a freak incident by happenstance on our various quests, I usually have carried on with my usual EXINERIS duties on my own…so what is the change now that you want me to have a body guard?”

Each man looked to one other as if hesitant to answer, but it was Ignis who suddenly seemed to become distressed the most. He pushed his glasses up further on the bridge of his nose and was about to speak, when, seeing his friend’s concern, Noctis spoke first, shifting himself within his chair to face you directly. “Yeah…about that,” he began scratching his head, and you raised your eyebrow at his change in mood as well. “In general, we like to believe that this isn’t something that we need to be terribly worried about, but then again, who are we to say what we should suspect. Y/N, have you happened to notice anything strange in terms of the nature around you as of late?”

You tilted your head to look at him, not understanding what he was saying. But abruptly, a dawn of realization came over you as you began to understand what he asked and you had to refrain from groaning out loud at your sudden epiphany. _Astrals...the seasons…_ you began, only having that exact same thought this morning. _By now this time of year it’s usually much cooler…it’s like everything isn’t transitioning normally._

“Yeah, I thought you’d realize that,” Noctis continued, taking note of your expression. “Our researchers are thinking that it’s simply a result of the world’s attempt to readjust itself after having been cast in darkness for so long. But with the days and nights falling back into their normal rhythm, our experts said this is what matters most and that the seasonal changes will only be just a matter of time to get back into their cyclical patterns…”

“But something much more worrisome has developed as a result of the return to light, one that we are in absolute need of keeping an eye on, and hence your much-needed protection and supervision,” Ignis cut in now, and you jumped with surprise as he put his hand upon yours, almost to your shock that he would do such an intimate gesture in front of his commanding officers. “This is in terms of the wildlife and their oncoming unpredictable behaviors. We have reached out to Sania Yeager who for years researched the affects the Starscourge has had upon the wildlife species across Eos. During the years of darkness, she had assisted us while we searched for our answers on how to rid the world of the Scourge and she was able to give us the most valuable insight on how to combat the daemon-plagued beasts.” And you of course as a hunter had more than enough experience dealing with such creatures, but little had you realized that it was indeed this Sania’s information that helped you and your fellow hunters and Glaives help combat the creatures in the most effective manner. And so taking note of your serious mien, Ignis continued, his hand squeezing yours more tightly. “Given the change of shift from complete darkness to the normal rise and fall of day and night, various species of wildlife have yet to readjust their behaviors and social patterns of life, and thus, we have been getting word of several cases of specimens that had been hibernating beginning to awaken and act aggressively in manners unlike their typical comportments. The hunters have also been combating those animals that had been previously been afflicted with the disease, seeing their mannerisms not be of normal conduct. And even more worrisome so, we have also been hearing documentation from our sources that species have been relocating themselves to other regions of the world that they had previously not resided…”

You mulled this over in your head for a second, slowly then bringing your free hand up to your mouth when the shock came over you. _The Marlboros at the Balouve Mines_ …you began to think for yourself. You recalled questioning at the time why such plantlike creatures would locate themselves in a darkened mine shaft, knowing their affinity for wet, swamp-like areas. Ignis had justified the reason as perhaps them seeking a humid location, but even still, the surrounding areas of the mines had been nothing but dry and dessert-like.

 _And those Coeurls at the Outpost_ …You had even questioned that incident too, wondering why at the time the felines would choose to make their way into a residential area and attack of all things cables and powerlines as opposed to potential prey. And while you of course knew that the hunters did not have the expertise to make the repairs to the damaged power lines themselves, there had still been one more alarming factor in your mission that day.

_Did the hunters know something was going on with the animals? Were they afraid to go and search for the perpetrator themselves because they knew something was up?_

And then again, your dream of the horrible sight of slain and bloody bodies scattered across muddy ground popped into your mind once more, causing a shiver to run down your back, and you had to fight back a cry of fear at the thought of that awful creature that was about to take your life.

_No….Nothing ever that horrible can happen. It just can’t. The daemons are gone and the Scourge is gone and we all have each other to protect one another. But still…why would I dream of something as such? Was is it a warning to me about what I might have to be facing from now on?_

You swallowed hard, almost losing your breath at another realization that fell upon you.

_Lunafreya…are you still watching over me and those that I care about?_

Maintaining your composure as best as you could, you inhaled deeply as you looked to Ignis, and something within his eyes suggested a sense of shame. “Ignis…for how long did you all know that this was going on?” You asked as you squeezed his hand.

Noctis shifted uncomfortably in his chair and Cor cleared his throat. Libertus could only look at you with apprehension upon his face. Ignis inhaled sharply, and despite him fearing that you were upset with him, he spoke confidently. “For only a few weeks now, virtually since the incident at the Prairie Outpost. Quite frankly we had invested the majority of our efforts into working on the LC-X models as well researching and refining the methodology of manipulating the power of the meteorshards since our obtainment of them from Niflheim. Our hunter reports had been coming in steadily as normal until that vast shift a few weeks prior ago, but none of us here wanted to jump to any conclusions until we knew otherwise what was truthfully going on. And so,” he paused, his voice now seeming strained like he had failed you somehow, “I only hope that you can forgive all of us and mostly myself for not informing you of this sooner. I merely didn’t want you to fret or worry about anything more than what you already had on your plate.”

The room was cast in silence for a moment and you bit your lip as you looked to each of the men who now seemed to stare at you with unease. Your grip on Ignis’s hand tightened even more while you flexed the fingers of your free hand. You fought back your trembling, feeling a wave of fear course through your for but a moment. But, sitting up straight now, you found that a brave smile formed at the corner of your lip and each of the men raised their eyebrows curiously at you for your sudden change of behavior.

“I can do this,” you said, plainly and simply, and now channeling the words of Lady Lunafreya from all those years ago as she spoke to the fragile eighteen-year-old girl that you once were, you felt yourself becoming braver. “Whatever has happened in this world and whatever we will end up facing as the years go on, I’m not going to be afraid. What would be my purpose then in this world if I were to just sit back and watch everyone else struggle through thick and thin? No, I became a fighter for a reason. I remember how the darkness once evoked terror, hatred, and sorrow in the hearts of the men and women of Lucis, and yet when we all worked together we came through strongly and never surrendered to despair…Our world was once delivered from the perils of the dark and I know more deeply in my heart than ever that whatever this world throws at us we will be ok. And so,” you said, letting go of Ignis’s hand and standing up to look around at the men before you, “It will be my honor to serve the Crown in any way that I can, and I promise that I will never back down no matter what.”

************************************

“Well shit. Why couldn’t we have had this technology back in Lestallum?”

You were standing on a rather particularly tall set of scaffolding as you began to inspect a set of cables that were attached to a series of street lights. The first official start of your new job in EXINERIS involved you meeting with many supervisors from the various construction companies and electricians that were previously employed within the city, and they had provided you with the workings on how energy was transferred through the power grid of the city. While the connectors and cords and inputs and all of the talk of that matter wasn’t much different than what you dealt with in Lestallum (although you were grateful that you had less pesky steam valves to worry about here in Insomnia), you could still not help but feel amazed at how much more vastly modern all of the mechanisms were. And to help you diagnose any particular issues with connectivity, each of the ladies and you were given a tablet that provided you with a digital outline of that said power grid, and so therefore at this very moment, as you looked down at the screen underneath the blazing sun of another fall afternoon, you were feeling a little bit more than grateful that you could be able to fix the issue sooner than anticipated than you would have back in your previous town.

While there was much work to be done and you, Jeanne, and the girls would be kept more than busy for months and months upon end as the city continued its repair efforts, Noctis in particular had requested that these said efforts begin in residential areas so that refugees who had been displaced from the city so many years ago could make their way back home and could thus repopulate Insomnia once again. Brushing your ponytail back away from your shoulders, you squinted as you looked down at the tablet screen, pinching outward with two fingers to zoom out and get more of an overall view of the surrounding area. According to the application, the light pole in this one particular residential area in which you were working on was receiving power from its southern lines but not from the north, meaning the issue lay further ahead. But, seeing what the time was on interface of the program, you shut off the screen and slid the tablet back into your nap sack for now. You took a deep breath and sighed heavily as you realized with a loud and grumbling stomach that your lunch break had already neared.

 _I wonder how Ignis is making out right now_ , you said to yourself as you stretched your arms above your head and cracked the stiff bones in your neck. While everything had particularly been going smoothly for you during your first two official weeks in the Crown City (much to your surprise), the same case could not have been said for Ignis who was more than swamped with business at the Citadel. As always, although Ignis was not able to fully disclose the entirety of his business, he was able to give you enough details on the political and social affairs of business to tide over your curiosity. One of the matters in which the members of the court began to discuss was the plan off attack in beginning to survey the northern Cavaugh region for where the raw mythril lay hidden. While the information hidden away within the Niflheim files gave a generic idea, considering the region was so vast in its geographical design, it would take a lot of resources and man power to survey the land. However, thank the gods that due to the LC-X prototype models, perhaps this progression would be more than doable. Next on the agenda was talk of the owners of the Veritas Mart out at the Rock of Ravatough wanting to expand their business and begin to utilize the steam power for various resources (both recreational and for energy), and so the owners had requested the aid of some of the EXINERIS ladies from the Lestallum office to help in educating them on this manner. There would also be upcoming visits from various diplomats including one by Camelia Claustra who wished to speak with Noctis on the matters of the continued restoration effort in Altissia, and this in particular had your interest in wanting to know how your former home was making out since your last visit. But most of all, to Ignis’s greatest distress, there had been a reported attack by a small pack of Havocfangs upon a carful of travelers who had been making their way towards the Vesperpool for a camping trip at the [Pectriche Haven](https://finalfantasyxv.gamepedia.com/Pectriche_Haven). Thankfully no one got hurt due to a group of hunters having to be in the general area at the time, but even still, their motor vehicle received much damage, and this news was enough alone to make Ignis panic. Seeing the worry wrought upon his face was enough to shatter your heart, knowing how the tactician was always so calm and collected in terms of his royal matters.

“Ignis, you can’t blame these types of things on yourself,” you had said reassuringly as you lay in each other’s company one evening. “You are only one man and there is only so much that _you_ can do. You have to give yourself credit.”

Ignis had only sighed and gave you a sad smile, knowing that despite his personal disappointment in himself, you were right on the manner. But even still so, despite the fact that there were more than enough members on staff at the Citadel between other advisors, associates of parliament, Glaives, and so forth, the self-sacrificial hero in Ignis made him feel as if _he_ was the one to handle all of these affairs.

And so now, as you sat down upon the scaffolding and took out your phone and your crispy fish fritterwich that Ignis prepared for you lovingly earlier that morning, you let out a sigh, feeling utterly helpless in knowing that at this very moment, Ignis was likely beating himself up over something that wasn’t his fault.

 _If only I could do something for him_ …you thought as you smiled, seeing that he left you a message on your phone.

**Good afternoon, my dearest. Unfortunately this message must be brief as I am about to head into an important meeting. But I do hope you enjoy your meal and I shall blessed with your company once more later on this evening. I love you, Y/N.**

You sighed happily once more as you took out a bite of the sandwich, groaning with pleasure at the flavor that now filled your mouth. Wiping your hands on your coveralls, you quickly replied back to Ignis.

**Enjoying the sandwich is an understatement…it’s AMAZING. You outdid yourself as always. I’m about to dig into the rest of it. But I hope your meetings go well and please take it easy, ok? Stop stressing so much! This is not all on you. I love you too, Iggy…**

Exhaling slightly, knowing you weren’t going to receive a message back from him, you put your phone back into your pocket and continued to eat your sandwich. As you took eat bite and savored the delicious flavors that rolled around on your tongue, you began to think of what you could possibly do for Ignis to help him unwind when he got home later during the evening.

 _He’s been on the go nonstop as of late…he is way overdue for some good old-fashioned rest and relaxation, that’s for sure_ , you thought to yourself, thirstily now taking a drink out of your water bottle. Come to think of it, whenever you had held Ignis in your arms lately you always took note of how utterly tense and clenched his muscles always seemed to be, especially those in his shoulders, trapezius muscles, and back. Beginning to think about the way you would watch his taut muscles shift under his skin when he would undress for the evening, you felt yourself blushing as you attempted to swallow each bite of your meal. “Y-Yeah, much needed relaxation perhaps is an understatement…”

And with a delightful idea popping into your mind that made you blush beyond belief, you decided that setting out to pamper your dearest was exactly what he needed when he got home.

_Iggy…please, take it easy on yourself today...until later when I can help you forget about everything…_

“Y/N?”

You were in the midst of taking a bite out of your sandwich when you heard a particular voice call your name from down below from the scaffolding. Raising your eyebrow, you sat down your food and stood up to peer down over the edge, your eyebrows raising in surprise at the figure that looked up at you from below.

“…Libertus?” And yes, there was the Kingsglaive leader, dressed in his full attire as if he was on duty. Why in fact, he _was_ on duty, and so what exactly _was_ he doing here at this moment? “What are you doing here?” You thus decided to ask him, tilting your head with a smile upon your face.

Libertus scratched his head for a moment then crossed his arms as he looked up at you. “Ignis actually sent me here to come check on you and see how you were doing today. He wanted to come himself but of course he is currently in a meeting now as we speak.” Ignis’s love and care for you never failed to make you swoon, and so the thought of him worrying so much about you while partaking in his own current affairs never managed to get old. But even more so, you still could not help but be surprised that it was the leader of the Kingsglaive himself that was gracing you with his presence. Pausing for a but a moment, Libertus cleared his throat before he spoke once more. “Do you mind if I come up and join you for a bit?”

Raising an eyebrow, you smiled down at him. “Oh, but of course! Here, let me just move my stuff and I’ll-“

_Swoosh._

And causing you to almost shriek and jump, you were more than startled to see that Libertus now stood right next to you after having taken the effortless way up and warp striking to you, and you had to hold back a laugh.

“Well that has to be convenient,” you said with a smile, as you sat back down in your seat and motioned for Libertus to follow suit. “I’ll never get tired of watching Glaives do that. Just how many years have you been at this to master that?”

“More than I can count,” Libertus said with a chuckle as he placed his elbows upon the lower railing while you began to eat your sandwich once more. But him almost seeming nervous to speak to you, he scratched his head once more as he spoke “How are you and the other ladies making out so far here at the new office?”

You finished chewing a bite and then beamed. “Surprisingly? A lot better than I thought I would. The transition went much more smoothly than I anticipated, and the procedures are basically the same as they were in Lestallum. It’s more so getting used to the fancy modern technology we have to assist us.” You pulled out the tablet from your bag to show him, but then you continued to think more. “It’s more so the cultural changes I guess that is what will take a lot of getting used to. I originally lived in Altissia when I was younger and despite being a bigger city, there was something overtly peaceful and quaint about it. When the tragedy struck though and I was forced to leave, arriving in Lestallum somehow felt just like home, even if I were to live the majority of my time there in darkness. I loved how everybody almost seemed to know each other. But then here? I know I’ve only been here for about two weeks but I feel like it’s going to be a harder adjustment. Life is a lot more fast paced here and there’s so many more people, and so I guess I’m grateful that Ignis and everyone managed to get a place for me that’s in a quiet neighborhood.”

You instantly felt bad upon realizing that Libertus’s simple question resulted in a longwinded answer from you, but when you looked over at him you could see that he had a sympathetic smile on his face.

“You know, I could say that I am no stranger to that feeling,” he began. “I actually grew up in Galahd as a child, but of course when the war rolled around with Niflheim and they claimed my homeland, I left with a friend and made home here in Insomnia. He and I had felt indebted to King Regis for helping save us and accept us into his special force, but despite us becoming part of the Kingsglaive, we still felt like outsiders within the city. In fact, we lived in one of the lesser neighborhoods away from the ‘high-class life’ that many Insomnians chose to live. We felt better that way, to be honest.” But he looked to you once more with his countenance serious. “Needless, to say, I know how it feels to feel displaced in a new home.”

Your interest was now piqued as you finished the last bite of your sandwich, feeling sympathy for this man. “So this friend of yours…did he handle being an outsider any better than you? It seems like personally you took it pretty hard. After losing my home? Jeesh, I can’t blame you at all.”

Libertus was silent for a moment, and as the seconds passed on your realized you immediately regretted your question. You yourself had been displaced from your friends and had no idea, truth be told, what happened to any of them, and so you began to instantly think the worst. But nonetheless, Libertus clasped his hands together as he looked out into the streets before you, and soon enough you both watched as various pedestrians began to walk by.

“He…He embraced it,” Libertus said, almost solemnly. “Despite the judgment we received from the locals, he had made the most out of every situation possible and took to life here as if it was meant for us. He actually never let his own personal feelings get in the way of his work. In fact, he was one of the most self-sacrificing individuals I have ever known. He had always put everyone else before himself and somehow always knew right from wrong, even in the worst of situations and when all hope was lost.” Libertus paused again, now swallowing hard. “That…that is where I personally failed at.”

You raised your eyebrow at this, not anticipating the conversation to suddenly become so somber. “What do you mean you failed?” You asked as you looked at him more seriously.

Libertus sighed. “I…I had made a grave mistake in my past that I still live with to this day. I had taken the King’s kindness for granted and had lost sight of what really mattered.” And he paused again, almost mulling it over in his mind on whether or not he should divulge such information. But, he pressed on regardless, and he continued. “You see, right before the fall of Insomnia, I had my own personal doubts. Having lost my home in Galahd to the Nifs, I was more than displeased when I heard the terms of the treaty with Niflheim. I could not believe that Regis was willing to give up so much to the Empire after what everyone else had suffered through, and so I lost my faith in what the king stood for. And so, I jumped shipped and I betrayed the Glaives and I betrayed Regis, but even more so, I betrayed my friend. And perhaps had I not done what I had done and I remained by his side, he would still be here with me today.”

You inhaled sharply at this, holding back a tear. “He’s…gone?” you said quietly, now looking down at your palms.

“I….I think so,” Libertus sadly uttered as he continued to look out into the boulevards before you. “How many years have passed and not a word from him, and so I think it is safe for me to assume with the deepest regrets that he is gone. The last I saw him was when he was about to engage in battle with an Imperial general and he had begged me to safely escort Lady Lunafreya outside of the city to safety so she could get to Altissia to marry our now King. And then when the news of Lady Lunafreya’s death struck the news? Could you imagine the pain in my heart that I felt, knowing that she never got to marry the Prince? She had insisted that she go the journey to Altissia alone, much to my dislike, but she said it was her duty to bear her journey alone. But after I lead Lady Lunafreya to safety, I had returned to Galahd not too immediately after while evading Imperial eyes, and yet, there was still no sign of my friend anywhere to be found. I even scourged Insomnia’s remains, and yet no sign of life of him. And once the world plunged into darkness I had given up hope of ever seeing him again. I soon came to accept that he was gone. So finding my way to Lestallum, that is where I found all of the former Glaives who had remained loyal to the King, and that is when we all began to work tiresomely to make amends for our faults so we could bring hope and light back to the world once more.”

You were barely breathing right now as you listened to him, your lower lip trembling and your heart feeling like it was about to shatter in two. _I…I can’t believe this…_ you thought as you now turned to look at Libertus who was solemnly starting out into the horizon. _He knew Lunafreya…he was there the day of the attack. He witnessed all the horrors, and yet here he is, just like me, trying to live on from a broken past._

Libertus chuckled out of the blue now, startling you. “I’m sorry for the sudden rant,” he said apologetically. “I’m sure the last thing you wanted to hear on your break was such depressing talk. But it’s not often that I get to share with anyone what I dealt with in the past.”

You were silent for but a moment, but inhaling deeply now, you reached over and placed a hand on his, causing him to jump slightly. “Libertus…I…I don’t know where to even begin or what to say to you, other than how incredibly sorry I am. Loss…we have all dealt with so much loss. I don’t know why but I felt like at one point it was never-ending. And yet, somehow, here we are, some of us being the lucky ones to have survived it all.” You bit your lip, almost as if every heartache you ever experienced was now slamming into your chest at full fruition. “Your friend….he didn’t die in vain. His loss will not have been for nothing. And I think it’s people like you and I that will make sure that those we care about now will get to live on in peace like those before us didn’t get the chance to.”

Libertus was quiet for a moment, a small tear trickling down the side of his face. But after a moment passed, he finally smiled a gentle smile that warmed your heart and he squeezed your hand back.

“Ya know, those few weeks ago when you walked into the debriefing room of the Citadel, I couldn’t quite place my finger on why there was something about you that just seemed so familiar, even though we had never met. I have been thinking about it ever since, but then just yesterday it came to mind on why I felt such a way. You happen to remind me a lot of another friend of mine and my buddy’s whom we both lost. She was a Glaive just like us. She was a lively young woman, about the same age then as you are now, and she too happened to be orphaned from her village. It was a terrible damn shame to see her suffer. But through it all she was fiery has hell and one of the best damn mages I knew, even to this day. But unfortunately, she too lost her life when she had been assigned to be the escort to Lunafreya to Altissia. It was tragic and uncalled for, all happening due to betrayal. It broke me and my friend past the point of belief and only made my feelings towards Regis and his decisions to give into Niflheim’s demands sourer. But again, now I know better for my faults.” Libertus paused as he examined your face. “But now I know why you remind me of her: it’s your spirit. Even just meeting you in that room two weeks ago I could see the tenacity you have in your eyes, just like she did. I can tell that you’re not a quitter. You’re a warrior and you’ll never give up fighting, no matter what.”

Speechless once more, you attempted your best to fight back a tear that was now rolling down your right cheek. What an honor to be compared to anyone else held dear within broken hearts, and quite frankly you didn’t know how to handle all the raw emotion that coursed through your chest.

But Libertus, taking note of your demeanor took the reins of the conversation again and held your hand in the most brotherly of ways. “I know that you are tough, Y/N, and that you can handle your own, but I want you to know that from this day forth I pledge to make sure that nothing bad ever happens to you or any of our friends, because I can’t have you being lost like my companions were. And I know more than for a fact that your loss would mean devastation to the life of someone else.”

And your heart augmented once again, realizing he was talking about Ignis and his feelings for you, and you felt your lower lip begin to quiver as Libertus began to speak. “And so, I will make sure to guard you whenever Ignis can’t because I don’t think I could live with myself seeing him suffer at your loss. I can’t let something bad happen to either of you for each other’s sake. Because if there is one thing that I have learned in my life is that you should never take for granted the loved ones you have, because you never know when it will be the last day you’ll get to be with them in happiness.”

And by gods, did you know this deep in your heart, and may the Astrals let your lover know later how you would never take a single day with him for granted.

*******************************

 _Seven o’clock…oh Ignis, where are you?_ You said to yourself nervously as you looked at the clock in your kitchen and paced about like a frantic Saberclaw. All day long for the remainder of your shift you had thought of nothing else but for the moment when he would walk through your front door to finally let himself go of his worries for the evening. You had insisted on meeting him back at his apartment to save him the driving time, but Ignis adamantly wanted more than anything to come to you, texting you after his meeting during the afternoon that a night away from the bustle of the Citadel was “more than desired.”

And so, with you a simple meal prepped and ready to go and a pot of fresh Ebony beans roasting for him upon his arrival, you felt your heart begin to flutter with anticipation at seeing him after another exhaustingly long week.

As you gazed out through the window at the almost darkened, neighborhood streets, the smell of the various flora from your one garden floating into your kitchen, you felt yourself jump as you heard from down the hallway the front door open and close shut. Immediately you rounded around the corner of the kitchen to enter in the hallway, now seeing Ignis standing at the doorway removing his shoes and placing the Regalia’s keys on the entryway table, looking tired and worn from the day’s responsibilities.

“Ignis!” You said breathlessly as you darted down the hallway, and lifting his head to look up at you, a broad smile crossed his lips as you collided into his arms with an ‘oof.’ “Oh Iggy, how are you?” You asked him as you placed kisses all over his jawline and delicately touched his face. You felt it best to refrain from bombarding him with questions about work, thus opting to snuggle against him and nuzzle his jaw with your nose.

He chuckled, his face flushing at your affections, and his hands immediately began to snake up your back and lightly grab at the fabric of your black cotton sun dress. “None the worse for wear,” he said softly as he held you tightly in his arms, placing a kiss upon your head and inhaling the scent of your freshly washed hair. “And you, my dearest Did all go well for the remainder of your shift today?”

You looked up at him now, the warmth of his frame seeping into your body and sending shivers down your spine. “Ditto,” you said playfully with a smile. “The girls and I managed to realign and fix all of the power lines in a one block section in our neighborhood today. That doesn’t seem like much, but we got a good start on the whole project. I know Noctis will be most pleased,” you began. “And I got a surprise visit from Libertus today too. He said he you asked to check up on me to see how I was doing. He seems like a pretty nice guy.” But you paused your train of thought to give him a little lopsided smile. “You’re always doing sweet little things like that for me, you know that?”

Ignis chuckled once more as he placed a soft kiss upon your forehead. “I felt guilty that I was unable to carry on with our usual afternoon exchange and so I wanted to ensure that you had company but also could make acquaintance with another friend.”

You beamed at this, but as he spoke you couldn’t help but notice just how utterly exhausted he looked, and that made you frown with dissatisfaction. You wished not to engage in the conversation of business to further upset him, but his weathered eyes made you want to press on so he could get everything off of his chest. “Was today really that bad? You look like you were beat up by a gang of Tonberries.”

Ignis sighed, seeming as though he too wanted to avoid talk about work so not to worry you. But now he released you from his grasp and took you by the hand, leading you into the living room where you both nestled down on the couch. “Business had carried on as usual per our visits with the diplomats. Madame Claustra had made visit with us today, and while Accordo has been managing the restoration efforts efficiently on their end, they are still in dire need of recompense being made to the outlying ports of the city. Travel to their nation still suffers as a result, and so thus we are working with them on amending those efforts on our end, especially to the port at Galdin Quay. And…much to our dismay, we’ve heard word from the hunters that they had to apprehend a rogue heard of Mandrakes who wandered oddly far away from their nests within the Myrlwood. We spoke to Sania on the matter, and while she insisted that this behavior was normal due to the alteration in daylight and meteorological shifts, still, I cannot help but remain worried that innocent lives in that region might be compromised…”

You studied Ignis’s face as he spoke, seeing his eyes wrought with worry with each syllable he spoke, and once more you frowned as you brought your hand up to brush away that strand of hair that always fell so adoringly upon his forehead. “Hey you, mister. Look at me.” And so he did, looking at you curiously at your playful reprimanding tone. “You really need to stop beating yourself up over all of this. I admire the absolute hell over the fact that you care so much about the wellbeing of others. I really do, and that is just one of the many reasons that I am so freakin’ in love with you. But at the same time, you have to remember that this is not all on you. You have that whole Citadel full of people who are supposed to be working with you and Noct on these matters. That’s why you guys hired them all in the first place.” And you paused, playing with your thoughts in your head. Just how long you had known Ignis now and yet he had always handled his responsibilities with the upmost levelness and remarkable ease. But now, it appeared he chose to carry the weight of Eos all upon his shoulders. As you noticed his tense muscles straining in his neck, you mulled it over in your head at what exactly was causing this change suddenly. And so, thus you asked him. “Just…what’s going on, Iggy? Why are you giving yourself such a hard time?”

Ignis looked at you for a moment as you practically sat upon his lap, your eyes intently gazing into his. He sighed once more, and a small smile formed at the corner of his lips. Then taking your chin in his hand, he lifted your face slightly to study you and then brought his lips to yours with a gentle kiss. The tenderness of his touch made your heart flutter and your neck feel hot, and once he removed his lips from yours, he placed his forehead to your, nuzzling his nose to yours. “I…I suppose that I have been afraid…”

At this point you placed your hands upon his shoulders to support yourself within his grasp as his hands held your waist firmly, and you couldn’t help but feel curious now. “Afraid? What you are afraid of, Iggy?” You asked soothingly, your heart aching now.

Ignis laughed softly. “My duties…you know how I am. I value the way in which I conduct my business, and in the past I have managed through far worst than what I am experiencing now. However, it is not what _I_ am doing per say that I am worried about the most. It’s…it’s more so what will happen as a result if my affairs keep me too engaged. There is something much more valuable to me that I am worried about at the moment, more than anything else that I must contend with at the Citadel…”

 _Oh?_ “And what is that?” You asked curiously as you leaned back to study his face.

And Ignis’s smiled again more broadly, sighing deeply. “It’s…It’s you my love,” he said with eyebrows wrought together. “Not a second goes by that I don’t worry about your wellbeing and what you are thinking and feeling as you live through your day. I just fear greatly not being able to be there for you in _your_ time of need if an emergency were to arise or if you needed me by your side. I just…I just don’t want to fail you ever because I couldn’t uphold my promise to be there for you always.”

_Ignis…_

Just how sweet of a man could one possibly be?

“Iggy…Oh Iggy…you don’t have to worry about me. I promise. Trust me. I’m going to be fine. You know how this is with us. You do what you need to do because I know that Noctis and everyone else counts on you. But at the same time, you need to keep remembering that you are only human and you have to take care of yourself too. And the fact of the matter is that if you keep worrying so much, you are going to work yourself to death and that is the absolute last thing I want right now.” And that is when a blush began to creep up through your cheeks as your hands began to brush along his rock-hard and tense shoulders. “Which speaking of, I want you to start relaxing a little bit more this very moment.”

With your hands starting to tremble, you now placed a soft kiss upon his lips, but even still, you could still see the apprehension and fear of disappointing you deep within Ignis’s emerald eyes. Swallowing hard with your toes curling slightly, you spoke once more. “I…I prepped a meal for us. Are you hungry right now or would you like to wait to eat for a while?”

Ignis smiled, hiding his anxiety as best as he could as his hands gripped yoru hips more firmly. “Although I do anticipate what you have prepped for us tonight, the appetite is satiated for the moment. Although I must say the aroma of Ebony is indeed calling for me…”

You laughed delicately, and you bit your lip slightly. “How about this…you get yourself your cup of coffee and get out of those stiff clothes and relax. Meet me upstairs in the bathroom in ten minutes, ok?”

Ignis raised his eyebrow at this, and his curious expression suddenly made your loins tighten. “Certainly, my love,” he said, the timbre of his voice soothing to your ears, and each syllable was uttered with a hint of curiosity.

Nodding to him, without giving him a moment to question you, you jumped off his lap and quickly exited the living room, almost jumping up the stairs at two at a time as you made your way to the bathroom, flicking on the secondary lights and heading over to the spa tub where you began to run the water. Adjusting the temperature of the water to the appropriate comfortable warmth, you plugged the drain and then dried your hands briefly, tucking your hair nervously behind your ear.

 _Oh gods, why does this have me so giddy?_ You thought to yourself. It has always been more often than not that Ignis insisted on treating you to his massaging touches, asserting that your physically demanding days at EXINERIS called for your muscles to be treated with tender caresses and affection. And so, feeling that you had seldom the chance to return to the favor to him in his times of need, you realized more than ever that tonight was his turn for you to help set his weary body and mind at ease. You just only hoped that you could give him back equally what he gave you.

With quavering steps you walked over to the bathroom vanity to light a candle of sandalwood, one of Ignis’s preferred scents, and opening the cabinet under the sink, you began to rummage around underneath for what you were looking for. Iris had mentioned that she had stocked you with an assortment of bath salts, one in particular that would help soothe tender and achy muscles. Searching through the bath accessories below, your hand began to lift decanters and other assorted soaps and toiletries when your hand fell upon a particular bottle, striking your curiosity.

“Huh? What’s this?” You asked yourself as you grasped upon the bottle. Inspecting is closely, you began to read the label and descriptions written in fine elegant script, and with your eyes widening and your hands beginning to tremble, you felt yourself blushing deeply and your mouth hanging open as you realized just exactly what it was. _Oh gods…this…this is…_ But turning the bottle around now, a small groan exasperated escaped your lips as you read the tiny note that was attached to it.

**_Enjoy ;)           -Gladio_ **

_Oh my gods, you son of a bitch_ , you thought as you flushed even more deeply as you held the object at hand. Even when he wasn’t around Gladio never failed to tease you about the intimacy you shared with his best friend, and so yet part of you knew you shouldn’t be shocked over your little discovery.

 

You and Ignis were also not shy nor were you strangers to experimenting sexually to see what you liked and disliked (and you basically ended up loving everything he tried on you and vice versa), but this was surprisingly something that you had never even considered trying out. And so, biting your lip and feeling the heat pool down into your loins achingly, _perhaps_ , just perhaps this was something you could use right now to help ease the tension out of your lover…

Realizing now that time had passed, you grabbed the softest towel and cloth you could find and placed the bottle underneath them as you sat them by the edge of the tub. Then finally managing to locate the salts, you poured just the right amount into the tub, the soothing aroma instantly permeating the room. The scent helped to alleviate your own nerves, and dipping your hand into the tub, you felt that the water was just the right temperature for anyone’s liking.

“Darling? What are you doing?”

Turning around now, you saw Ignis standing in the doorway with his jacket and gloves discarded and his shirt slightly unbuttoned as he looked at your curiously. You smiled at him now, feeling your tummy turn into anxious knots as you walked over to him and gave him a soft kiss upon his lips.”

“Preparing you a bath, silly,” you said affectionally as you placed your hands upon his chest. “I want you at ease for the rest of the evening.”

Ignis’s expression softened as he looked down at you in awe with utter affection in his eyes. “Y/N, you didn’t have to do that. I should be the one taking care of you after your long day. I-“

But placing a finger to his lips, you silenced him playfully, feeling more heat twist in your loins as you now moved your fingers down to the topmost closed button of his shirt. “Shoosh, mister. Let me treat you every once in a while, ok?”

Looking at you for a moment, he sighed with a smile as you gently removed his glasses from his face and sat them on the vanity beside you, taking but a moment to stare into his gorgeous eyes and brush your fingers over the scar of his right eyebrow. You then started to unbutton his shirt for him, your fingers trembling as they moved downward. Ignis began to speed up the undressing process slightly by working at his belt and unclasping it for you. As you reached the last button of his shirt, another sigh escaped his lips as he unzipped his leather pants, the apparent tension behind the fabric being released. You moved behind him for just a moment to help maneuver his arms out of his shirt, and allowing it to fall to the ground without bothering to fold it for once, Ignis gracefully shimmied out of his pants, letting them pool to his ankles. Stepping out of them, in a supple manner he removed himself of his briefs, and now standing there before you in all of his beautiful splendor, you once more felt yourself quivering as you looked up into his eyes, his expression suddenly more reserved and relaxed and equally adoring.

“Y/N…” he murmured as he pulled you into his arms, pressing you firmly against him as he kissed your head. Your arms wrapped around his back to delicately touch the scars that littered themselves over his skin, and you had to refrain from moaning at the feel of his slightly hardened manhood pressing against your belly.

But looking up at him with your cheeks red, you placed a kiss upon his chin and released your arms from around him. “We don’t want the water to get cold,” you murmured softly.

Blushing back at you now, Ignis nodded and you watched with utter delight as his naked form pattered over to the spa and lowered himself into the hot water. A soft hiss escaped his lips at the hot water rippled like music and engulfed him, and you held back a slight groan at the primal noise. But trying to maintain your giddiness now, you watched as he ran his hands through his hair, wetting the strands and causing them to slick back away from his forehead. With quavering steps you now kneeled along the edge of the spa and placed your hands upon his shoulders, kissing the back of his neck and causing him to gasp softly.

“Y/N….” He murmured again, turning his head slightly to try to look at you.

Brushing your hands delicately over his shoulders, your lips trailed up to the back of his ears and kissed them gently, causing a sigh of pleasure to escape from his lips.

“Just relax, Iggy. I want you to feel good,” you said gently as you nuzzled your nose against his ear. Taking your hands now, you gently began to kneed the muscles of his shoulders and neck, the flesh hard as rocks but nevertheless beginning to ease up in their tension as you began your ministrations. As Ignis shifted comfortably in the tub, the hot water quietly now rippling around him, you softly began to hum a tune as you worked your hands over him as best as you could. Attempting to keep your song notes even, the undeniable heat radiating from his body seeped into your fingers and you felt yourself trembling as you continued to listen to the heavenly chorus of his deep sighs and breaths through parted lips. Ignis titled his head forward slightly now as you moved your hands to his shoulders, you leaning forward to kiss the back of his neck and spine, and he hummed with delight.

“E-Exquisite,” Ignis mumbled, and you couldn’t help but smile at his choice of fancy vocabulary in such a situation. Placing one last kiss on the back of his neck as you continued your song, you removed your hands from his shoulders and reached down to pick up the cloth, dipping it into the tub before you as you began to gently brush the wet terrycloth over his shoulders and arms. Ignis sighed once more, the sound causing your walls to tighten, and you tried your best to focus on the task at hand, taking utter delight in the resonances he was making as well as the feel of his strained muscles now finally starting to loosen up. As you pressed and massaged the wet cloth to the back of his neck, Ignis shifted forward slightly to allow you to bring the cloth down over his spine ever so gently, and you bit your lip at the sight of the glossiness of his scars drenched in water.

“D-Does that feel good?” You asked him nervously as you paused your song. But gauging his reactions, you were more than sure that he was most pleased at the moment.

“Y-Yes my dearest,” he said hoarsely, and you could not help but smile at the sound of his tension slowly being released through is vocal chords. “Please, do continue to sing for me….”

And so you did, but as you continued to massaged the cloth over the plains of his back and over the back of his arms and shoulders, your eyes glanced down at the towel and envisioned what was underneath, and swallowing hard, you decided to go forth with your next plan of helping the man unwind.

Wringing out the cloth and cascading it over the side of the tub, you now reached for the bottle and opened it as quietly as possible, squeezing some of the substance onto your hand. You held back a gasp at the sensation of its coolness and tingly slickness on your palms, and flushing more profusely, you were more than anxious to see just exactly how Ignis was about to react to its touch.

“C-Close your eyes, Iggy,” you said, attempting to control the shakiness in your voice.

Ignis turning his head around ever so slightly to catch your gaze, he nodded back and allowed himself to slouch against the back of the tub, shifting himself more closely to you now. Leaning up around him now so that your chest was pressed to the edge of the tub, you slowly reached down into the water with you palm closed for but a moment, and then when you felt the object at hand, you opened your palm and grasped gently around his manhood. Instantly Ignis’s eyes shot open as he gasped with sudden pleasure, and his head turned up slightly to look at you to see you blushing deeply and avoiding his eyes for a moment.

“Y-Y/N,” he said roughly as you began to move your hand up and down his shaft, your grasp upon his length gentle yet tight enough to exhibit just the right amount of friction, and you held back a moan at the way his lips parted and his eyes shut tightly to your touch.

“I-Is this ok, Iggy?” You asked as you continued to move your hand up and down at a relatively decent place, and the soft moans that escaped his lips were enough to make your walls clench and slicken with moisture, and you too now felt your body producing its own lubrication with anticipation.

“Oh _Astrals_ yes,” Ignis breathed, and he squirmed slightly to your touch and let out a louder groan and your palm squeezed more firmly around his manhood. Gods, you didn’t think it was possible for this man to be any sexier, and yet as he titled his head back to rest upon your shoulder with parted lips, you began to quicken your pace, the cool liquid still slick upon your hand as you felt your heart flutter with excitement as you watched him become unraveled. But just as you were about to move your hand even faster, underneath the water you felt Ignis’s large hand clasp around yours to stop your motions.

You raised an eyebrow, your heart sinking slightly at his sudden intrusion. “But Iggy, I-”

But taking a hold of your hand and clasping his fingers through yours, he turned around to look at you with his face heavily flushed and his gaze heated and desirous.

“If I am to release, my dear, I shall not do it without you….”

_Oh Six, yes…._

Before giving a chance to react, Ignis fully turned around completely and grasped both sides of your face gently, pulling you to him over the edge of the tub and kissing you passionately upon the lips. Your eyelids fluttered shut as your hands fell upon his chest to brace yourself, and him nipping at your lower lip, you cried out slightly at his sudden playfulness and aggressiveness. Letting go of you now though, his lids heavily looking upon you with want and his pupils darkened, his eyes pleaded with you to join him.

Biting your lip, you stood upon two feet, your knees cramping slightly as you shakily pulled your dress up over your arms and let it fall the floor, a sharp inhalation escaping Ignis’s mouth as he watched you undress in front of him. Unclasping your bra and tossing it to the floor, followed by removing your panties, you stood in the nude before him, the air within the room heavy and hazy with luscious scents and steam from the bath. Ignis held out his hand and helped guide you into the tub where your body was immediately greeted by the delightful heated sensation of hot water around your own tired muscles and the feel of Ignis’s strong arms engulfing you from behind. Ignis pressed you closer to him on his lap now, and you gasped loudly at the feel of his extremely hardened girth pressing along against your behind, and your inner walls clenched as you felt it twitch against the curve of your buttocks. Pushing your hair over your right shoulder, Ignis immediately began to kiss the back of your neck and shoulders, causing you to cry out softly with delight. You subconsciously pressed your behind more firmly against his shaft, causing him to grunt and grasp more firmly upon your waist.

“I-Iggy,” you breathed, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed in the most wonderful ways as he continued to kiss along your spine. Another moan escaped your lips as he nipped slightly at the bottom of your neck, and you soon found yourself squirming with delight as his shaft now slipped between your legs and was pressed along the ridge of your bud and outer folds. Ignis moaned as his length rubbed along your entranceway, and taking his one hand off of your waist for but a moment, he lifted himself and you slightly and reached awkwardly around the edge of the tub, apparently searching for something.

_Oh…oh…._

Now your eyes attentively on his hand, he removed his other hand from your waist and flicked open the cap to the bottle, turning it upside down to squeeze some of the liquid onto his own palm. Then sitting it back on the edge of the tub, you watched as his left hand slowly slinked under the water….

And you immediately let out a loud gasp as the cooling fluid touched your already overly sensitive bud, swirling his fingertips over the bundle of nerves in the most graceful of manners. You arched your back and your head fell back onto his shoulder as you lost yourself in the sensation of him pleasuring you, your lips parted and cries tumbling out of your mouth, and this only seemed to spur Ignis’s movements on even further.

“Iggy…Iggy…” you mumbled, biting your lip as the water undulated around you to the motions of his hand. “B-But this was supposed to be m-me taking care of you.”

Ignis chuckled huskily now as he kissed your ear from behind you, his hand dancing over your buds painfully slowly in the most soothing and wonderful of ways. His other hand now came up to grasp upon the side and underneath your right breast, his large hand cupping it gently and massaging the mound in the most tender and affectionate of ways.

“Hmm? I suppose that was your plan,” he said playfully in your ear and he kissed the cartilage of your ear once more. “But I only feel as good as you do. What kind of man would I be to give you nothing in return?”

Your walls clenched even more at his words as he continued to move his fingertips over your bud, and for just a teasing second, you felt his finger dip inside. Crying sharply, you arched your back once more as you now braced your hand upon his thigh, the other desperately now searching and attempting to grab his shaft underneath the water. Squirming in his laps as his slicked finger moved gently in and out of you, you cried out desperately, wanting now more than anything to feel him inside of you.

“Ignis, please…please…” You moaned, turning your head around to nuzzle against his. “I…”

“Say no more, my love,” Ignis said gruffly himself, and removing his finger from inside of you and his hand from your breast, he grasped your waist once more as he helped maneuver you around to face him, and instinctually, your legs straddled his hips with legs wide apart and your thighs pressing against his. Now finally able to see his face fully, your hands immediately went to his shoulders for support and your eyes fell to see his gaze hazily ridden with veneration and lust, and a sheepish smile spread across his lips. “Will you do me the honors once more, my love?” he said lustfully as his head motioned towards the bottle that sat near his head.

Blushing deeply again at his request, you removed your hands from his shoulders and reached for the bottle, uncapping it once more and squeezing a solid amount of the substance onto your palm. Then biting your lip as he watched you move, you shifted yourself up slightly upon your knees and you lowered your hand into the water, feeling for his shaft and grasping your slickened hand around his girthy length. Another deep moan escaped Ignis’s lips as you watched his eyelids flutter shut at your touch, and swallowing hard and finding yourself unable to manage your breathing, you guided his length to your entrance, lined the head up perfectly, and painfully slowly lowered yourself onto his length, his manhood sheathing itself to the brim inside of you.

Promptly you gasped out loud, throwing your head back with absolute decadence as your walls clenched tightly around his length, and as a reaction, Ignis leaned forward to press his face into your chest, his breathing instantly ragged as he clutched unto your waist with a tight grasp. _Gods_ did it feel amazing to be submerged in the hot bath water to feel your weightlessness while the cooling contrast of the fluid of his lubricated shaft tingled your insides. Inhaling sharply, you shifted upwards and began a slow grinding motion on his length, and now placing one hand upon the small of your back, Ignis pressed his mouth to your chest and shut his eyes tightly, relishing in the pace you set forth as you began to make love.

“Darling… _Astrals_ , darling,” he said raspingly, and you continued your fluid motions over his length. You brushed your hand through his wet hair, his locks messy and ever so beautiful as his breath fell to your chest and tingled your breasts. Then holding on firmly to his shoulders you pressed your lips to his forehead, kissing him delicately and sighing and moaning with delight as you felt his shaft twitch and throb with need as he pushed himself upward inside of you. You moved your lips down to kiss the deep groove of his scar on the bridge of his nose, and his eyes fluttered open as he gazed lovingly into your eyes.

“Ignis…” you murmured, and you gasped once more as his hand shifted up to cup gently the side of your breast and rub his thumb over the bump of your nipple. “Ignis…oh yes…”

Ignis pressed his lip now to the base of your throat, kissing deeply as he inhaled your scent, and for a moment his hand reached to pull gently at your hair gathered at your back and causing your head to fall backwards. He nipped your throat now, groaning at the sound of your delighted sighs, and in a surprised swift motion he thrust forcefully up into you. You whimpered loudly as you felt him smile against your throat, and kissing the flesh once more, Ignis shifted anxiously under your seated and dominate position.

“D-Darling,” he said now as he trembled beneath you, and you brought your gaze down to meet his beautiful orbs.

“Y-Yes, Iggy?” you asked breathlessly as he slowly but powerfully thrust up into you again, causing you to cry out sharply and some what to splash out of the spa.

Ignis flushed deeply, pressing his lips to your nose and sighing. “P-Please,” he begged pleadingly, “let me release within you.”

Your walls clenching tightly in response and causing Ignis to groan at the sensation, you nodded to him, holding your breath in anticipation.

Ignis’s nostrils flaring slightly and his pupils darkening, he lifted you gently from his lap and now maneuvered you so that you were kneeling upon your knees with your hands and elbows supported along the edge of the bath. Ignis now reaching to the bottle once more squeezed a small bit of the fluid onto his palm and closed the cap, sitting it back on the edge of the tub. Hearing his hand submerge itself into the water once more, sensing him grasping his shaft, you felt him press the head to your entrance, and without giving a moment to react, he pushed himself deep inside you and began deep and agonizingly powerful pace.

You threw your had back as Ignis’s moans began to reverberate within the bathroom walls, and it was all that you could do to clutch at the tub edge with slippery hands, the sensation of the water around your making you feel weightless once more as the water sloshed all around you. You moaned and whimpered loudly and Ignis pushed himself deep within you and hit every inch within your depths, and him now releasing one hand from upon your waist, he braced one leg up along your hips while the other snaked its way through your wet hair and tugged at it gently, causing your head to pull back slightly as your cries filled the air.

 _Oh gods have mercy on me_ , you thought as he quickened is pace, and cries of delight tumbled out of your mouth as he accelerated his thrusts, his grunts becoming more frantic as each second passed.

“I-Iggy,” you whined, the insurmountable pleasure almost too much for you as you felt his shaft pulse and twitch within you as you murmured his name, and both of his hands now snaked their way back to your hips, holding you firmly so you wouldn’t move. “I’m…I’m…I’m gonna…”

“Oh _darling_ , yes,” he groaned, his excitement in his voice more apparent than ever, and with one last final deep thrust, your walls came crashing down around his length, pulsing and tightening madly around his girth as your cries of relief filled the air. In unison, Ignis let out a moan of his own as his nails dug into your sides, his shaft convulsing and pumping hot cords of his seed deep into your depths. With his hips twitching sporadically with a final few thrusts, both of you came crashing down from your climaxes, every nerve tingling in your body as all the tension that your bodies possessed left you. With your head spinning from the intense sensations, you felt all strength leave you as Ignis grasped onto you firmly once more and pulled you back into the tub, wrapping his arms around you and pressing you to his body as you both lay submerged within the warm water. Your hair soaked and floating around you, your eyes fluttered shut for a moment as Ignis stroked the side of your face, kissing your head once again as he sighed deeply.

“Darling,” he murmured as you floated along the water.

“Hmm?” you said sleepily now with a sheepish grin on your lips, and you slowly opened your eyes and titled your head to look at him looking at you with a gentleness in his eyes, a stark contrast to the ferocity that previously emanated from them.

“You mustn’t doze off here. That could lead to the most dreadful of consequences.”

You laughed now, shifting yourself in his arms as you pressed a wet kiss to his lips, your hand running through his messy hair once more. “You’re always looking out for me like that, you know that?” You said with appreciation and bashfulness in your tone.

“Always and forever, love. And nothing will ever change that.”

And gods did you know how true that was, as another unknown dawn waited before you.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The song in which the Reader (and then Ignis) hums too is actually in fact the Galdin Quay theme. I am such a huge fan of that song and there is something so soothing and beautiful about its arrangement. The whole idea for Ignis singing though came from the latest update where Ignis is caught humming the Chocobo theme and it catches Prompto by surprise. It's adorable and I felt I just had to include that side to Iggy here. He's always seen as being too uptight and so I wanted to show off his playful and more reserved side.
> 
> *Throwback to Kingsglaive hardcore! It was actually really tough to right the dialogue with Libertus because I haven't seen the film in a while. I apologize if I got anything wrong with his backstory here. I feel so bad for the poor guy with how much he misses Nyx and Crowe, even after all these years :(
> 
> So about this sex scene...holy shit was it nerve-wracking to write because I was terrified of it seeming too tacky. But honestly, I feel like at this point in Iggy's and the Reader's relationship they would be trying everything under the sun to see what pleases each other with how madly in love they are with one another. But damn you Gladio for being sneaky like that. Because I never tried it myself, I actually had to research how workable water sex would be, and so apparently as long as you are prepared it's doable.


	18. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How I managed to squeeze another chapter in before life became chaotic, I had no idea, but I would like to thank the release of the Royal Edition for giving me inspiration to plunge on through! If you haven't played it yet...damn it go out and play it! Square did wonders to updating Chapter 14! And can we talk about the fun on the Royal Vessel? XD
> 
> Anyways, here is the latest chapter in our journey! This one was certainly fun to write with all the good stuff that is going on and I hope that you too will enjoy it!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy, and I would love to hear your feedback! :) Your support as always is much appreciated!
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_I look around, but I can't find you (raise it up)_

_If only I could see your face (raise it up)_

_Instead of rushing towards the skyline (raise it up)_

_I wish that I could just be brave_

_I must become a lion hearted girl_

_Ready for a fight_

_Before I make the final sacrifice_

_Florence and the Machine – “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)”_

 

“I-Is this all you need me to do for the afternoon, Miss Y/N?” Asked the young EXINERIS employee who was now standing in front of your desk with her tablet held in her hands.

“Yep! That street is our next priority on our agenda. You and the girls manage to get that set of lines back up and running and we will be good to go for the afternoon!” You replied cheerfully to the girl. “Keep up the excellent work, ok?”

“T-Thank, Y/N,” the girl said with a broad smile as she turned to head out of the office, shutting the door enthusiastically behind her.

Smiling to yourself, you stretched out your legs in your seat and resumed your work at your computer. Today, it was Jeanne who would be working in the field and you behind the desk as you examined the agenda for the week at EXINERIS. While progress was being made slowly but surely within Insomnia in slowly restoring the main frame of electricity to the outer reachings of the city, as you sat and looked at the long list of jobs that was ever so slowly accumulating as the restoration projects continued forth, you couldn’t help but lean your chin on your hands as you sighed deeply, feeling all but too overwhelmed at wanting more than anything to see the city back to the grandeur it once possessed.

 _We will get there_ , you said to yourself as you scrolled down the list of projects. _It’s just going to take some time. Thank the Astrals we even got this far to begin with…_

You were about to take a sip of water from your bottle on your desk when your phone rang suddenly. Rummaging around in your pocket, you pulled out the cellular to see that it was Holly who was calling on the caller idea, causing you to raise your eyebrow with excitement and eagerness. It had been a few weeks at this point since you moved to Insomnia, and although you have had contact with Holly through e-mails this was the first time that you would be hearing her voice in a few weeks. And so enthusiastically swiping right on your phone, you brought the device up to your ear and spoke.

“Hey Holly, how are you?” You asked happily, curious of what she had to say.

“Y/N! It’s good to hear your voice! I’m doing ok, and you? From what Jeanne told me, you are making out like a champ as always,” she said with a smile in her voice. She paused for a second, suddenly seeming to go serious. “I’m…so terribly sorry that I haven’t reached out to call you to particularly see how you were doing. But things have been crazy busy here in Lestallum and we girls have been trying to get everything in order, and with what Jeanne told me I knew that I didn’t have to worry about how you were making out.”

You raised your eyebrow, your inquisitiveness peaked at the tone of her voice. “Is everything alright? You seem a little bit stressed right now to say the least…”

Holly laughed on the other line and the sound brought delight to your heart, suddenly making you miss the conversations you two shared daily on those sweltering hot days in Lestallum. “Oh, everything is fine, just chaotic. As I know how swamped you guys are by looking at the Insomnia records in our files, we too have been pretty busy with our agenda as well. I’ve been in the process of hiring some new girls who have been very eager to work.” She paused for a second and laughed. “It’s funny to think about how all those years ago we had the damnedest time in trying to stay fully staffed. Now it seems that women are lining up at the door, ready to work. I guess they’ve heard good things about how our union has changed at the benefits they would be getting.”

And truth be told, you too recalled such when you began work at EXINERIS all those years ago before the fall of darkness upon the world. You and the girls always seemed to be scrambling to get jobs done, and when the darkness came, it was still a wonder that Holly would even be able to spare you to go out on hunts, due to the important nature of you helping restore power. But her, seeing the vast magnitude of protecting the last safe haven in Eos, must have seen your daemon and beast-slaying as much more of a priority.

Holly continued. “So yeah, we’re getting more girls and several of them will be heading your way to Insomnia, as many of them actually are refugees from all those years ago. They are more than anxious to finally be heading home.” And at this, you knew you certainly were going to be grateful for the extra help. “Then let’s see…” She said, mulling her ideas over in her mind. “We also are going to be expanding the rails of the cable cars all the way to the eastern part of Lucis right to Hammerhead. People have been eager to travel again but not everyone has a car of course, and so we figured this would certainly help people with finding employment as well as sight-seeing. We have also been working hand in hand with the folks at Veritas Mart at Ravatough. They are thinking of establishing their own spa there to utilize the heat from the steam, but that itself has been a pain in the ass process.”

You raised your eyebrow at this. “Why? What’s going on? We’re experts with utilizing steam, so what’s the big issue?”

Holly sighed. “Oh, it’s not on our part that we’re having issues with, and the folks at Veritas have been nothing but amiable about everything we’re trying to do for them. The issue lies in the damn Wyverns that keep trying to make their way down from the Rock and are pestering civilians in terrifying ways. We’re having a similar issue out at the Vesperpool, as we’ve been trying to work on extending the power lines out there more for when work actually begins on the King’s fishing resort, once all the prioritized and important projects are finally complete. But those damn Sahagins out there are making the situation terribly dangerous for our ladies while they are trying to survey the land, and so we’ve been more than thankful to have the hunters and even the Glaives come out to help us and protect the ladies while they work.”

Your heart sank at hearing this news. “Holly, why didn’t you call me out there? You know I would have been on the job immediately to take care of it!”

Holly sighed. “I know that you would have, Y/N, but I didn’t want to be overburdening you with everything, especially considering you’ve been having to adjust to the city life. You already have enough on your plate as it is.” And truth be told, you certainly did, although having the sense of duty and responsibility to protect others helped give you drive and purpose. “Believe me when I say that the opportunities to wield your katana are never ending. Speaking of which, just how have _you_ been making out with all of that on your end?”

You exhaled with a smile in your voice. “You know, Holly, despite the fact how freaking nervous I was about taking this office over, I have to say that the adjustment has been pretty good. Minus the fact that you aren’t here and I’m not in Lestallum, I feel pretty much at home here. You have certainly trained me well to prepare me for this role.”

Holly took a deep breath, almost as if she wasn’t ready for the kindness of your words. “That’s what I like to hear, Y/N, and by the looks of our records you seem to be taking on a lot of big tasks both within Insomnia and out.”

And big tasks indeed. Even though you were hired in this new position with the intention that you would be spending the majority of your time within the city walls, as any local out-of-city jobs were requested on your list of to-do work, you had felt deep down that you yourself should take on the responsibility, not wanting to put any of the girls in danger in case a dangerous beast should arrive on scene.

And not that you minded, of course, as your hunter instincts lead you towards adventure. Quite often, it was Libertus who would join you at your side, and although the Glaive initially was rather shy and reserved around you as you worked, as time went on, he slowly opened up to you about his past, sharing the stories of how he and his best friend used to play in the rivers of Galahd and even owned a bar in their hometown. Through your conversations with one another during your work hours, you and Libertus became fast companions, and it almost felt as though that he was the brother that you never had the chance of having.

 

But accompanying you the majority of the time (much to your absolute delight), Ignis was more than excited and willing to partake on your endeavors with you like you two always used to do, refusing to let you go outside the city on your own without protection, even though he knew you were more than capable. Thankfully while most of your jobs were done in peace without the fear of being attacked by the local wildlife, nonetheless, you could not help but swoon at the way that he watched you while you worked on reconnecting power lines, fixing valves and plugs, and recircuiting breakers and outlets. It was almost as if the mundane and simple work you were completing was like an inclusive show to him, and at times you couldn’t help but find your hands shaking and trembling after he would kiss you periodically during the course of your labor, and it even seemed to him that he had to restrain himself from distracting you more than he should while you operated.

Although of course, on some of those rare occasions when you toiled away in more remote areas without wandering and curious eyes, those kisses would lead to a little something else that would leave you two as a mass of intertwined limbs as you gave into your need to be one with each other in the most intimate of ways.

And as you sat there with your phone pressed to your face, your mind started to wander to other musings. During the course of the weeks, you made visit to the Citadel on several occassions, other than for purposes of work or spending time with Ignis and the group. Much to your astonishment, Cor had expressed interest in wanting to spectate your skills with weapons and had offered to train you during his spare time. Ignis who initially expressed his concern over the Marshall taking things too far and potentially hurting you quickly changed his mind when he saw the eagerness sparkle in your eyes at the prospect of being tested by the Immortal himself. And so, as you sat behind the desk as Holly spoke, feeling your leg bounce with restlessness and your face flush, you began to think about to one successful session in particular that left you feeling rather breathless…

***********************

_One week prior…._

Your body went hurtling to the ground as you slid across tiled floor, you wincing at the feel of your knee skidding across the flooring as you tried to brace yourself with your weapon in hand. The lance that you held, crafted finely in the most intricate Insomnian fashion, was your weapon of choice for training today, and while it took you a bit to get adjusted to bearing its off-weight compared to that of your usual katana, you quickly found yourself enjoying using its length to help keep you balanced and to use as a guard upon incoming attacks.

But as Cor lunged at you from above one more time, you soon realized that perhaps despite your best efforts, this battle out of many had been lost, and driving the lance upwards to protect yourself, you shielded yourself as best as you could but to no avail. Cor managed to find a way to maneuver the lance away from your grasp, causing it to be sent skating across the floor, and now you were left undefended from his advance as he stood before you with the tip of his own weapon directed at your face.

You were panting and huffing as you fell to both knees, realizing your instance of utter defeat. Coughing harshly at your lack of breath, Cor slowly lowered his own lance as he held out his hand to you, and you gladly took it, not having the strength to stand upon oscillating feet on your own.

“I have to say,” Cor began, and the rumble of his voice sent shivers down your spine. “While you certainly have a long way to go with the mastery of javelins, I am still more than impressed in your ability to adapt so quickly to different fighting styles and weaponry. It takes a skilled fighter to do that, isn’t that correct, Ignis?”

Your eyes quickly darted over to Ignis who was standing on the sidelines of the room, one arm over his chest while the other hand was brought up to his chin as if he had been examining each and every move of yours for the last hour. “That is most certainly correct, Marshall,” he said as he shifted his hips in his Kingsglaive garb, and you felt yourself flush deeply at the small smile that was upon his beautiful lips as he pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose.

“T-thank you, sir,” you said genuinely as you diverted your attention back to the Marshall now, trying your best to focus on Cor as Ignis examined you with heated eyes. You swallowed hard, feeling rather humble now. “I feel I don’t deserve such a compliment though. I’m only decent thanks to Gladiolus helping me out all of those years ago, so it’s him you should saying anything to.”

Cor smiled at this as he motioned you towards your weapon on the floor. “Needless to say, give yourself credit for making due with your circumstances,” he said as he reached down and picked up the lance to put it back in your grasp. “I have faith in your ability and I know that with more practice we can foster those skills to have you became an even stronger warrior. That is, if you wish.”

You smiled back, nodding. “Of course I would. And I am honored that you would even given me your time of day to do so. I know how busy that you already are with keeping an eye on Noctis.”

“Anything for a member of the Crownsguard,” Cor said genuinely. “It truly is the least I could do for all the help you have given us.”

“Marshall, may I offer to continue this session in your stead for the afternoon?” Ignis said nonchalantly as he walked over towards your company now, and you held your breath at the way his hips swayed as he walked to stand by you.

“But of course,” Cor replied as he began to walk towards to door, and Ignis followed him at his side. “Of all our soldiers you are certainly most knowledgeable with this brand of weapon. In fact I have some rather important business that I would like to take care of in regards to the Crownsguard and Glaives, and so I shall fill you in on our debriefing after my meeting concludes.”

“Why certainly Marshall,” Ignis said as he stood by the door now. “I shall fully anticipate your intel.”

“And in the meantime, I will make sure that no one disturbs your training with the use of the hall,” Cor replied. “Until later.”

And so as the Marshall stepped through the heavy doors and out into the hall way, Ignis pulled the doors shut behind him with a loud metallic clang and rotated the locks of the doors to the right, sealing you and him within the training hall in each other’s company.

All alone.

Ignis slowly turning back around to face your direction, immediately your throat tightened and your loins coiled at the sight of heat in his eyes, and ever so leisurely he made his way back over to you, bravado in each emphasized step as he removed his gloves from his hands and put them into the pockets of his jacket.

_Oh Astrals, save me now._

Your hands were clutching tightly at the lance within your grasp, your hands vibrating and your legs trembling as Ignis stalked towards you like you were his pray to be pounced upon and slaughtered.

“Ignis? Ignis?” You said anxiously, anticipating his next movement, and as if you weren’t already coated in sweat from your training session with the Marshall, you now once more felt a sweat droplet from near your temple skid down the side of your face at trying to decipher what was going through the advisor’s mind. But before you could even continue your words Ignis moved in swiftly and brought his lips crashing down tenderly upon yours, causing you to drop the lance at your feet and wrap your arms around his neck, and a groan of pleasure rumbled through his throat as he kissed you.

It was now he who was trembling, and he pulled back from his kiss to grasp at the sides of your face and run his thumb over your lower lip, causing your mouth to part. “You. You are the most incredible woman alive.” He said huskily as he kissed you again, causing your head to be pushed back. You moaned against his lips and your head began to spin at his passion, and you had to attempt your best to brace yourself upon your feet at his sudden ferocity and desire. Ignis took a deep breath once more as he held onto you tightly, now reading your face intently. “You are the most incredible woman I know and I am certainly one lucky man who surely could not deserve to be graced with someone such as you.”

You were blushing deeply now as he continued to gaze deeply into your eyes, feeling utterly overwhelmed by such praise and a sudden surge of affection. And in your mind, you had to laugh, knowing it was YOU who all too often felt that way about the royal advisor.

“W-What brought this on all of a sudden? Not that I’m minding your showers of kisses…” You asked him somewhat playfully, and thank the gods he was holding onto your face otherwise you would have fainted and fallen like your lance upon the ground.

Ignis once more rubbed his thumb over your lower lip and slowly trailed his hand down your neck and to the base of your throat where your flushed flesh was exposed from your own Kingsglaive attire. “Your…prowess in battle, such as moments ago. It never ceases to amaze me,” he said through strained words, and his other free hand began rub your ear lobe tenderly, causing your spine to tremor. “The way you carry yourself in such a dignified manner. Your fighting spirit and your valor in all situations presented, even against someone so practiced such as the Marshall himself. And even more so,” he said gravelly, his own cheeks flushing now and his breathing somewhat heavy, “the way you handled that lance with such beginner’s precisions has me most intrigued and in admiration of you. You…are a force to be reckoned with and one that I am more than honored to stand by.” And he paused now, his hand at the base of your throat now skimming down between your breasts. “And permit me to be so bold as to say that watching such a spectacle as me feeling rather…provoked right now, if you understand my meaning…”

Slowly your mouth parted and your eyes widened at the true implications of his words, and finding your chest suddenly rising and falling rapidly now, you braced your quaking hands upon his chest. Heat shot down to your loins and you licked your lips, feeling your pupils dilate at his suggestion. Gods, you wanted him more than anything right now, but even still… “B-But Ignis. What if…what if we-“

But Ignis silenced your concern as he brought his lips down to kiss you once more, this time with more force. His body too was shaking, and it seemed that up until this point he was doing all he could do to refrain from completely unleashing upon you before you giving him consent.

“So be it, darling,” he said breathlessly as he pulled back from you, and the look in his eyes told you that he truly did not care of what repercussions he would face if you both were caught. “Besides, we shan’t be disturbed at the Marshall’s word and there is no possible entry otherwise as I have bolted the door. Dearest…”

Gods, you could never envision something as sexy as the man that stood unwinding before you. Biting your lip and finding your walls tighten with need, your fingers shakily reached up to touch the scars of his face and lips, and now unable to cope with your own needs any longer, you brought your lips crashing up to his in a heated fervor, wanting to taste every inch of his lips.

Ignis responded immediately by growling deeply in his throat, and your lips danced across one another’s, his hand trailing back up between your breasts and managing to skillfully undo the top button of your blouse. But him appearing to wanting to advance your session as quickly as possible, he parted with your lips and began to hastily undo the many buttons of his Kingsglaive jacket. Assisting him as best as possible with your quivering fingertips, Ignis sighed with relief as the buttons were undone, and freeing himself from his jacket, he laid it out smoothly upon the floor. But wondering why he would take such care to lay it flat, as you looked back at his face and examined his expression, a dawn of realization quickly coming over you as you somehow instinctually knew how he wanted to proceed with you without another moment’s haste.

And it was exactly how you wanted him too at this very instant.

Biting your lip and giving him a lustful gaze, not even caring that you were still fully dressed, slowly and sensually with a slight sway of your hips you descended to the floor and situated yourself upon all fours upon the soft leathers of his jacket. Wiggling your hips slightly as you comfortably positioned your hands upon his coat, taking care to not knee any of the silver buttons, you looked back at Ignis and waited for him to proceed with you.

Ignis inhaled sharply and his nostrils flared as he quickly fell to both knees behind you and placed his hands upon your hips. “Will you be comfortable, dearest?” He asked you with throaty words as he looked at you with lust, and as he pushed his own hips into yours, you felt the prominent erection that was pressed to your behind through his pants, causing your walls to tighten with need.

“Y-Yes,” you said breathlessly, and quite frankly you could have had your lance driven through your skull right now and you still would be content with any discomfort. But even more so, you could not help but feel your heart swell at the fact that he took such concern in making sure that you felt ok, even in the heat of such a moment as this.

“Excellent,” he said huskily, and his hands taking but a moment to trail down the curves of your buttocks, he immediately reached around your body to pull at the buttons of your own leather garments. With deft precision he was able to do so without even looking, and he grasped at your zipper and pulled it down, followed immediately by his large hands grasping the waistband of your pants, yanking them down from around your waist, over your hips, and down to your knees. Restrained by the boots in which your pant legs were tucked in, you knew that you could proceed no further with the undressing of your body unless you stood up, but it took you little reasoning in realizing that Ignis had the intent all along in taking you partially dressed. A sharp inhalation from behind you lead you to believe that Ignis enjoyed what he was now seeing. Not having planned this on purpose, today when you had woken up you had felt an air of confidence about you and had opted for a sexier pair of undergarments that were black with mesh, and groaning now at the scent of your almost exposed arousal that now wafted up to his nostrils, Ignis grabbed harshly at your hips, his nails almost digging into the tender flesh and causing you to yelp.

“You naughty, daring woman, you….” He cooed as he slowly once again trailed his hands across your buttocks and down your thighs, completely ignoring caressing near your entrance.

You moaned softly at his gentle touch, feeling yourself quavering once more upon your hands and knees as you waited with anticipation at his next move.

“Perhaps just a little bit,” you said bashfully through heavy breath, and as you turned your head back around to look at him he removed his hands from you completely once more and began to quickly work his hands over the belt of his pants. Yanking at the buckles and removing the accessory from its clasp, Ignis now pulled at the button of his pants, seeming to be utterly at his wit’s end as he combatted his desires. Unzipping the tight garment, Ignis now grasped the waist band of his pants, pulled them down in unison with his own briefs to his knees, and a sprang forth his already hardened shaft that was glistening at the end and twitching right in the direction of your entrance.

_Oh Six, I can’t take this anymore…please give me relief…_

Clutching at the leather coat that you were kneeling upon, you bit your lip and felt your loins coil tightly at the sight of him presented behind you, and you shifted your hips in his direction, enticing him on.

“I-Iggy, please….” You whimpered, too anxious and lust-ridden at this point to even wait for his caressing foreplay.

Ignis inhaled abruptly at the sound of your begging and his face flushed even further, his chest rising and falling heavily now as he grasped his manhood and stroked it a few times.

“Darling, I thought you’d never asked,” he murmured. And so, grabbing your panties and pulling them to the side of your entrance, Ignis grasped his length, pressed the tip of it to your entrance, and in one smooth and powerful motion plunged deep into your warmth.

Instantly you threw back your head and cried out, wincing slightly as you felt him stretching you completely, your tightened walls having not been readied as usual for his intrusion. But nevertheless, your extreme tightness due to him not preparing you was more than welcome, and based on the reaction of Ignis’s sudden strangled breathing, you were pretty positive that he was feeling the same way. Holding desperately at your hips, his nails digging slightly into your flesh, Ignis began to move in and out of your slickened walls at a deep and painfully slow pace, each thrust sheathing his girth to the hilt and sending you rocking forth on your hands and knees. With each surge of his hips punctuated a primal grunt from his lips, and turning your head back to look at him, you own eyes fluttering shut at the intense pleasure, Ignis’s face was plastered in an expression of pure and utter bliss, his beautiful scared lips hanging upon and his eyes shut tightly, lost in pure ecstasy.

“I-Ignis,” you whimpered, each thrust hitting deep inside of you and causing you to yip with delight, and already you felt you were losing your sense of self control. The restriction of your leather pants only allowing you to spread your legs so far apart was like pure and wonderful torture, and your knees pressed harshly into Ignis’s coat, your nails almost scraping into the leather.

Ignis’s eyes fluttered open as he saw you gaze at him with hazy eyes, and Ignis groaned at your longing countenance as his own cheeks flushed even more. A droplet of sweat was slowly sliding down his temple, his pupils fully blown and his chest rising and falling as he suddenly lessened his grip on your hips and began to caress the side of your thighs.

“Y-Yes, love?” He said, almost barely unable to articulate his heated words.

“P-Please, Ignis, faster,” you begged him, and truly you were unable to take such a sinfully slow and pleasurable pace any longer.

Ignis gasped deeply as he now bit his own lip, and in one fell motion he thrust forward more quickly now, sending you sliding slightly upon your knees and causing you to grip more tightly at his jacket. A sharp cry escaped your lips and reverberated across the training hall as he proceeded to take you more ferociously, and through the confines of your clothes you felt your body begin to drench itself in sweat. But much to your surprise as he started to slam into you, you felt Ignis’s hands skim up to your waist now and pull you upright so that you were in a kneeling position, and through this position he wrapped one arm around your midsection and the other around the base of your throat, pressing you close to him as he took you from behind.

But a growl escaped his lips as he pressed his mouth to your ear, his breath hot and hazy upon the sensitive skin.

“You mustn’t be so loud, my dearest, otherwise someone might hear us,” he teased through husky and strained words, and had it not been due to such a heated situation you would have been able to laugh out loud. But before you could reply, he thrust more harshly into you and bit at your ear, causing you to yelp more piercingly.

“A-And you think that’s fair for me?” you attempted to say back playfully as another moan escaped your lips while he now kissed your neck and brought one hand down to press upon your lower belly. The sudden pressure exerted upon you belly in unison with the stretching of his shaft deep inside of you began to send you over the edge, and as he continued to kiss along your neck and ear, slowly but surely you were on your way to becoming entirely unraveled.

“It’s not,” he said, chuckling and groaning as he hit deep inside of you, causing you to moan more loudly. But removing his hands from your stomach and throat, Ignis skimmed his hands down your sides and hips over the fabric of your shirt and planted his hands upon your hips once more. “Hold on, my dearest," he murmured, causing your spine to tingle.

And so began his utter savage force of his thrusting hips deep into your walls, and now at this point you were calling his name, not giving one damn in the world about who or what heard you. You threw your head back against his chest and angled your face up towards his, and with such dexterous grace and skill, he brought his lips crashing down upon yours, his moans and growls escaping his lips as he grabbed painfully at your hips, and your knees dug into the ground beneath you through his jacket.

“Mmmm…mmmmn Ignis!” You tried to utter against his lips, your body now quaking and quivering, and your walls were tightened like a rubber band ready to snap.”

“Y-Yes, Y/N,” Ignis said hoarsely as he parted lips with you, and he pressed his face against yours, he too seeming about ready to lose himself as he kissed the side of your face.

“I’m…I’m…” You whimpered, but your sentence was lost in your throat as your cries of utter ecstacy pierced the air and echoed across the chamber. Your heat began to throb and pulse around his manhood and a surge of hot white pleasure coursed through you, and your eyes fluttered shut as your body convulsed against his, unable to brace yourself any longer and your climax crashed down upon you.

And at your own cries of passion, Ignis too now lost himself as the thrusting of his hips sputtered and he groaned loudly, his face burying into your shoulder and his teeth biting harshly into your skin. He grabbed desperately at your hips and pulled you as humanly close to him as possible as the movements of his hips faltered, and now your eyes widened at the sensation of his hot seed spurting into you and his shaft throbbing inside of you. A loud sigh escaped Ignis’s lips as his hot breath flowed to your neck, and reaching back to brace your hands upon his thighs, you slowly felt the waves of both of your climaxes ride out, and for but a moment you both remained kneeled and close to one another, contentedly listening to the leveling out of each other’s breathing.

With your eyes slowly opening now and you squeezing gently at Ignis’s thighs, surprisingly it was you who spoke first. “Well, am I any closer to mastering a lance?”

The sound of Ignis’s sudden delighted chuckle almost startled you as he trailed his hands up over your stomach, and now he began to kiss you where he bit you. He shifted behind you, and you groaned slightly at the feel of his still hardened shaft pulse slightly inside of you. “I would say quite so…although,” he began, now nuzzling against you from behind, “I would never say no to offering a few more…’practice sessions,’ that is, if you think you could handle it.”

“Hmmmm….so…..round two, then?”

“I thought you would never ask, darling.”

******************************

“Hey, Y/N! You still there on the phone or did a meteorshard drop on your head?”

Quickly your mind snapped back to the conversation at hand. “Oh! I’m sorry! I err…..was just thinking about a job that I did a few days ago….What were you saying again?”

Holly laughed on the other line yet she didn’t seem to be convinced by your fib. “Yeah….sure you were,” she said suspiciously, but she continued her talk nonetheless. “I was just saying how utterly impressed I am that you are still dedicating so much of your time to your hunting jobs, even on top of all of your responsibility. You really are an incredibly brave woman, you know that?”

And you were blushing again, this time at her compliment. By this time in your career now you considered anything and everything that you were handed to be as part of your job expectations, but even still, hearing such appreciation expressed truly warmed your heart.

And so you sighed, smiling. “Thank you, Holly. Believe me that I consider it an honor and a pleasure to serve the people of Lucis through my work here through EXINERIS and the Citadel. And by the sounds of all that is going on, the people are going to be needing all the protection they can get.”

Holly too sighed now, but you could almost visual the warm expression on her face on the other line. “I hear ya there, kiddo. Believe me. And we all appreciate every little bit that you, the hunters, and the King and his men are doing to keep us all safe.”

A moment of silence passed on the line as you both seemed to take into consideration the implication of the situation that was presented to you. But it was Holly who spoke finally. “But yeah…I promise from this point on I will make sure to call you daily now to check up on you, Jeanne, and the girls. Right now I gotta head back out from the office to help oversee the installing of some pipes heading to that new development down by the meteor.” And Holly paused, taking a deep breath now. “Just…take care, ok, Y/N? I’ll call you again soon.”

You swallowed hard, suddenly missing very much being back “home” in Lestallum. “And you too Holly. Maybe soon I’ll come by and visit since I still have my place there. I should probably better make use of it soon.”

Holly chuckled. “That you should. Now get back to work kiddo, ya hear? And we’ll talk soon.”

Holly was the first to hang up, leaving you pondering in a sea of thoughts. Sighing once more as you sat down your phone, you rested your head within your palms, feeling a sense of worry come over you. Once more your dream from several weeks prior popped into your head, causing your spine to shiver and your stomach to turn over in knots. It had only been just one dream, one horrific and short-lived dream, and still, you couldn’t seem to shake it out of your mind, no matter how much you tried. Even as the days passed on, you over and over again tried to convince yourself that it was just a metaphorical dream representing your stress and anxiety over moving to the big city, but even more so after speaking with Holly and hearing of all the activity that had transpired for your fellow EXINERIS ladies and their apparent need for protection, on top of all the business that Cor had mentioned to you through the Citadel, still, you were slowly starting to convince yourself that maybe this dream meant otherwise.

You now felt your fingers massaging the skull pendant that danged at your collar bones, the beautiful gift from Ignis that you had refused to take off as it provided you with a sense of solace and peace when you slept at night as well as the comfort of having Ignis close to you when he was not around. Clutching at it, you bit your lip, starting to mull your thoughts over in your head.

 _Should…should I finally tell him about it? Will he be upset with me?_ You thought, now picturing his possible expression and reaction to you revealing such information. _Or maybe he’ll see it as the same as me? Maybe I’m still overacting to all of this…_

But as your hand fell from the pendant and you looked at the clock, you took note of the time and how much more you had left on your agenda to take care of for the day, as in just a few short hours, it would be another obligation after work that left you anxious and nervous but also excited with prospect.

Breathing deeply once more, you pushed your negative thoughts to the back of your mind as you resumed your work, praying the Astrals would help you get over your anxious nerves for what was to come later on in the day.

Wedding talk.

*******************************

And so after the remaining hours of your shift had passed (you ended up indeed heading out into the field to work on some power lines because your uneasy mind couldn’t just sit still anymore behind a desk), you had rushed home to wash up and put on some fresh clothes of a nice top and pair of jeans with a cargo jacket. Choosing to walk to your destination to make use of the beautiful weather for the evening and let loose your nervous energy, you left your development and made your way down the bustling Insomnia streets as the sun slowly began to set over the horizon. Holding your jacket closely to your form, you focused on the path ahead of you, finding yourself utterly oblivious to the passersby as you walked forth.

In just a few moments you would be joining Iris, Gladio’s fiancé, and their childhood friend at a local bridal shop to finally try on bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses to be fitted and sized. You felt your heart racing and you were fiddling with you thumbs as you walked, not understanding yourself why you were feeling so anxious over such a gathering. But as you took each step towards your destination, paying attention as best as you could to the street signs for the directions that Iris provided for you, a sudden curious inquiry came to mind.

 _It’s been so long since_ anyone _was able to celebrate their happiness_ , you mused as you played with the buttons on your jacket. _I can’t imagine anyone being able to find the time to even think of getting married, having all of us suffered in darkness for so long, so I guess I can give major props to Gladio and his girlfriend for pushing through and wanting to make their love truly official after all this time._

This thought caused you to smile broadly and your heart to swell with happiness, and perhaps your nervous enthusiasm was due to feeling giddy over knowing that you would get to be a part of that tying of the knot and the start of their official lives together.

_Oh Gladio...you deserve all the happiness in the world, and so does everyone else…_

Including you.

But just as you were about to round the final corner that would take you to your destination, a sharp piercing cry was heard from behind you, causing you to turn around quickly and having your feet plant themselves in a defensive, warrior-like stance. Not caring that the citizens of Insomnia around you may have thought you looked crazy, your eyes began to quickly scan your parameters, looking for the location of the noise to rush to its defense, your heart racing and now pounding in your chest as your protective warrior instincts kicked in. But hearing the sound once more and taking a few steps back around the corner, your eyes quickly fell to the source of the noise, causing a deep blush to creep up over your cheeks when you realized what it was.

Sitting upon a bench in which you had failed to notice as you walked by prior was a young mother with an infant in her arms, the child squirming and now screaming with its little lungs as the mother fumbled within the bag that sat next to her on the bench. Rummaging around inside, the mother pulled out a bottle and began to feed the baby, immediately assuaging it and causing the child to be silence in a contented enjoyment.

Standing there staring now, you blinked stupidly for a second, bringing your fingers up to massage your temples. Shutting your eyes for but a second, you exhaled loudly, feeling the tension ease from your shoulders.

 _It’s just a baby…_ you said to yourself, feeling rather embarrassed as the eyes of pedestrians bore into you as they walked past _. It’s just a hungry baby._ _Nothing new that I have ever seen before._ But as you breathed in deeply and slowly made your way back to a walking pace, you felt your eyes widen and a flush once again creep up through your neck and cheeks as you thought about your reaction. _Then why….why was I so panicked? Why did I react that way?_

Your notions spinning at trying to comprehend your response, you bit your lip as you continued to walk, feeling giddy once more at the sudden thought that popped into your head.

_Ignis…_

Bringing your hands up to hide your blushing cheeks, you felt your stomach flutter as you now approached the destination of the bridal shop, almost stumbling as you stepped at the thought that your response was perhaps a little less due to warrior instincts and perhaps a little bit more on the potential maternal side.

“N-No…I’m not ready for that just yet,” you said quietly to yourself, feeling your heart clench and your cheeks redden even more. But as a sudden daydream of Ignis approaching you with warmth in his smile and his hands reaching out to caress your face and stomach, you felt your throat tighten “Or…or am I?”

_Oh Astrals…shit…_

And now mere steps away from the shop, you shook your head clear of your giddy thoughts, your body trembling now as you tried to focus on your task at hand. “I-I’m just giddy from all this wedding stuff,” you said, laughing shakily to yourself out loud. “Y-Yeah, totally wedding talk. Most definitely…”

And so reaching for the handle you gathered your composure and stepped into the world of matrimony.

A light floral scent permeated your nose as your eyes fell upon gowns upon gowns of all colors, styles, and shapes displayed around the room, and once more your girlish thoughts fluttered back into your mind. But thankfully to brace yourself, your eyes fell upon Iris who was in conversation with an employee who worked for the shop. Hearing the bell jingle to the front door, Iris turned in your direction with wide grin upon her face.

“Y/N! You’re here finally!” She said excitedly as she rushed over to you and gave you the largest hug imaginable. But pulling back from you now, she began to study your expression, her face ridden with curiosity. “Yeesh, is everything ok? You look like you just got into a scuffle with a Behemoth! Your face is all red! Did you get sunburned at work today or something?”

Biting your lip at her observation, you smiled back at her, trying to hide your dizziness. “Y-Yeah, everything is fine. I just forgot to take care of something at the plant today and it made me run later than I anticipated,” you fibbed, hoping Iris wouldn’t see right through your lie.

Typically Iris would have pressed on further, the Amicitia girl usually being quite perceptive of your odd behavior. But, at this moment, your best friend merely smiled and took your hand. “Well, I’m glad you’re finally here. We are about to have some light snacks before we start to put on dresses. You’re absolutely going to LOVE the ones I picked out!”

And so now, you joined the rest of the ladies in the back portion of the shop, Gladio’s fiancé greeting you with a rather large hug of her own. Immediately your eyes fell to her beautiful face and her gorgeous eyes, and as every time you seemed to see this woman you couldn’t help but think of what a lucky man Gladio was in getting to marry such a beautiful and sweet woman. Accompanying her was her best friend whom you had never met before but had briefly heard about through your conversations with Iris. The young woman, the same age as you, had a very similar bubbly personality like Iris and you couldn’t help but smile at how she and the bride-to-be carried themselves as you indulged upon some light hors d'oeuvres. But now seeing your companions all laughing lightheartedly as you prepared yourselves to try on your gowns, you felt your spirit soaring once more, delighted over knowing that one of your closest friends during the years of darkness would be finding his true happiness after all this time.

After eating, each of you ladies began to try on your dresses for the big day. Knowing Iris’s keen sense for fashion, you were not at all surprised by her exquisite choice in bridesmaid dresses, each with a sweetheart neckline and thin straps. The material clung at the waist and tapered out at the knees in a flattering mermaid-style, and the soft fabric was accompanied by lace floral appliques. You were not at all shocked by Iris’s choice of a burgundy, the color appearing to suite the Amicitias so well. As you stood in front of the mirror before you, you could not help but feel in awe at how beautiful you looked, a smile coming to your face as you briefly swished around in front of the mirror, causing your best friend next to you to giggle.

But it was when Gladio’s fiancé stepped out of her changing room with the bridal shop attendant by her side that you felt your jaw drop. As she stepped into full view of the mirror before you, you could not help but be in utter awe how she appeared to ascend to the level of beauty of the goddess Shiva herself. Her dress too also had a sweetheart neckline with sleeves that came down to her fingertips. The gown hugging her petit waist in the most flattering of ways, and she began to twirl around in front of the room to show off the way in which the layers and layers of gossamer tulle hovered and swayed in the air, and once more you felt your heart soar with happiness at the thought of Gladio’s reaction when he would be seeing his future wife for the first time. But it was as she stopped moving and now faced away from you to look at her own reflection did you gasp with shock. The gown, with its low-plunging design to show off the curves of her back, now revealed something of upmost surprise to you.

Starting at her right shoulder blade and zigzagging its way down to the curve of her left waist was a rather dark and prominently deep scar.

 _Oh Six….what in Eos happened to this woman?_ You thought as you watched her begin to talk to the shop attendant. This beautiful woman with the face of a goddess herself who had also appeared to be so dainty in your eyes bore the mark of a past struggle, whatever that may be, and knowing your own past experiences you could only help but wonder what could have caused this woman to bare such a mark. Even more so, you were surprised that her choice of wedding gown would reveal such a ghastly blemish in such an obvious way. But the more you stood and stared at it and you felt your heart fill with pity at the thought of such a mark bearing pain for her, you soon came to a more important realization.

She bore a scar just like her future husband, and these two who shared pain in the past would be able to bring light to each other’s lives in the future, side by side and standing tall together.

Gladio’s fiancé must have taken note of your behavior by seeing your face in the reflection in the mirror behind her, and she turned to look at you with a smile upon your face.

Immediately you began to blush several shades of scarlet deep, realizing that she had caught you gawking. “I-I’m sorry!” You said as you faltered with your words, playing with your dress now to hide your mortification. “I didn’t mean to stare! I just had no idea that-“

“It’s ok,” she said as she walked over to you gracefully and gave you a gentle hug, and the sweetness of her gesture surprised you. “It is a reminder of my struggles and gives me strength, and I bear it with pride.”

Gladiolus certainly found the right woman after all.

But it was at this moment when the bell to the shop jingled loudly, and turning your attention to the doorway now, you felt your eyes widen at the sight of the person who just walked in.

“Prompto, you made it!” Iris said cheerfully as she rushed over to give him a hug. And indeed it was the gunman who stood there before your company, dressed casually and comfortably with his camera in hand.

“Of course I did!” He said with a big grin as he scratched at his goatee. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” He paused to look you each up and down, his pearly white teeth shining as he smiled. “You ladies look pretty amaaaaaazing!”

“Prompto has so kindly requested that he help document Gladiolus’s and my wedding journey together,” Gladio’s finance said with a smile. “When Iris told him that today we would be trying on our gowns for our fitting, he was more than excited in wanting to take some pictures since he won’t be doing it the day of the actual ceremony. We hired one of the staff of Vyv Dorden’s crew to take care of the photography for the big day since Prompto will be preoccupied with being a groomsman.”

You felt your heart fluttering at this, suddenly picturing Prompto wearing a tuxedo and looking more dapper than ever, and the bell to the shop jingled joyfully once more as another patron walked in.

“Yeah, but don’t let you think that it’s going to stop me from bringing my camera to snap some of my own stuff for my own collection,” he said with a grin, and truth be told, you knew that Prompto would never miss out on taking some awesome snap shots, even if the situation given was on the more precarious side. “It’s just…I’m not going to jinx anything by being here today, am I? I thought the bride being seeing by a dude in her gown before the actual big day was bad luck or something.”

“That would be the groom-to-be seeing his future wife, Prompto,” said a smooth and articulated voice, and turning around now to the direction of the entrance, your eyes widened at the sight of Ignis who had now just entered the shop with all the air and grace in the world. He wore his typical Crownsguard attire of his crisp and tailored dress shirt and leather pants, having clearly just left from the Citadel, but it seemed for the evening he discarded his jacket and gloves. Immediately you felt yourself flush at the sight of him before you, having not anticipated his appearance so soon this evening, and as you stood there looking at him you could not help but think of the girlish thoughts that had popped into your mind just an hour prior.

“Iggy…” you breathed, feeling yourself getting rather warm.

“Yay! You’re finally here too, Iggy!” Iris said cheerfully. “What do you think of the dresses?”

But right away, Ignis did not respond to Iris as his eyes fell upon you, and the usually composed tactician now seemed to be overcome with a loss of words, a faint blush creeping up through his cheeks as he looked at you. But after a moment’s pause, he pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat and began to make his way over to you, almost forgetting for a second that anyone else within the room even existed.

“Marvelous….absolutely stunning and marvelous,” he said breathlessly as he now stood before you and took your hand. You blushed at his touched and you smiled up at him, feeling yourself become rather faint now. Ignis lifted his other hand to gently caress the side of your cheek, and the touch of his bare hand made your spine shiver and your heart flutter, causing you to become weak in the knees.

Iris and the girls giggled while Prompto shifted anxiously on his feet and scratched his head, an embarrassed grin on his face as all watched what was transpiring before them. “I knew you would think so, Iggy,” Iris said, trying to divert the tactician’s attention back to business. “Here, let’s go chat with the manager so you can get your business under way while Prompto takes his photos!”

As your companions within the room began to go about the itinerary for your time here, finally you managed to find your composure, breathing in deeply. But as you were about to speak, you turned to look up at Ignis once more in whom you found staring down at you with a glint of admiration in his eyes, almost as if he had not directly heard Iris speak. Tucking your hair behind your ear and biting your lip, you smiled up at him as you bashfully rubbed up against him. “Not that I’m not happy to see you right now, because I totally am,” you said playfully as you brushed your hand over his, and having not expected to see Ignis until you got home, you were more than thrilled to be seeing him the extra time this evening, “but what exactly are you doing here? I’m not going to lie, but I’m quite shocked to be seeing you in a bridal shop of all places.”

It took Ignis a moment to reply, him still seeming lost as he looked down at you with a heated and admiring gaze, but a smile spread across his lips as he held onto your hand in his and squeezed it gently. “On the contrary,” he said rather matter-of-fact-like, and your throat tightened and your mouth watered at the way he shifted his hips as he spoke, “I had arranged with Gladio’s fiancé as well as Iris that I would help assist in the preparation of the nuptial, and I do have to say that I am rather more than thrilled in partaking in such for my dearest companion.” Ignis grinned now, and the sight of his teeth made you feel rather giddy. “The chefs at the Citadel shall be taking care of the catering for the evening. Floral arrangements have also already been taken care of as well. But for today, I have come to speak with the owner of this establishment to arrange the matters of _our_ dress for the big day as well.”

_Oh….oh my…But of course he’d be a groomsman too._

And now the visual of Ignis decked out in the formal attire of a tuxedo with the floral lapel attached to his chest made you lose your breath and your knees shake, and you cleared your throat before you spoke. “You manage to do everything, you know that?” you said in the most complimentary of ways as you fluttered your lashes up at him.

“Did you expect otherwise?” He said, somewhat smugly with a smirk on his face, and you had to laugh at this. But his expression going serious once more, he took a step closer to you now as he gently grasped upon the bottom of your chin, not seeming to care just one bit on who was watching him. Looking deeply into your eyes, he inhaled deeply and smiled at you, bringing his lips down to kiss your forehead. “You look absolutely beautiful right now. The most exquisite sight that I have ever lain my eyes upon…”

A sigh escaped your lips as your hands fell to his chest, the sensation of his lips upon your forehead causing your eye lids to flutter shut. You wobbled upon shaky legs, finding yourself once more overwhelmed at his very presence and the affect that he had on you in every word he uttered and every action said and done to you.

But it was with the click of a camera that yours and his attention was pulled back to reality, and you and Ignis jointly turned to look to see Prompto grinning at you with his camera in hand, and both you and Ignis blushed and laughed, remembering now that business had to be attended to first before pleasure.

“Shall we carry on, then? And perhaps later this eve we can continue this… _conversation_ when we arrive at home,” Ignis murmured, his hand holding yours more tightly.

“Absolutely.”

******************************

“Get away from me, you pieces of shit!” You screamed as you swiped your katana at the mutant-sized Hundleg that was lingering over you aggressively, its pincers clicking and clacking at you and its grotesque legs twitching and squirming as it approached you. Surrounding you were several of its companions, but you were no where near the end of this battle as the particularly aggressive alpha began to stalk and squirm towards you. Not lingering too far close behind was a wave of infant and juvenile of its kind, apparently not happy over that fact that you wiped out half of their horde. Lunging forward now you hacked and sliced through the air, but no matter how much you tried, the Hundleg managing to maneuver its way away from you, and you grunted and growled as you desperately tried to land a hit on the giant insect.

“Oh come on!” You yelled, now utterly frustrated at yourself, knowing that you were a much better hunter than this, and yet despite your efforts, the monster was too fast for you, causing you to become enraged. But realizing an important bit of knowledge from your years of hunting experience, you now reached into your pack satchel as you dodged another attack from the creature and pulled out an ice grenade, knowing all too well the creature’s weakness for this element. Pulling out the pin, the ball of magic exploded on the ground and sent a rush of icy wind around you and causing the disgusting vermin to squeal and squirm.

“Hahah! Got you now!” You said with a smirk as you rushed forward and twirled around with your katana drawn and hacked at the ugly bugs. Slicing through their now frozen corpses, one by one you were able to demolish each and everyone of the beasts as they stood no chance of defense against you, and finally after several moments of sweated labor through the icy air, each and every one of the creatures was now abolished, the earth around you surrounded in a wave of icy, gooey, buggy corpses.

You were breathing heavily as you finally surveyed your work, a smiling coming to your face and a shiver running down your spine as the last bit of chill in the air dissipated. But as you began to take a step forward to begin counting the amount of slain creatures to collect your hunter’s bounty, a sharp cry pierced through the air, causing your heart to stop and your body to whirl around quickly in the direction of the noise.

“H-Hello?” You called shakily, suddenly feeling yourself come on edge as you began to look around, a mistiness in the thick forest now permeating the air. You drew your blade once more as you looked around, and yet you saw nothing, but once more a sharp cry penetrated the air, this time more violent and desperate and…

_Is that….is that what I think it is?_

And so as your eyes slowly began to focus on the earth before you, a mere thirty feet ahead in the thicket you saw something bundled up upon the ground, its crying become more anxious and despaired, and your heart racing heavily now, you ran in the direction of the object.

“H-Hold on! I’ll be there to help you!” You cried, running faster now. But as you were just mere feet away from what was before you, your eyes widening as you realized just exactly what it was, a terrifying roar pierced the air and shook the woods, and once more you turned your head around quickly as you planted your feet defensively into the earth.

“No! Stay away! Wherever you are! Don’t you dare hurt it!” You screamed as you drew your katana protectively in front of your face.

But a wave of trees crashed down before you and the frightening menace appeared before you, bearing its slobbering teeth at you. With its red eyes now blazing down at your miniscule form, the creature roared once more , rushed towards you, opened its teeth wide and-

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.

The shrill sound of your cellphone alarm rang through the air as you shot upright in bed with your heart slamming in your chest, and reaching towards the bedside table you picked up your phone and fumbled with it in the process of attempting to turn off its alarm. With your chest rising and falling you wiped the sweat away from your forehead, your other arm reaching down to touch the covers beside you, feeling that its place beside you was empty. With your heart pulsating with panic, you immediately remembered that Ignis had told you the night before that he would be having an earlier than usual start to his day before him. Turning now to turn on the lamp next to you, you snapped on the light to see that once again, there was on the table Ignis’s usual note he would leave for you whenever he had an early start to his day. The sight of the delicately folded paper helped bring your heartbeat to ease, and finally calming yourself down you were able to take a deep breath.

“Holy shit, that was something else,” you said anxiously as you now reached for the note and fumbled with your hands to open it. You tried your best to shake off the shivers that ran down your spine at the thought of what you witnessed in your dream, reminding you so much of the dreams you used to have back during your hunter years during the darkness. But this? Even still, you couldn’t help but feel unnerved, and suddenly the horrifying visage of your dream from weeks ago popped into your mind.

_No….no….I’m not going to let this bother me….But still….what does it all mean?_

There was that one startling detail in this dream that made you feel more curious than ever and a reason to feel deep cause for concern in your heart. Something much different than last time.

That crying.

 _What…what could that mean?_ You asked yourself as you now opened the note from Ignis with shaky fingers. But just as you were about to read the message to help allay your sense of worry, your cellphone began to ring loudly, causing you to raise your eyebrow.

“Who the hell is calling me this early in the morning?” You asked yourself aloud, only ever having Holly call you at such an hour when she had a special job for you. And so thinking that it was indeed your boss who was trying to contact you at your waking hour, you reached for the nightstand table and picked up your phone once more, but now you found your curiosity truly sparked at the name on the caller ID.

“Gladio?” You said, swiping to answer the phone as you brought it up to your ear. “Hello?”

“RISE AND SHINE SWEETHEART!” Gladio boomed on the other line, and the intensity of his voice in your ear jolted you completely awake and caused your heart to leap out of your chest.

“Holy shit, Gladio! Jeese, I just got up! I’m awake! I’m awake!” You said, trying not to laugh.

“Huh? Just got up?” Gladio replied questioningly. “I thought that you would be up much sooner than this. Because you know…reasons and all...I didn’t think you’d be getting as much sleep anymore these days.”

You blushed a deep shade of ruby at the smirk in his voice, and you would have given anything at the given moment to punch him right in his arm for his boldness.

“Gladdy!” You yelled at him, trying to hide your embarrassment, because truth be told, he certainly wasn’t wrong.

Gladio chuckled on the other line. “I’m just messin’ with you…for the most part that is. But I didn’t just call you to torture you about keeping my best friend late up at night,” he said with a grin in his voice. “You, Prompto, and I are actually have a little bit of business to attend to today and I wanted to make sure that you were up and ready for when we came by to pick you up and get everything you needed to take with us from the plant.”

 _Now_ you were truly intrigued as you tried to wrack your brain over what your schedule was supposed to look like today, not recalling having any seen any job requests through the Citadel. But regardless, you felt your excitement building, not having worked with Gladio and Prompto on any mission of sorts since when the darkness invaded the world. “Really?” You asked with enthusiasm in your voice. “Where exactly are we going?”

“Wiz’s Chococbo Post,” Gladio answered. “Being that Wiz is a personal client of Prompto’s, Prompto knew for a fact that the moment we heard about this incident he needed to immediately take care of it himself. And well, knowing that we needed someone of EXINERIS expertise to help us complete the job, we knew just the right person who would help us come along.”

Your heart began to race with excitement, but your concern and anxiety over what the situation could be was getting the best of you. “Is…is everything ok? What happened at Wiz’s?”

“We will tell you the moment we pick you up. Prompto and I are jumping in the jeep right about now and we’ll be there in about 20 minutes. Be ready in your hunter’s garb so we can head on out, ya hear?”

Nodding, you smiled, feeling your heart pound in your chest. “Sure thing, Gladdy. You can count on me!”

Hanging up on the Shield you quickly got up off the bed and turned on the lights, rummaging around your dresser to the location of where you kept your clothing for dirty jobs. Taking your clothes of dark washed jeans and a grey tank top and fingerless gloves with you into the bathroom you quickly snapped on a shower cap and rinsed off (even though you knew you’d be getting dirty, still, the shower made you feel refreshed). Then slipping on your clothing and working with your hair to make it tidy and brushed off your face in a ponytail, you headed back into your room, put on your cargo jacket, snapped on your hunter’s boots, and picked up the note that Ignis left you. Reading it warmed your heart, and you took a deep breath, feeling more at ease with his endearing and loving words close to your heart as you were about to embark on your mission for the day. Walking over to your bedroom mirror, you gave yourself a confident look in your reflection.

_Time for another adventure, Y/N. You got this._

************************

“So….you guys gonna tell me all the details about what we have in store for us at Wiz’s today?” You asked curiously now as you zipped past the Ostium Gorge near Hammerhead, you blessing the Astrals for another beautiful day in Lucis as the wind swept through your hair of your ponytail. With all of your EXINERIS and hunter gear in the back of Gladio’s jeep, your trio had stopped to get a quick breakfast to take on the road and you were sipping thirstily at your Ebony (Ignis somehow got you hooked on it, never having been a fan of coffee yourself up until you met him), truly anxious now to hear what your itinerary would be for the day.

“Why don’t you tell her, Prompto?” Gladio said with a smile as he looked in the rearview mirror at the gunman in the backseat. “I know you’ve been anxious since early this morning the moment we found out about what happened.”

“R-Right!” Prompto said, now leaning between the passenger and driver’s seats as you sped on towards your destination. “So yeah! Veerrrryyyy early this morning we got a call from Wiz saying that his bed and breakfast experienced an extreme power failure. Even though most of the guests were sleeping at this point, it was the chefs in the kitchen who were prepping for the day that first noticed the power going out. Wiz got extremely worried about this of course and so he along with a fellow hunter who was staying overnight went outside to check all the breakers to the building. But everything seemed ok, and so it was when he went farther away towards the Chocobo barn when he saw it: one of the major lines was seriously torn to shreds with claw marks scratching down the line. Wiz panicked and all and quickly inspected the property to make sure that everyone was ok, and when he went into the Chocobo barn all the poor birds were scared beyond belief. Thank the gods that nothing happened to the birds and everyone was safe, but Wiz fearing the worst for his guests and animals called me right away, knowing that we helped him on so many occasions and helped bring his post back into business all those years ago.”

Prompto now seemed breathless with excitement and worry and you too now couldn’t help but feel a little bit frightened for everyone currently staying at the bed and breakfast. “And so that’s where we all come in. We find whatever did the damage, take care of it, and then fix the problem.”

“You got it,” Gladio said with a confident grin. “And we’re just the experts to care of the menace so everyone can get back to feeling safe again.”

You twiddled your thumbs as you looked out over the dusty plains of the Longwythe Peak, watching a pack of Dualhorns graze over patches of grass. You sighed deeply, only imagining how afraid the patrons must be feeling right now, knowing that something terrifying was lumbering about, and immediately you thought back to your dream from last night, swallowing hard at the thought of the terrifying creature that you couldn’t fully see. “Does…does Wiz have any idea what could have caused the damage? What would make the Chocobos so spooked like that?”

Gladio now grimaced as he continued to drive forth, keeping his eyes glued to the road ahead of him. “He has no idea. It was too dark out and no one was awake who could have witnessed it happening. Surprisingly too, whatever did it kept pretty silent, minus crashing through the woods and all. But…I think I might have an idea, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. So we’ll see when we get there and see the scene for ourselves.”

“Y-Yeah,” Prompto said confidently now as he too was staring ahead. “Whatever it is, we’re going to take care of it, just like we did all those years before.”

The car was silent now for a few peaceful moments as you continued to watch the sun rise warmly into the sky, and you inhaled deeply at the scent of the fresh morning blowing past your face. But as your mind began to drift away in your deep thoughts, Ignis popped into your thoughts, realizing at this very moment how much you missed him and whether or not he knew that you would be heading outside of the Crown City walls today.

“So…Noctis….and Ignis. Ignis had to get up super early this morning because he had a lot of meetings to attend to…I know that you guys can only tell me so much, but what exactly are he and Noctis focusing on today?”

Both Prompto and Gladio sighed in unison, but Gladio took his eyes off the road for just a second to give you a small smile. "About that..." he began as if mulling over his words in his mind. “I don’t want you to start panicking at all when I tell you this, but it might freak you out a bit. Ravus actually contacted Ignis and Noctis recently and relayed some pretty damn interesting news that we all need to keep our eyes on for more reason than one.”

Your heart leapt in your chest at the thought of the Tenebraen King and his people and suddenly you felt rather ashamed over the fact you hadn’t seen nor spoken to the man in such a long time. “What?” You asked apprehensively, your curiosity more than piqued. “What did Ravus have to say?”

“Like I said,” Gladio continued. “I don’t want you panicking at all about what I’m gonna tell you but it is pretty damn interesting news that we weren’t fully aware would happen. As you know, years ago when Lucis and Accordo were at war with Niflheim, the Nifs ‘killed’ Shiva, causing her corpse to fall at the Ghorvas Rift and lay permanently there for years. As you also know, being the Frostbearer and all, her death and the presence of her corpse ended up causing a major climactic shift in the local geography, and that’s why most of Niflheim basically became covered in snow.”

This much you certainly knew indeed, having learned much about Niflheim history in your youth. But at this very moment in time as you sped towards the Kettier Highlands, you failed to understand why this history lesson was brought up in the conversation.

You twisted your lips to the side as you began to ponder the meaning of mentioning the account. “And so…did something happen out at the Rift that Ravus is worried about?”

“Maaaaaajorly,” Prompto chimed in, leaning on your seat again. “Although perhaps ‘worried’ isn’t fully the right word…” The gunman paused, and casting a look at Gladio who peered at him in return through the rearview mirror, the Shield nodded at his friend as if giving him permission to unveil some hidden secret that had never been disclosed. “Shiva’s corpse? Plain and simple: it melted completely and it’s now gone. Boom. Disappeared.”

If felt as though one of Prompto’s bullets struck you right in the breast. “What?!” You shrieked, this sudden exposé more than incredulous. “Are you serious? It’s gone?”

“Yep!” Prompto replied shakily, and there was something in the tone of his voice that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. “And you know what that means? The whole area, including Niflheim and Gralea? Boom! All that snow is slowly starting to melt and the forests and desserts are reappearing like they used to be all those years ago before the war, little by little. It’s pretty freakin’ incredible actually.”

You were speechless, your eyes wide to the brim with astonishment. “B-But how? Why? Why all of a sudden did the body disappear? She’s been there for years! Something like that on such an astronomical level just can’t happen with no reason, right?”

For a brief moment you watched as Gladio and Prompto’s gazes flickered to one another as if sharing an unspoken conversation of sorts, but before you could ask them if everything was alright with your prying questions, the Shield quickly cast out a reply. “There are probably reasons, but none that I don’t think we need to be too worried about in the long run. We know how loyal Shiva is to the Crown and so I doubt that she would do something to betray that loyalty to Noct. Like the other gods, she swore her allegiance. Like you said, we are talking about Astrals here. Perhaps she is doing this to help us set the world right again so Niflheim can return to the state it was meant to be.”

You feebly attempted to take Gladio’s words to heart, your heart sputtering in your chest so painfully you thought you would faint. Even with the self-assurance of response, something deep in your heart told you there was more to this anomaly than you were led on to believe. “T-Then….then that’s a good thing, right? If that’s what the gods intend, then that’s how it’s supposed to be, right?” You asked for reassurance.

“It is,” Gladio continued, “ _However_ , according to Sania Yeagre after speaking with her about the matter, the reason we do in fact have to worry about this regional climate shift is because the local wildlife is going to be affected there and a bunch of beasts are going to change their hibernation patterns. Things are gonna be waking up and looking for food sources as well as migrating to different parts of the continent and so the people of Tenebrae are going to have to keep an eye on this. But also,” Gladio said with a pause as you now rounded past Turncouth Haven, “Ravus and his people are worried that many of the dormant magiteks and imperial soldiers may become animated again at such a disturbance. And so, the Tenebraen army wants to explore Niflehim once again and take advantage of this opportunity to search the lands to study fauna and flora as well as head back into Gralea to see what other bits of information they can uncover for all of us and take out those Nif machines once and for all.”

Silence persisted in the car as you stared ahead speechless, and quite frankly you didn’t even know where to start with compiling all of this newly disclosed information. “Ravus…so Ravus and his people….are they going to be ok?”

Prompto put his hand on your shoulder as Gladio turned to look at you once more with a smile on his face. “You bet your ass their gonna be. Trust me. And that’s why Noct and Iggy are meeting today to discuss measures of how we are gonna help out. You’ve got nothing to worry about except being there for Iggy when he gets home and needs you for support.”

You blushed at the slight implication of his words, but trying to hide your feelings, you nodded to him.

“Don’t you worry, Y/N!” Prompto said as he squeezed your shoulder. “This is nothing we all can’t handle. Besides, right now it looks like we’ve got our own job to handle.”

And surely enough, Prompto was right as the jeep rolled down the hill and into Wiz’s resort, and as the car pulled to a slow stop, immediately your eyes went wide.

“Oh….oh my goodness…”

“Well shit…Wiz certainly sugarcoated the extent of the damage, didn’t he?”

The power line being “shredded” was an understatement. As Gladio shifted his jeep into park, immediately you removed your seat belt and jumped over the edge of the car, not even bothering to use the door. Prompto called your named as you quickly padded over to the site of the damage, a large crowd of patrons surrounding the scene and murmuring as they looked at the electric pole. The entirety of the length of the pole was clawed at like a cat scratching its scratching pole and the lines leading to the source were torn from their sockets and were still sparking slightly at the ground.

“E-Everyone get back, just to be safe! EXINERIS here!” You stuttered as you rushed over to the scene now, and quickly people raised their eyebrows with interest as they allowed you to pass. Your eyes widened as you now came to stand next to the pole, taking out of pair of conductive gloves to protect yourself from shock, and your hands began to trail down the pole, your fingers trailing over the grooves of the wood. “What did this….” You said to yourself, your brows knitting together anxiously, surveying the looks of the worried patrons around you.

At this point Gladio and Prompto finally caught up with you and immediately their eyes fell to the damage, Prompto’s eyes widening and Gladio’s brow being drawn into a scowl. Turning back around you made your way over to the broken cables and knelt down upon the ground to look more closely at the damage, and you too now scowled at trying to determine what could have caused such a ruckus.

 _What could have done this…._ you asked yourself. _These are too large of marks to be a Coeurl, and they aren’t Saberclaws, because they wouldn’t climb up like this…_ But as you tried to put two and two together, Gladio and Prompto came to stand by your side. “Well guys? What do you think?” You asked, you feeling utterly perplexed.

A dawn of realization seemed to come over the duo and Prompto was about to speak when a apprehensive voice interrupted your train of thought.

“Howdy Gladiolus, Prompto, Y/N.” Now said the voice of Wiz Forlane. As you turned around to face the man your heart instantly broke at the trodden expression upon his usually joyful face, and instantaneously you felt more resolved than ever to take care of the issue more efficiently than ever. “I’m glad y’all could make it. Your help mighty means a lot to me for you guys showing up as fast as you could.”

“We wouldn’t miss helping you out for anything,” Prompto said reassuringly as he crossed his arms, and now it was he who was all business. “You certainly whitewashed though the extent of the damage to us. You sure everyone is alright? Nobody saw anything?”

“Everybody’s doin’ just fine,” Wiz replied, although you could tell by the tightness of his face that he was certainly worried beyond belief. “Unfortunately though like I told y’all, no one say a thing. We didn’t have any late-night stragglers walking around the ranch and so everybody was asleep. The darn creature was silent as hell and I still can’t believe it didn’t try to get into the barn.” Wiz paused for a second as he looked to each of you one by one, his eyes wrought with sadness. “I can deal with whatever damage I’ll have to pay for in regards to whatever did this, but I know I could never live with myself had anything happened to my guests or my poor birds…”

“You don’t have to worry about this getting fixed, Wiz,” you said reassuringly, taking a step towards him with a confident grin upon your face. “I know that this looks like a lot but with a little bit of elbow grease I’ll get this taken care in no time. Don’t you worry at all.”

“Well that’s mighty kind of ya,” Wiz said with a small smile upon his face.

“And whatever the hell did this, we’re gonna get ride of it,” Gladio added, putting a hand upon the rancher’s shoulder.

“The Chocobos….can we see the Chocobos?” Asked Prompto eagerly, and you knew that despite the gunman’s intense love for the fowls, he was more than concerned at the moment for their safety and status.

“S-Sure, right this way,” Wiz said, motioning you towards the barn now. As you all headed over into the structure, immediately your heart sank as you looked from one Chocobo to the other, their beaked faces drawn with panic and their feathers ruffled and shivering. Several pathetic ‘kwehs’ escaped their throats, but as you began to walk past, their shaking bodies began to calm down at your presence. You scanned each bird and quickly your eyes fell upon your feathered friend Crimson from many months ago, the female Chocobo happily ruffling her feathers and ‘kwehing’ at you as you approached her.

“Hey girl,” you said, reaching up to stroke the bridge of her beak and petting her face. The bird chirped softly at your touch and closed her eyes, and you smiled warmly now. “We’re going to take care of this issue so you don’t have to be afraid, ok? I promise you will be safe.”

As Prompto, Gladio, and Wiz began to walk to each bird, Wiz explaining the behavior of the birds in the process, you turned away from Crimson and back to your companions. “I-I’m going to go back outside and check out the damage,” you announced. “Maybe I will find another clue or something.”

“Be careful,” Gladio warned, him nodding to you with his expression serious.

Heading back outside now, your spine shivering slightly as a cool morning breeze blew against your face, your eyes once more went back to inspecting the damage to the power lines. Despite the exterior damage to the pole itself, you would be spared having to make any repairs to the structure in particular. Instead, your eyes went back to examining the broken power lines and cables, and surely enough it would take you an hour or so to fix the damage done, but it would not be unmanageable. But as you watched a spare spark flick from one of the cables, your eyes squinted as you took note of a distinct mark upon the ground.

A paw mark.

Perhaps a ‘paw’ was an understatement though.

And as you slowly raised your eyes, you now saw further down a series of trees leading into the misty Nebulawood that had been smashed and knocked over with tremendous force, their branches cracked and their roots yanked up from the ground.

Something big did this, and something that you better take care of as soon as possible.

“G-Gladio! Prompto! I found something!” You called anxiously as you stood back on two feet.

Immediately the three men rushed out of the barn and joined you at your side, and it was all that you could do to point in the direction of the further damage.

“Shit,” was Gladio all could say, grinding his teeth slightly.

“Welp, that’s going to be a lot of fun,” Prompto said with a nervous laugh.

“But nothing we can’t take care of, right?” You said with an anxious smile upon your face. “Right? We’ve totally faced much worse.”

But as another breeze blew across the ground and ruffled the hair of your ponytail, Gladio looked to you and clapped you on the shoulder, smiling confidently now. “You’re damn right, Y/N. Now let’s get this shit taken care of.”

************************************

With your weaponry, curatives, and other hunting necessities in hand, you and the boys set off deep into forest, the once bright sun that cast itself into the sky now hidden by a thick cover of lush trees, and a hazy fog blanketed the earth about you. Unfortunately, due to the recent dry weather, the ground itself had been rather dusty and you had only been able to decipher a little bit of the solitary paw print that was left behind at the ranch, and so thus you, Prompto, and Gladio did your best to continue the path of obliteration left behind by the mystery menace via snapped shrubs and branches.

“I-want-to-ride-my-cho-co-bo-all-dayyyyy!” Prompto sang softly with his gun drawn as your company continuously tread through the forest.

You couldn’t help but smile and Gladio shook his head as the three of you walked with alertness, you brushing your hands along the branches to see if you could find any trace of what could be your target.

“I think we’re getting close…I just feel it,” you said as your spine prickled. And suddenly stopping dead in your tracks, you noticed the eerie silence that cast itself over the forest.

Silence. Utter silence.

Gladio paused next to you as his eyes surveyed the land around you, his eyes squinting through the fog as he too noticed the unnerving quiet of the air.

“We better watch out. I have a feeling that we are not alone.”

“R-Right,” you said, nodding to him as you drew your blade, readying yourself to take on whatever it was that was stalking about.

Several more paces ahead you noticed that the woods started to clear a bit, and quickening your pace but remaining cautious, your eyes darted about. Your heart sank when you realized that you seemed to have suddenly lost the trail, there now no longer seeming to be any indication of where the creature went.

 _Shit_ , you thought to yourself as you felt yourself shiver once more, and suddenly you felt a wave of frustration wash over you. In your decade of hunting you literally had faced the majority of the species under the sun and yet for some reason or another, whatever it was that you were trying to pursue remained a complete and utterly anomaly to you. What was it that could have left such large claw marks in such a inexplicable way? Apparently soon you were bound to find out.

But it was as you took a deep breath and cleared your throat to speak, a pathetic cry echoed through the trees, and instantly you felt your ears perk up to the sound.

“Huh?” you said, your eyes now darting around you. “Did you guys just hear that?”

“Y-Yeah,” responded Gladio, drawing his broadsword up upon his shoulder as he glowered.

The cry filled the air again, causing your heart to clench at the desperate sound.

Prompto, now more aware than ever drew his gun up closer to his face. “Gosh guys. That sounded like a-”

“K-wehhhhh! Kwehhhhhh!”

The three of you looked at each other with wide eyes. “A Chocobo!” You and Prompto said in unison, and the two of you now quickly moved in the direction of the sound as Gladio quickly followed after you from behind.

“Hey now, watch yourselves, you two,” Gladio said in a brotherly protective way.

“We got this, Gladio! Don’t you worry,” Prompto said as he lead the way. The gunman who was the resident Chocobo expert seemed to know exactly where to go towards the sound, and as you followed directly from behind him your heard the pitiful exclamation once again. But as you ran behind Prompto and heard the sound once more, instantly your heart clenched within your chest and you felt your eyes widen at a sudden connection.

A cry. A sad and desperate cry.

Just like in your dream.

 _Oh gods….oh no…._ you thought as you rushed forward and joined Prompto at his side.

But it was as you passed along the edge of the clearing and made your way into a small rocky alcove, as you rounded the corner you felt yourself gasp at the sight before you, all three of you now standing there in utter shock.

In the grassy knoll before you surrounded by lush vines and fauna for cover was a Chocobo curled up, it back rising and failing in a labored manner, and quickly you noticed that its leg was extended in the most uncomfortable of ways. But bringing your mouth up to your face, it was the blood that coated its scaly leg that sent your stomach reeling and your heart aching, the poor bird appearing to be in complete and utter pain.

And right next to the giant injured fowl was a large nest of newly hatched infants, squeaking sadly at the sight of its incapacitated parent.

Babies.

“Oh gods…wild Chocobos…” Prompto uttered as the three of you slowly took a step closer to the animal.

“And to think the poor animals were close to extinction during the world of darkness,” Gladio said with amazement, almost seeming too shocked himself.

“Y-Yeah, but this one looks like it’s seen better days,” Prompto added, and he appeared bursting at the seams to help the creature due to his passion for the species.

But as the three of you slowly neared it and its young the Chocobo lifted its head, its face masked in pain as it let out another fearful cry, apparently unable to run away and frustrated that it couldn’t defend its young.

“It’s ok, it’s ok, honey,” you cooed, extending your hands in a passive manner as you slowly crept towards the animal, lowering yourself into crouching position as you neared it. “We’re not going to hurt you.” Out of instinct you suddenly started to hum, trying your best to soothe the animal, and with one last helpless chirp, the Chocobo tilted its head and slowly lowered its skull, seeming to understand what you were doing. You now reached the animal, touching its head gently and the Chocobo closed its eyes in peace, letting out a quiet ‘kweh.’

“How….how did you do that?” Prompto asked, now joining you at your side and seeming in complete and under amazement at what he just witnessed.

“I…I don’t know,” you said, not even knowing yourself. This injured beast somehow knew that you were trying to help it, and now looking down at its leg, you slid your knap sack off of your back and unzipped it, reaching inside for some ointment and a cloth. Washing away at the Chocobo’s wound, you saw a deep laceration on its leg, the bird letting out an agonized cry at your touch, causing its babies to squeak with fear. Gladio and Prompto rushed over to sooth the babies, the poor infants barely having even developed their feathers yet on their little round bodies.

Not being an expert by any means on animal care, you took a closer note of the deep cut on the bird’s leg. “I….I don’t think it’s broken but I’m pretty sure this animal is going to need stitches or something to help it walk properly again, otherwise its leg is going to get infected,” you explained somewhat rather clinically. “I’m going to give it a potion but we’re going to need to get a veterinarian. Wiz is going to want to know right away so he can start taking care of it-“

A defeating and earsplitting roar pierced the air as yours, Gladio’s and Prompto’s heads snapped towards the direction of the sound, a tremor quaking down your spine and the hairs on your arms standing on end as you quickly stood up in panic.

Gladio rushed upwards and stood in front of you and Prompto, his blade drawn before him and his feet planted firmly in the ground. “We’re gonna have to leave the Chocobos for later. Right now we’ve got bigger beasts to worry about.”

“B-But Gladdy! We just can’t leave them here unguarded!” You said defensively, and something maternal within your instincts was screaming now as you turned back around to stare at the poor baby birds who were practically left undefended.

Prompto shared your sentiment as apprehension plastered itself all over his freckled face, but even he had his gun drawn defensively, his brows knit in a scowl.

“We live first to save another life later,” Gladio demanded as he turned to look at you. “Grab a fire grenade from your bag. I have a plan. C’mon.”

Raising your eyebrow, you and Prompto quickly followed Gladio back into the clearing, and immediately your heart started to race at his sudden behavior. The Shield began to quickly scan the misty clearing with his feet planted wide, and Prompto joined him at his side, the gunman equally attentive to his surroundings.

But you on the other hand suddenly felt clueless, almost as if the two knew something that you didn’t know. “G-Guys, what is it? What are we facing?” You asked anxiously as you drew your blade in one and felt the grenade attached to your pocket with your other hand.

A loud crash was heard up ahead on the opposite side of the clearing and you watched the tall trees sway, your eyes widening at the frightening sight, and once more another thunderous bellow pierced the air.

 _What…what on earth is that HUGE_? You said as your heart started slamming in your chest. But you flinched at the sound of snapping branches, like delicate bones were being shattered in the quiet of the air, and a flock of Daggerquills screeched as they flew from their perches in the trees.

_Oh…Oh god…this has to be…why didn’t I think of this before?!_

“Brace yourselves! Get ready!” Gladio said through gritted teeth.

“On it!” Prompto replied back, and summoning from his armiger appeared an assault rifled, ready to attack the oncoming intruder.

And now barreling through the thicket and into the clearing with its massive fangs bared and covered in saliva, its claws slashing at the ground below its feet, and its mane prickling with aggression was the largest Behemoth that you could have ever possibly fabricated in your mind.

Just like the beast you saw in your dream.

“Holy shit!” You cried, your eyes wide with terror as you readied your sword. This of course was not your first time ever fighting this beast, having combated several daemonized of its kind at the Chocobo Post eons ago, and yet, something struck complete and utter fear in your heart in never seeing one with such size and magnitude as this one.

“Thought so,” Gladio said, and the once on edge Shield now smirked confidently as he looked to Prompto who nodded back at him, the companions seeming readier than ever to take on the menace. “Looks like we got our hands full with a Deadeye 2.0!”

“Talk about the good ol’ days”! Prompto said, readying his rifle now up on his shoulder.

 _How life always seemed to come full circle somehow,_ you thought as you recalled Ignis telling you a story about the infamous Deadeye from many years ago, and with the battle you waged in your dream the night prior, you knew that at this moment you were going to have your hands full. The Behemoth now fully stepped into the clearing, his ribcage rising and falling as it breathed, saliva from his mouth slobbering down onto the ground and you grimaced at such a terrifying sight. And yet, knowing the ability of your fellow companions before you, you knew that they would make quick work of the hazard.

“Y/N, you ready to do this?” Gladio asked you, looking back at you now with confidence on his countenance. “Prompto and I are going to head forth and we will give you the signal when we are ready. Got it?”

“B-But wait! What? You’re not going to just have me stand around here this whole time doing nothing!” You said with a quiver in your voice as the Behemoth took a step forward not, its claws digging into the ground as it lashed its tail to the side.

“’Fraid so!” Prompto chirped, as he and Gladio now stalked slightly towards the Behemoth. “Can’t have the Iggster killin’ us if something bad were to happen to you!”

_Ignis…_

Your heart clenched in your chest at the very mention of your lover’s name, wishing more than anything right now that he was standing right here beside you. But knowing that was not possible, you took a deep breath and stepped forward with your friends, an air of confidence washing over you now.

“Well there will be no one left for Ignis to kill if something happens to you, so sorry. I’m not just sitting back and letting you take all the credit for this hunt,” you said with a smirk, and you positioned your feet in a proud stance, ready to the take on the beast.

Gladio grinned. “And that’s why Iggy loves you so much,” he said, and his very words caused your heart to swell. “Alright. On a count of three, let’s take ‘em on together, ok? One. Two. THREE!”

And as if the Behemoth was prepared for your every single movement, as your retinue rushed forward the beast lunged in your direction, bounding at you with incredible speed. Had you not fought this savage monster in your past you would not have anticipated its motions, but having studied the creatures and how they function, you knew that despite the beast’s extreme positional velocity, it depth perception due to the structure of its skull was not the best. And so as Prompto began his assault on the creature with the rifle, causing the creature to roar in pain, you followed Gladio’s movements. The creature turned swiftly around in the direction of Prompto’s bullets, leaving its backside totally vulnerable.

“I’m going to go for its back!” Gladio called as you rushed behind him. “You go for the tendon’s in its back ankles!”

“Gotcha!” You said breathlessly, doing your best to keep up with the looming Shield.

Prompto slowly began to back up as the Behemoth faced his direction, and Gladio, crouching as he ran, leaping with all his might managed to vault himself onto the back of the monster. With his mighty strength he shoved his blade down into the lower back of the beast, causing it to roar deafeningly as Prompto shot at its chest. You grimaced at the sight of blood now beginning to spurt from the creature, but knowing its tenacity and ferocity and aggression when under threat, you knew you were far from finishing it off. And so sprinting forward now, you gracefully slid upon your legs as you hacked at the tendons of its ankles, piercing through the rough flesh and causing the monster to scream in agony once more. Gladio was now doing a full-on rodeo on top of the Behemoth who was doing its best to shake off the Shield, but Gladio grasped tightly onto the Behemoth’s mane, riding out what strength the creature still had within it.

“Prompto! Get your bazooka ready! Y/N! Get the grenade out!” Gladio called through gritted teeth, and eying up the gunman from across the field now you nodded to him, seeming to understand what Gladio’s plan was. “I’m going to jump off the Behemoth’s back on a count of three!” Gladio explained to the best of his ability as the Behemoth attempted to lash back at the warrior who was hacking at his spine. “Y/N, throw the grenade right above its back and Prompto, you know when to shoot! Got it?”

“R-Right!” You both called, nodding to confirm the plan.

“A-Alright, ready!! One! Two. THREE!”

And so Gladio leapt off the back of the terror in a swift and graceful motion and went rolling to the ground. Working like clockwork, you threw the grenade with perfect timing and seemed to watch in slow motion as the small object went soaring through the air, mere feet above the Behemoth’s spine. Prompto, now bringing his face close to the scope of his weapon, squinted one eye, pulled the trigger, and shooting forth at intense velocity was its ammunition, colliding with expert precision right into your grenade.

Gladio now tackling you and rolling forth with you to protect you from the blast, heat surged through the air and the dying scream of the monster pierced the air. Tilting your head as best as you could under the weight of Gladio, you saw the Behemoth toss its head into the air with its gullet wide open, its tongue falling out, and its tail lashing one last time as it plummeted to the ground with a deafening boom, now lifeless.

Breathing heavily from such exertion, Gladio slowly removed himself protectively from over your body and helped pull you to your feet. Prompto rushed forward, huffing and puffing and wide-eyed as he looked at the two of you and he dropped his weapon and rushed into your arms to give you a big hug.

“Y/N, that was amaaaazing!” He said beaming, and the wide grin upon his face told you just how much he meant it. “I forgot how totally badass you actually are on the field!”

Gladio placed his hand on your shoulder now, also seeming quest impressed. “That was boss,” he said, flashing his teeth, and suddenly you felt yourself getting giddy over such praise. “If only Iggy knew what he was missing by seeing this today.”

But now the three of you drew your attention back over to the corpse of the Behemoth, studying it over for a moment as you began to walk around it. Despite the immense damage that it sustained to is back and chest, much of the hide of the beast was still salvageable. Not only that, but due to the immense size of the animal, you knew that there would be more than enough mouths that its meat could feed for quite some time.

Gladio seemed to take note of your observation. “Even to this day it still kills us having to do this type of work,” Gladio mused with a somber expression upon his lips, and you remembered Ignis explaining to you quite some time ago that while the boys never turned down a hunt, it truly was a matter of kill or be killed and they could not just sit by while helpless citizens were menaced by pesky varmits.

“Buuuuut,” Prompto continued, leaning upon your shoulder now. “Think of all the stuff that we can harvest from this fellow so that he’s not going to waste. Those horns alone will fetch a pretty gil for Wiz and he’ll be able to afford all of those repairs with no problem. And speaking of….”

“We’ve got a Chocobo and her kids to save,” Gladio finished.

“R-Right,” you said, nodding in response.

And so with Gladio calling Dave Auburnbrie to arrange the harvesting of the Behemoth corpse to be picked up for profit for Wiz and Prompto calling Wiz and sending coordinates with his GPS to your exact location, Wiz himself and two skilled veterinarians rushed out with their own jeep and stretchers to provide aid to the injured bird and its terrified young. Your heart augmented with joy at the sight of the Chocobo receiving the care that it so desperately needed. As the avian was gently lifted upon the stretcher it lifted its head to look you deeply in the eyes, letting a soft ‘kweh’ escape its beak, and your heart swelled at the gentle sound, realizing that this was its way of thanking you.

And so now as you all seated yourself in the vehicle and made your way back to Wiz’s bed and breakfast, you watched intently the baby Chocobos bouncing happily around their mother, and you knew one thing for certain more than anything.

The crying of a helpless innocent life. The beast that had loomed before you ready to strike.

_Ignis…my dream….I just have to tell you. Let me just pray to the Astrals that you will take this ok…._

*********************************

The remainder of your day had passed with relative ease. The repairing of the power lines to Wiz’s bed and breakfast, while more daunting of a task than you had initially anticipated, was still successful with the help of Gladio and Prompto. The Chocobo mother and its young were given the medical attention that they needed, and you felt utterly joyful at seeing the mother nuzzle her young, knowing that her little family was finally safe from all threats. And when Dave and his fellow team of hunters had arrived to assess the fallen Behemoth corpse, it brought delight to your ears to hear that it was worth much more than Gladio and Prompto had anticipated, and the three of you refusing to accept any part of the reward in helping Wiz, the rancher would be able to not only afford repairs but also invest in better security and protective measures for his patrons and guest.

Sounds like a job well done.

And so as dusk arrived that evening, you had laid down upon the couch, feeling completely successfully but exhausted from such exertion of the day’s adventures. Deciding to rest your sore head to reenergize yourself for a bit, you realized that you had dozed off and were in the midst of dreaming of beautiful fields of sylleblossoms when you were jarred awake from the sound of a door handle jiggling. Hastily standing up upon wobbly feet, you watched as the last light of day poured in through the front door as Ignis stepped into the main frame, finally home from such a long day of his own.

“I-Ignis!” You said breathlessly, rushing over to him now and colliding into his arms with such force that it caused him to fall back against the front door. It never failed to bring you absolute joy when he stepped into that threshold, the tactician seeming to enjoy more than ever in staying at your place with you as much as he could, away from the hustle and bustle of Citadel life. Instantly his arms came up and wrapped around your tiny frame, a chuckle escaping his lips as he pulled you as humanly tight to him as possible against his heated frame.

“Darling, how I’ve missed you today,” He said as he pulled back slightly to look down at you and kiss you softly upon your lips, nuzzling his nose against yours and brushing your hair away from your face in the process. “I was delighted to receive your texts from you about your job well done and Prompto and Gladio called me as soon as it was possible for me to answer to share the news with me that had transpired of your rigorous endeavor today.” Ignis now pulled back to look at you once more and cupped your chin in his hands, and immediately you felt yourself melting at his touch. “Are…Are you alright though? You know that I know you are the most capable being on this planet of handling whatever danger is thrown at your way, but still. I…I was rather fearful all this afternoon of knowing that I was not there to stand by your side to make sure you were safe. I-“

But it was you who now silenced Ignis with a kiss of your own lips upon lips, and you brought your hands up to cup the side of his face to pull him down to you. An intense sigh escaped his lips and his eyelids fluttered shut at your touch. Parting lips with him and smiling up at him, you nodded your head. “I’m fine, Ignis. More than fine.” And moving back from him for but a second to allow him to remove his shoes and shimmy out of his jacket, you took his hand as you two now headed down the hall towards the kitchen, promising one another that you would begin prepping dinner together once Ignis arrived home (how much you loved the idea of him coming ‘home’ to you). “I have to say today was definitely another bit of proof showing off just how amazing your friends are, though. I can’t imagine trusting anyone else other than you guys with my whole life. You….you sure are as hell lucky to have them in your life.”

Ignis chuckled warmly, and by the soft flush in his cheeks you could truly tell that he believed so as well. “Indeed, my dearest. I truly am.”

As the two of you began to rummage about for the pots, pans, and ingredients necessary to cook tonight’s recipe of creamy fowl sauté, you now were curious to what happened on Ignis’s end of business today. “But enough about me and my nonsense. Did things go well for you and Noct today at the Citadel?” You asked.

“Remarkably so,” Ignis said with a smile as he reached into the cupboard to grab some oil and began to season a pan. “Madame Claustra reached out to us in terms of the restoration efforts that are still on going in Altissia. She is more than exhilarated over the news that we will be sending one of the LC-X models to help begin restoring some of the fallen landmarks.” But he paused, his expression slightly strained now. “I know that this will be much to your dismay, but sometime within this near future, I will need to be making my leave here to meet with her and her advisors on this manner…” He stopped his words, looking to you suddenly with apprehension and shame on his face, and it was almost as if he was trying his best to express his guilt to you.

You had gotten used to his random absenteeism at this point, and while it always broke your heart when he had to make leave for a while to attend to his business, even now after all this time of you two being a couple, being the King’s advisor and the work that was entailed with such had to come first, no acceptations. And so hiding your own disappointment, you smiled warmly at him and placed your hand upon his, staring up at him lovingly. “Don’t you dare apologize, Ignis,” you said to him somewhat spiritedly. “I know how this works by now. You do what you have to do because I will never ever hold that against you. This world needs you and all the good that you provide for it. Now before you start beating yourself up again over something that you shouldn’t, tell me more about your meetings today.”

Ignis seemed as if he had been holding his breath for minutes upon end, but finally sighing, his worried expression dissipated and was now replaced with warmth in his eyes. “Very well,” he said, clearing his throat to help gather his thoughts. “In addition to our talks with the Madame on business affairs, her military as well as the local fishermen have made observation of various ocean specimens becoming more active as well as populated once more. It appears as though this recent meteorological shift has modified the behaviors of ocean life as well, and the Accordian government is hoping that this will not only draw in more tourism once the ports are finally reopened again but will also help the fishing industry prosper once again. And that of course is only going to benefit the global economy of all.”

And so as you began to prep the ingredients upon the island counter, with such talk you truly wanted to get to the bottom of the barrel on the majorly important and relevant news. Taking a deep breath, you words articulated your next words.

“Gladio and Prompto…on our way to Wiz’s today they told me all about the business going on in Tenebrae…is…Ravus and his wife and everyone ok?”

Ignis titled his head as he stopped what he was doing, sensing your rising anxiety over any potential distress over your friend and his people, and he came over to you now, looking you seriously in the face and tucking your hair behind your ear to help study your expression. “All is well in Tenebrae,” he began reassuringly. “As I am sure that Gladio and Prompto informed you, Dr. Yeager truly believes that this is all normal and is not truly anything to be of extreme concern over, other than to be more on guard in terms of the unpredictable behaviors that these various species might suddenly exhibit. In short, this world is returning to the way that it was meant to be. We as humans though? This is our moment to assess the way that we react to such an evolving environment.” Ignis paused now, and standing more closely to you now, he reached up to graze his thumb over your bottom lip and smiled down upon you. “And I can assure you that I will be with you each step of that way to ensure that we shall evolve together with that world…”

You trembled as you stood before him now, reaching up to take his warm hand and hold it more closely to your cheek. Sighing with some relief, you looked deeply into his eyes, and you took note of the glint of something you couldn’t identify in his eyes. “I have a feeling though that there is something else to this though, otherwise you wouldn’t be so calm right now.”

Ignis chuckled. “Ah yes,” he said, clearing his throat as he began to move around you now, brushing is hand against your hip as he walked past you to get the necessary spices for tonight’s meal. “While the meteorological shift has much to do with the changing behaviors of all of these said species, upon doing some rather in-depth research, we also today received a call from Dr. Yeager that brought most interest to all of us that we shared with the Tenebraen government.”

“Oh? And what is that?” You asked, your curiosity now totally piqued as you began to slice some vegetables.

Ignis stood next to you now as he too prepped his own ingredients. “She cannot quite explain what it is just yet, but is not just the alteration in the atmosphere that is causing these species to become more active. In fact, she is lead on to believe that there is something specifically that is _making_ them behave irrationally, and that is what she going to look further into. That, unfortunately, is something we at the Citadel are ensuring to find out as soon as possible to ensure the safety of all of us.”

_I have to tell him…I just have to…_

Because swallowing hard, that was just exactly what you felt you were fearing the most right now.

And so after your dinner was shared lovingly and dishes were taken care of, you and Ignis lay upon the couch, you situated between Ignis’s legs and laying back upon his chest. With a book in your hand and Ignis softly stroking your hair and arms as he rested his head upon your shoulder in complete bliss, it was at this moment of reprieve that despite your intense dislike of disturbing his rare moment of peace, you knew you could no longer refrain from your fears any longer.

Shifting forward you brought yourself to a sitting position, and Ignis taking note of this adjusted himself accordingly. Bringing your feet back down the floor and sitting your book upon the floor, you looked to Ignis to see his expression wrought with inquisitiveness, and you flinched slightly at the thought of disturbing his moment of relaxation. But it was as he took note of your strained expression that he too fully sat up to sit along beside you and grasped gently upon your hand.

“Darling, is everything alright? You are looking rather peaked right now…”

Avoiding eye contact with him and feeling your skin flush hot, you swallowed hard, the muscles of your throat tight and almost prohibiting you from speaking. “Ignis…I….there is something that I’ve been wanting to tell you,” you said, feeling yourself trembling now.

Ignis’s grip tightened upon your hand, and you looked at his face to see his brows knit together, utter concern plastered upon his handsome features.

“Y/N, what’s the matter? Is…is everything alright?”

You squeezed his hand back reassuringly, realizing that he must have been fearing something else as those in love tend to fear with their significant others, and you brought your lips to his and gently kissed him, grazing your fingertips over his eyebrows and cheeks. “Yes…Yes…I think so…I think everything is fine. I…” But you paused, taking a deep breath. “Nothing is really wrong, but I’ve been wanting to tell you something and I’ve honestly been utterly terrified to do so because I didn’t want to make you worry. But after hearing about what Ravus told you and Noctis as of late, I figured that I couldn’t keep this from you any longer.” And you paused again, biting your lip as you looked into his emerald orbs. “Do you…do you promise me that you won’t be mad at me?”

Ignis who appeared to be holding this breath this entire time allowed himself to breath and sighed, a smile appearing on his lips as he squeezed your hand reassuringly. “Dearest, I could never be upset with you for anything at all. Never in a million existences. But now you have me rather panicked over knowing that you have been upset over something and haven’t had the courage to tell me…Darling, you know that you can trust me. Please. What is the matter?”

Biting your lip, you gently grasped upon the skull pendant dangling at your throat and brought your eyes to look down at the carpet between your feet. “You….you know that for the longest time that I’ve had dreams. Ever since I met you, I would have very vivid and fantastic dreams, whether for good or bad. You know all this from what I’ve told you. For a while I stopped having those types of dreams, but it was when a few weeks ago, I woke up from a really awful and disturbing nightmare.” You finally looked at him now, and his hand that was once on your own was now holding firmly onto your thigh as if for support. You swallowed hard, seeing the worry in his eyes, and you continued. “This dream…oh gods was it awful. I saw everyone that I knew and cared about dead upon the ground. It was so terrifying. And you were there. I saw you lifeless before me and it broke my heart at the thought of even thinking something that awful could happen to you and everyone I cared about. But that wasn’t the whole dream. It was as I was crying over your body that this terrifying monster that I couldn’t even seem to identify lunged at me to kill me too. I woke up feeling terrified, thinking this was just a nightmare representing my anxiety over moving to Insomnia and not knowing how to handle my new responsibilities. But then, I learned something shortly after that made me start to freak out.”

“And…and what was that, Y/N?” Ignis said quietly as he was holding onto each word you said, listening intently.

And so you continued, trying your best to keep your composure. “It was the day that I met with Cor, you, Noct, and Libertus when Cor told me about all the suspicious animal activity and how they were acting in unpredictable manners. It made me start to believe that my dream was telling me something that I needed to be careful of. But this was just the one dream, and since then, all my dreams had been nothing but peaceful little fantasies, up until last night.”

“Y-Yes, darling?” Ignis said, grasping more firmly unto your thigh as he continued to listen.

“I…I dreamed that I was hunting, nothing too unusual from what I used to dream about all the time. But in this dream, I heard a cry. A cry of an infant of sorts, and as I went to protect it, I was attacked by a giant monster. And while I thought this was bizarre, it wasn’t until after the job today that I instantly made connections between the two. The cry was like that of that Chocobo and her babies we saved. The monster in my dreams? I realize now that that was the Behemoth we hunted today.” You paused again as you brought your hand up to cover your mouth, choking on your words and utterly terrified of how Ignis would now react, your heart pounding in your chest with fear. “It was all too similar and everything that you and the guys told me about Ravus and Tenebrae and Sania’s information today? I just….realized that I’ve been so stupid not to say anything. Because you know how my dreams have been in the past and now I feel awful over the fact that I haven’t said anything to anyone. Because now? Honestly, I feel like I’ve made a huge mistake and that I’m going to jeopardize the safety of all for everyone…”

Not making eye contact with Ignis now, you felt tears streaming down your face and you were about to bring your hands up to your cheeks to wipe them away when suddenly Ignis grasped the sides of your head and brought his lips down crashing against yours, sending your head back with utter surprise. His lips moved gently over yours and he pressed his knees to yours as he kissed you, his warm breath flowing to your face and his breathing deep against your mouth. Your heart began to sputter and flutter in your chest, finding yourself shocked at his sudden affectionate reaction. But pulling his lips back from yours now, he pressed his forehead to yours and caressed your lips, inhaling deeply.

“Oh dearest….Y/N…it is alright. All is well, my darling.”

_Huh?_

You pulled your face back from his, your head almost held in place by his strong hands. “B-But Ignis, don’t you understand what I just told you? What if my dreams are trying to tell me that we are all in danger! What if something happens to everyone! What if-“

But once again Ignis silenced you with kisses, allaying the fears that had been boiling in your bloodstream all evening long, and once again, Ignis pulled back to look at you, his expression serious and tender, and quite frankly it was driving you mad that the usually ever so tactical and poised man was handling your issue in a manner so unlike him. “Let me ask you something, my dearest,” he began, his words hushed and deep as he stroked your lower lip with his thumb and brushed away the tears from your face, “have these dreams ever steered you wrong before in the past?”

_What?_

_Oh…_

_Oh goodness._

You opened your mouth, ready to argue when it hit you. Had they though? Even the worst of nightmares that you had of Ardyn, dreams at the time that represented the nightmarish Chancellor at his worst and the terror that he had lain across Eos, had all but _helped_ you learn the truth about Ignis and his past. The most tender, passionate, and intimate of dreams you had about the advisor, leading to genuine moments that you would later share with the man. All of them. All of them highly prophetic and although frightening at times, but all leading you to nothing but good.

And if you dreams of the past were spurred on by the guidance of Lady Lunafreya and your watchful sprit over you, why would she let you down now?

And so as Ignis asked, what would make these dreams any different, if not leading you to all good things that would help keep you and your friends safe and aware?

Ignis smiled as the realization began to dawn over your face. “See, my love? Visions as though they may be, do you truly believe that the Oracle would leave you blindsided? Perhaps this is her way of providing you guidance and courage to remind you of what a brave woman you are. And besides, my dearest, unlike all those years ago where the world was cast asunder by madness and we faced the reign of the Niflheim empire and their evils, the biggest difference now is that we all stand together as one and that we are essentially prepared for everything. And with the Astrals’ protection and blessing of their chosen king who is now standing tall to protect his people, there is nothing that we cannot defend against, whatever we may have to face, if we are all walking tall, side by side.”

And you were trembling now, clutching onto Ignis to steady yourself as tears streamed down your cheeks, and he was ever so right, despite his usual lack of sound logical evidence in this manner throwing you off. “B-But Ignis, I want to tell Noctis. I need him to know to be safe. I can’t let anything happen to him because of me. I can’t just-“

“He will know, my darling. He will know,” Ignis said as he pressed his lips to your head and brushed away your tears once more. “He is guarded and protected well and we can be by his side in a moment’s haste if need be. He is in the safest of hands. But do you know who needs protecting right now? It is you. I need you to know that I am here for you. That your fears should be allayed and that you can share with me all your troubles, forever and always. You have no reason to hide what you fear. And I am here to put you at ease in your worried mind and appease those fears that you have repressed. I want to set you free of your troubles this very instant so that I know you are alright.”

“Ignis…oh Ignis…”

And so picking you up and cradling you in his strong arms, Ignis carried you upstairs and into the bedroom where he proceeded to undress you and press his own body to yours, all love and tenderness present in each and every one of his touches. With caressing hands exploring every inch of your body, he pushed himself deep inside of you and made love to you in each and every way imaginable, kissing you passionately all the while and feeling every single inch your heated flesh with his hands as you cried out his name in your submission to his pleasure. With bodies intertwined and flesh against flesh, he helped assuage you of all those fears and brought a sense of peace of mind and hope back into your heart, readying you to face another rising dawn. And even more importantly, he reminded you that you would never _ever_ have to fear those dawns alone, ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Gladio's fiancé is a freakin' badass by the way! I will leave it up to you to imagine how she sustained her injury to leave such a mark, but all I know is that she is a tough woman despite her supermodel looks. Gladdy is one lucky man!
> 
> After this chapter, I don't think I will look at Ignis ever handling a lance the same way again...;)


	19. What Kind of Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so somehow I managed to pull this chapter out of thin air, having not planned it out initially in my outline of planned remaining chapters as well as being super busy with life stuff. However, to be quite honest? I am super excited and happy about the fact that this chapter's plot came into mind, as I think it solidifies even more the amazing relationship that Ignis and the Reader share with one another.
> 
> What I love so much about this chapter is that it reminds me a lot of the earlier ones where the Reader and Ignis were not yet officially a couple and yet they had that beautiful spark and affection towards one another. I wanted to include this chapter to show those sweet and tender moments these two share with one another, much like before their declarations of love.
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy, and I hope to hear your feedback! :)
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_But I can't beat you_

_Cause I'm still with you_

_Oh mercy I implore_

_How do you do it?_

_I think I'm through it_

_Then I'm back against the wall_

_What kind of man loves like this?_

_What kind of man?_

_What kind of man loves like this?_

_What kind of man?_

_Florence and the Machine – “What Kind of Man”_

The primal sound of a groan fluttered into your ear as your back was pressed firmly into the soft earth beneath you, a rock-hard musculature hovering over you and bearing down upon you with heavy weight. Hands grasped your sides tightly with large and powerful hands as you squirmed beneath a plain of a flexed abdomen, and the feel heated skin sliding against your stomach and breasts made you whimper and moan aloud.

“Oh Ignis….” You sighed, biting your lips as you threw back your head into the mossy earth beneath you, and immediately his soft lips descended upon the base of your throat, his teeth sinking into the flesh and nipping at your collarbone. "I-Ignis, I….I….”

“Yes, darling,” Ignis’s hushed voice uttered against your skin, and he pushed more firmly against your dainty frame, causing your back to slide slightly against the soft terrain.

Instinctually you wrapped your legs around his waist, his hardened shaft pressing and sliding along the entrance to your heat and causing you to shudder with delight. You whimpered loudly and bit your lip as Ignis’s mouth now trailed down to the peak of your breasts, him inhaling sharply your scent and grazing his tongue over the mounds of flesh. You reached your hands up to snake their way through Ignis’s soft sandy hair, the loose tresses of his pompadour tickling your breasts as he kissed your delicate skin passionately and tantalizingly.

“Ignis…I…I want you. I want to feel you,” you uttered, gasping loudly as his tongue now slowly skimmed down from your breasts to your stomach, his mouth trailing ever so slowly down your supple skin and kissing in circles around your belly button. You panted loudly as his hot breath flowed over the bump of your pubic bone, and you yelped with surprise as Ignis shifted upon his elbows and grasped your buttocks, lifting your behind slightly and causing your legs to part. As you looked down upon him with heated and heavy breath, your eyes broadened as you watched his eyes darken and he inhaled deeply your scent of arousal.

“Ever so eager, aren’t we love?” Ignis cooed as he lips turned into a small curve as he better situated himself between your legs, and now you were up upon both elbows, watching each and every movement with trepidation and eagerness. “But first,” he said, pausing for a moment as his nostrils flared slightly, “allow me to have a taste…”

Your eyes snapped open and you threw back your head towards the moonlit sky as Ignis’s tongue began to press down upon your sensitive bundle of nerves, each and every expert gesticulation of his mouth and tongue causing your legs to twitch and shudder with need. His eyes now fully boring into you and watching your breasts rise and heave at the reaction of his ministrations, Ignis now wrapped his arm and hands under and around your legs, his hands grabbing at your behind and holding you in place so that there was no escape to the sweet torture he was administering upon you.

“I-Ignis…Ignis!” You cried, biting down upon your lip so hard that you caused yourself to bleed, and the taste of your own blood immediately filled your mouth. It was all so much. The smell of grass, moss and soil beneath your bodies, Ignis’s natural and musky odor fogging your senses, the sight of his usually styled hair now slowly becoming tousled with each motion of his head, the feel of a soothing breeze grazing across your breasts…

And the scent of rain that now slowly began to pelt down upon your naked bodies.

Each droplet of rain tickled your skin as you continued to watch your lover please you, his tongue now pressing firmly upon your bud and lapping and swirling between the folds of pink skin, and soon Ignis began to suck gently upon your heat, causing you to shudder and moan and grasp desperately at the grass and moss you lie upon, tearing up nature’s blanket within your tiny fists. His mouth seemed to work faster with each sound you made, and surely within moments you were bound to lose yourself as you felt the tell-tale signs of climax on the onset.

But not just yet. Not without him inside of you.

“Ignis, please…please….” You begged, wanting nothing more to become one with him in the raw and unadulterated stage of nature.

Ignis now looked up at you, his bangs now plastered to his forehead and his green eyes almost entirely blackened as he looked at your quivering and vulnerable body. With his nostrils flaring, with one last lap of his tongue Ignis moved away from your body, snaking his arms from out underneath your legs and him situating himself upon both knees. Your breath caught in your throat at the wondrous sight before you, his naked body shining and gleaming in the moonlight and you watched him shift, and it was almost as if in slow motion that you observed each and every single raindrop pelt upon his physique and slowly flow down the plains of his shoulders, chest, and stomach, each of his scars glistening like crushed pearls as the rain shimmied down his body. Your face completely and utterly flushed and your skin on fire, the rain was no reprieve to help cool you down as your eyes now trailed down to his groin, his hardened and throbbing length soaked with rain, and gods, did you want more than anything to have it find its shelter from the storm.

Ignis’s eyes lit up, his gaze a mixture of need and esteem of the woman he loved so much, and a small curve of a smile formed upon his lips.

“You’re mine….” He murmured, each accented syllable of his words rolling off his tongue, and now situating himself between your legs upon the soaking earth, one arm wrapping underneath the curve of your back and the other grabbing the base of his shaft, Ignis lined himself to your entrance, pushed forth, and gods did the rains find their release from the sky more than ever as the storm raged down upon your soaked and mingled bodies.

“I-Ignis…Ignis...IGNIS!”

“Love? What is it darling? Are you alright?”

Immediately your eyes snapped open as you felt a pair of warm hands fall protectively upon your hips, and shifting yourself underneath the warm covers, your body completely drenched in sweat and feeling utterly flushed, your body bumped up right alongside the frame of Ignis. Feeling his arm reach over you, he quietly murmured for you to shut your eyes, and hearing the quiet snapping of the lamp light, you slowly opened your eyes to see Ignis now propped upon one elbow and staring down at you, his expression soft and loving yet suddenly concerned. Yet, as you lay there looking up at him, his hair messy and his green eyes sparkling with adulation, you suddenly realized that you calling out his name in your dream sounded less like a call out of fear and more out of desperation and longing.

A blush ran up your cheeks and you bit your lip as your tried to hide your embarrassment from him. Unlike from when you had first met him, it was a rare occasion nowadays that you would have an intimate dream of Ignis, knowing how frequent you shared such activities in real time, but nevertheless, the reveries in your sleep were always more than welcome.

And especially now, just by the way that Ignis was gazing upon you with hazy eyes and trailing his fingers down your sides and over your hips.

Tucking your messy and tangled hair behind your ear, you cleared your throat, trying to hide your slight mortification as heat began to pool between your legs. “I….It was just a dream, Ignis. A good one, though. I-I’m ok though, I promise,” you said to him with a bashful smile. “I….I’m sorry if I woke you up…”

Ignis grinned now, seeming to put two and two together in his clever mind, and reaching down he gently shifted his hand behind your head to pull you upward towards his mouth for a tender kiss. Immediately your loins twisted into knots and your eyelashes began to flutter with delight as his mouth moved sweetly over yours, and something about the tenderness in his touches made you melt. But he slowly pulled back from you now, smiling once more and lowering your head back down to the pillow in the most gentle of ways. “Oh no harm done at all, my love,” he murmured, shimmying himself alongside you again and pressing his face to your neck, nuzzling you softly with his nose and his hands snaking down under the covers to place his hand upon your stomach. You swallowed hard at the feel of his somewhat hardened shaft press against your buttock and you had to refrain with all of the strength of the gods to prevent yourself from whimpering as he spoke. “On the contrary, I have been up for some time now, taking care of some business matters back at the Citadel. I have spoken to Noct and have informed him of the matter regarding your recent case of dreams, and I can assure you that he and the Marshall are already in the process of taking care of any potential security measures that may need to be instilled in case of an emergency.” He paused, shifting his hips alongside you, and he once more brushed his nose along the curve of your neck. “Although, I can assure you that that will not need to be the case. He too thinks that all is well, but nevertheless he will be keeping an eye out on the manner. You know, it’s quite amusing to ponder how just ten years ago I could barely get Noct out of the tent when we camped, and now our Majesty almost attempts to rival me on certain mornings with his time of awakening and getting to business. Now if only I could just get him to eat his vegetables still….he’s still unbelievably stubborn about that…” Ignis’s words seemed to drift off as he shut his eyes and smiled, clearly suddenly in a state of reminiscing.

You felt your hear agument and you smiled at his sweet and blissful expression as suddenly drew your brows together in confusion. “B-But wait….what time is it then?” You said finally, realizing your cloudy sleepy mind was still hindering your thought process this morning.

“Approximately quarter to seven, hence last I looked a few minutes ago before you awoke from your….adventurous slumber…”

Blushing deeply and rotating slightly now to reach over to the bedside table, surely enough Ignis was correct. 6:48 it read on the screen of your phone, and immediately your eyes went wide and your heart started to slam in your chest with panic.

“O-Oh gods! Ignis! I’m supposed to be up already and getting ready for work! I’m running late! I must have slept through my alarm! How did I not hear it! Shit!” And you quickly looked to him now, your body shaking as you started to move from under the covers and sit upright, realizing that there was an error with his awakening as well, the tactician always stirring before you. “Ignis, you’re late too! We’re both supposed to be-“

But Ignis merely cupped the side of your face and kissed you softly, silencing your words with strong lips and causing your stomach to flutter. Breathing in deeply at the taste of your lips against his, Ignis pulled back and looked at you lovingly, a sly and small grin upon his lips as he continued to stroke your face. “Hmmm, quite amusing you should say that. It turns out that a certain someone has barely made use of any of her vacation days provided by her place of employment since the awarding of her new managerial position. She certainly has been more than overworked in the recent weeks and is bearing the weight of responsibilities upon her shoulders. And so this morning, upon my calling of our Majesty to inform him of the recent development of your dreams, he too decided that you were indeed ‘working too hard’ and took it upon himself to ensure through Holly that you would receive some additional days off this week to rest your weary mind from your stress. And Noctis feeling that you should not endure these newly awarded few days off alone, he was more than happy to suggest to me to accompany you during this time and help you take your mind off your burdens. I already have a few plans in mind that I would like to suggest to you to help you alleviate your troubles and I have made a few arrangements to...darling? Are you alright? Why are you crying?”

And so as you had sat there and listened to Ignis speak, your palms became pressed firmly into your eye sockets as tears squeezed their way out from under your hands, down your cheeks and neck and over your bare breasts. You attempted your best to angle your face away from Ignis out of sudden humiliation, your face contorted into an uncontrollable fit of joyful hysterics.

What kind of man could love you like this with so much passion and fervor? It could only be him.

“W-Why…why are you so good to me? W-What did I d-do to deserve you? I’m j-just so happy to have you here with me…” You mumbled through stuttering lips, feeling utterly embarrassed now that here you were, a grown woman crying like a child in the presence of the man you loved so much.

Trying to hold back your tears as you bit your lip and felt yourself heave from your sudden wave of emotion, you felt your hands gently being pried from you face and brought to soft lips that began to kiss you tenderly. Opening your eyes as you attempted to control your breathing, you now looked at Ignis who was gently running his mouth over the knuckles of your hands, kissing each bump of bone softly as a chuckle escaped his lips. His eyes glowed with warmth and tenderness and gratitude, his own breathing seeming to be restrained from your affectionate words and expressive outburst. And then, shifting himself alongside you now, he once more cupped your chin in his hands and drew you in for a kiss, his other hand reaching up to brush away your tears, and running his lips up from your mouth to your nose and then your forehead, Ignis breathed in deeply as he pressed you close to his chest. “Darling, if only I could give you all of the world, if the gods would permit me, I would give you that and more.”

And his words struck you hard and deep, penetrating your heart.

“But you are all that I could ever ask for Iggy. I don’t need the world if I have you….”

Ignis’s breathing hitched as it was he who now seemed to be trembling, your words seeming to have a poignant effect on him. “Then...then I could die a happy man, knowing that I please you so.”

And please you he did indeed.

Moments of contented silence passed as you lay within the solace of each other’s arms, your face buried in Ignis’s chest while he stroked the soft skin of the curve of your waist and hips. Deeply inhaling his scent, finally feeling placated, you slowly lifted your head from his chest and nuzzled his chin with your mouth, breathing in deeply. “So….” You said softly now as your thoughts finally became clear, “with such a big surprise thrown at me that I was totally not expecting, just exactly where are we going to be going? What are these so called ‘arrangements’ you are talking about?”

Ignis chuckled as he kissed your forehead, shifting his legs so that they were intertwined with yours, and you felt yourself blush deeply at the feel of his still semi-hard shaft press against your belly. “Ah, dearest, that part shall remain a mystery to you until later this evening. For the remainder of the day I give you the reigns on where you wish to adventure.”

You looked up at him now, finding your hands gently tracing over his chest and feeling the grooves of his glossy scars that plastered themselves across the canvas. “R-Really? Anywhere?” you said, your heart fluttering now. “Like, we can go anywhere outside of Insomnia?”

Ignis laughed now as he looked down to your face as smiled. “But of course. Anywhere darling. I am merely your chauffeur to take you where you wish. But,” he said, placing a delicate kiss upon your nose, “at seven we have a reservation, and so therefore that is your cut-off time,” he said with a wink. “At least for today.”

You giggled now, blushing deeply as he continued to trail his hand over your curves, and you sighed deeply, the sensation of his fingertips causing your spine to shiver with pleasure. Despite the heat emanating from his body and seeping into your flesh, causing your walls to tighten and flutter as he pressed his body more firmly against yours so that his shaft grazed over your belly and his body weight was pressed to yours, there was something so utterly sweet and chaste about the moment that you simply didn’t want to ruin it. And knowing Ignis so well now, feeling currently that electrified and trembling energy stem from his form that was ready to be released, he too seemed to share the exact same sentiment as you, each tightened breath and tremor-like motion of his being restrained for the sake of this special moment in your private heaven.

Swallowing hard and taking a deep breath, you looked up at him with wondering eyes. “So…when do we head out? I’m pretty damn excited now to be taking a road trip with you,” you said as you grinned at him.

Ignis raised an eyebrow as he pulled back to look at you, but a smile curved up at the corner of his lips. “Ever so eager, are we?” He said playfully, now shifting himself over you and pressing you down upon the mattress and causing you to whimper slightly at the feel of his weight. “You wouldn’t wish to rest anymore? It’s still rather early after all…”

You laughed at the tone in his voice, blushing at his implication and knowing that he was playing with you. “There’s always time for that another day. Besides,” you said with a soft look in your eyes as you tried to keep your composure, “I know how busy we both have been lately and I want to take advantage of all my time with you before you have to go away to Accordo, whenever that is.”

Ignis inhaled sharply, the reminder of his duty almost causing him a sense of pain as he looked down at you. But nevertheless, he smiled warmly and pressed another chaste kiss to your forehead. “Very well, Y/N. So where is it that you would like to go?”

You mulled it over in your mind, knowing one place for certain that you felt you were missing terribly as of late. “Well…yesterday on the phone I got a call from Holly. She wanted to check in on me to see how I was doing since moving out here, but she also got me updated on everything that was going on at her end. I…I kinda wanted to stop by and see her and thank her once again for agreeing with Noct to let me have this time off when we’ve all been so busy. But even more so, I just really have been missing Lestallum as of late….”

Ignis smiled broadly, almost sensing your excitement through your words. “Tis a fine choice, indeed,” he said as he beamed down at you. “Any other requests at all before we venture out and see where our day takes us?”

You blushed, smiling sheepishly up at him. “It’s only one minor request before we head out to Lestallum, but also something else I’ve been thinking about and wanting for a while now. You just have to promise not to laugh at how random it is.”

Ignis raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what is that, dearest?”

You laughed at him, now wanting to tease him like how he would always leave you hanging with random surprises. “I’ll tell you,” you said, smiling at him as you held onto his arms from underneath him and leaned your head up to give his chin a kiss. “But we gotta get into the Regalia first so we can head out and see for yourself.”

***************************

“Well howdy, y’all!” Cindy shouted cheerfully as you and Ignis pulled into Hammerhead Station and parked the Regalia right in front of the gas pump. “Yer all lookin’ mighty fine and chipper on this lovely day! What y’all doin’ out in this neck of the woods today?”

Getting yourself out of the car you smiled at the beautiful blonde as you and Ignis made your way over to her, her face already splotched with grease but her olive eyes sparkling with joy and enthusiasm nonetheless.

“We are on an adventures of sorts,” Ignis said with a smile as he looked to Cindy. “Y/N had made a request for a pit stop and surely your establishment would be the first place of visit on our list. I was too perhaps wondering if you could take a look at our Majesty’s vehicle to ensure she is in proper running order before we officially make our way on out.”

“Sure thing, Ignis,” Cindy said with a wink and a nod. “Anything for y’all for ya helping me out so much after all these years. I’ll take a look at her right away!”

Smiling at you now, Ignis turned to give you an endearing look. “But a moment, Y/N. I shall be with your shortly.” And turning to head into the marketplace (most likely to grab himself an Ebony for the road ahead, your eyes followed Ignis’s each step into the shop. Your throat tightened at the way the fabric of his fitted black t-shirt shifted over his toned shoulders and body and you almost couldn’t help but gawk at the way his hips swayed in his dark-washed jeans as he sauntered, causing you to sigh dreamily.

“So no Cid here today?” You asked Cindy as you gazed off, now day dreaming of your love.

“Naw, he’s upstairs workin’ on something new and funky with some old magitek weapons he’s been collectin’. But you can say hi to him before you and Ignis there go on your way out.”

At the mention of Ignis’s name, you drew your attention back to the blond bombshell and saw that she was looking at you assiduously with a broad grin upon her face now.

“What? What are you looking at me like that for?” You asked Cindy, blushing deeply as she beamed at you.

“Aw, it ain’t nothing at all,” she said playfully as she brushed her ponytail away from over her shoulder. “I just can’t help but notice how much you’re glowin’ and beamin’ and such right now. It makes me feel more joyful than a happy baby Chococbo seein’ you like this. After all this time, ya finally got the man that you truly so deserved.”

Your face was beat red now as you peaked towards the market place, managing to see Ignis standing inside through the window glass, and just the sight of him doing something as mundane and simple as shopping made your heart swell and your throat tighten.

“Yeah…yeah I did, didn’t I?” You said, smiling at her now, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“I’m just happy for y’all. Seein’ that pain you’ve both gone through all those years, only to see the two of you like this now? I can’t name the last time I’ve felt so joyful over somethin’. You two are goals, that’s for sure.”

But it was now that Ignis walked out of the front doors of the Hammerhead Market and made his way back over to the two of you, his expected Ebony in hand and a smile on his face. But Cindy, seeing your current state of dreaming drew the attention away from your blushing face and now spoke to Ignis. “I’ll get right on checkin’ over the old girl for ya two. I hope you two don’t mind waitin’ a little bit.”

“Not at all,” Ignis said warmly as he now took his place by your side. “We won’t be leaving here promptly and so do take all the time that you need. We shall be more than occupied while we wait.”

“Then I’ll get right on it!” Cindy said cheerfully with a wink. “You two have fun in the meantime!”

The harmless insinuation of her words made you blush even further as you and Ignis made your way over now to your requested destination, and as you walked, Ignis brushed his free hand against yours as he smiled down upon you. “You know that you are truly remarkable, don’t you?”

His words caused you to knit your brows in confusion, not understanding where this suddenly was coming from, but nonetheless you still appreciated the sweetness of his words. And so, a cheeky grin spread across your lips. “You may or may not have said that a few times before,” you said, now taking his hands in yours and holding it tightly. “Just what exactly though makes me so remarkable at this very moment?”

Ignis chuckled. “Of all the things that you could have asked for in the entirety of the world at this moment, you entreated something as simple as this,” he said, motioning with his face now towards Takka’s Pit Stop, and part of you had to laugh.

“Hey you, you promised me that you wouldn’t laugh!” you said playfully giving his hand a squeeze. Stopping at Takka’s was in fact your first true request for the day, having been craving his famous breakfast platter for months now since you last helped out Cindy install the new piping and lines to the expanded marketplace. While you would never in the world turn down a homecooked breakfast made by you and Ignis together, something within your adventurous and starving heart today was hungering for something more on the greasier side.

“Oh no, I’m not laughing at you at all,” Ignis said with a cheeky grin. “I just find it endearing your desires for the more simpler things in life. It’s rather adorable, if you ask me…”

And so you were breathless and blushing profusely now at Ignis’s compliment of endearment as you and Ignis walked into Takka Bradham’s establishment, the restaurant bustling and bubbling already this early in the morning. Looking towards the front of the restaurant you saw the restaurateur already hard at work, and immediately your stomach began to growl at the scent of bacon, sausage, and eggs on the sizzling griddle. Making your way over to the counter and situating yourselves upon the stools, you and Ignis made yourselves comfortable as the chef looked up and turned around from his work to see you watching him patiently.

“Oh! Er, uh, hello there,” Takka said nervously as came up to the counter and addressed you two, and you almost had to stifle a laugh at the way the anxious man always seemed to be taken off guard. Ignis merely smiled, the tactician seeming more than used to the chef’s behavior, and after a moment of staring at you two, it appeared as though Takka finally realized who he was looking at and speaking to. “Oh jeese, er, I’m sorry. Didn’t recognize you two at first. Ignis, Y/N, so good to see you both again. W-What can I do yer for?”

You tried to maintain your giggling, Takka not seeming the most perceptive that he had never actually seen the two of you as a couple sitting side by side together at his establishment, but nonetheless, you still always appreciated it when business owners remembered their customers. From all the stories that Ignis shared with you about how the boys and he would get caught up in the various requests set forth by Takka, it was easy for you to see how Ignis’s face would certainly be unforgettable.

“Two of your specials, if you will,” Ignis requested with a smile, his knee now brushing against yours as you sat upon the stools, causing you to blush.

“S-Sure can do,” Taka said with a small smile now, an expression so unlike him. Takka made his way back over to the grill now where he continued to labor over the greasy and fried steam, and once more your stomach began to growl loudly at the aromas that permeated the restaurant. But feeling a pair of eyes upon you, you turned your head to see that Ignis was looking at you with warmth in his eyes, causing your heart to flutter.

You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear as you smiled bashfully back at him, feeling extremely giddy over Ignis’s affectionate mannerisms this morning. “What? What is it?” You asked him.

Ignis took your hand and squeezed it gently, leaning over to give you a sweet kiss upon your forehead. “Nothing at all, my dearest. Just savoring the moment while I can before we savor our breakfast.” He pulled back to look at you now and let your hand go slowly, seeming to hate letting go of your tiny hand. “Give me but a moment, Y/N. I must use the restroom. I shall return shortly.”

Standing up off of the stool, Ignis made his way over to the restrooms, leaving your sitting there alone in the company of the early birds. You smiled as you watched him walk away, your eyes now trailing around to look at the various patrons who were merrily enjoying their meals. Your heart swelled in particular at the sight of a little girl in a blue dress whose feet could hardly touch the ground as she clumsily forked some egg into her mouth, and you stifled a snigger as you watched a piece fall onto her lap. But, now realizing that you had a moment alone, you quickly took your phone out of your pocket while you had the chance to remain discreet.

Pulling up your message menu, you selected your contact of choice and began to type a message.

**What must a king’s subject do to in order to express her gratitude? I just wanted to say thank you for being so awesome and forcing me to take better care of myself.**

You smiled now, realizing that most people wouldn’t be so informal in the way they talked to their monarch, but by the gods you were surely grateful that you were on such close terms with him in order to do so. But as you were about to put your phone back into your pocket, you phone vibrated and bleeped.

Looking at the screen, your eyes widened, feeling utterly surprised at the fact that Noctis would be so quick to reply to you.

 **It’s no big deal! It’s the least I could do, Y/N** , he said, and you couldn’t help but laugh at his informal talk too. **I don’t want you burning yourself out…you have to be good to yourself before you can take care of others. Trust me, I know. And I know for a fact that Specs sure as hell doesn’t take care of himself either like he should, and I know that you can help him with that. ;)**

You blushed at the suggestion of his words, biting your lip as you smiled and typed back to him:

**You’re absolutely right. And I promise that I will. But nonetheless, thank you. Thank you for everything. You’re the absolute best and your friendship means to the world to me.**

For a moment you paused as the thoughts of your hysterical crying of happiness from this morning came suddenly into your thoughts again, and you inhaled sharply at the thought of knowing just how much Ignis really deserved to be treated well, knowing of all that he gave to you who felt so underserving of his affections. But out of nowhere, a sudden idea came to mind, one that suddenly made you feel rather foolish but quite excited at the same time:

**Actually Noct, there is one more thing you can do for me you don’t mind. I just realized that after all this time I never got Ravus’s contact and I want to ask him to do something for me. Can you give that to me?**

A moment passed when Noctis replied:

**Sure thing! Here it is. What exactly do you have in mind?**

A small smile spread on your face, shaking your head.

**I don’t want to spoil anything unless I know I can make it happen. You’ll just have to wait and see. But thank you again Noct! :)**

Another brief moment passed while you waited for Noctis to reply.

**Then I won’t bug ya and I’ll be patient. You take care of Iggy and have now fun, ok?**

You blushed once more as you quickly added Ravus’s contact into your phone. Realizing that Ignis was about to return at any moment now, you quickly typed a heartfelt message to Ravus, suddenly feeling your heart swell over the thought of the king as you typed.

 **Ravus, it’s Y/N. How are you? I know that this probably seems really out of the blue but I feel terrible for not keeping in touch with you as it’s been so long since we’ve last spoken. I heard about what’s happening in Tenebrae and I want you to know that we all here are keeping an eye on you and everyone in Tenebrae. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you need our help.** And so you paused, suddenly feeling a little self-seeking in the moment. **I know that this might make me sound a little bit selfish at the moment, but I was wondering if there was something that you could possibly do for me, but it’s actually not for me; it’s for Ignis. When I last visited you, you made me something very special. I’ve been wanting to do something special for Ignis in return for everything he has done for me and everyone else, and I was wondering if perhaps I could request something of your blacksmiths specially made for him? Again, I understand if you are too busy with everything that is happening right now…**

But as you hit send on the text, wondering if your request was too bold of a motion during Ravus’s time of strife, you looked up to see that Ignis was now walking back to you, his stride full of purpose and a curious smile upon his face. “Everything alright?” He asked you as he sat back down and looked at your hand that was fumbling to put your phone back in your pocket.

“Y-Yeah, never better,” you said with a grin, trying to hide what you were up to. “Just checking the forecast in Lestallum and we once again are going to have another scorcher, even for this time of year.”

“Appropriate as always,” Ignis said smugly as he reached to take a drink from his Ebony that had been sitting on the counter. “And that is why we always overprepare for these types of happenings.”

And truth be told, that morning as you and Ignis got ready for the day, you two had packed the trunk of the Regalia, ready for any encounter of the sort, even bringing your weapons and curatives just in case an emergency arose. Although, he refused to tell you why he wanted you to bring a nice dress, and that utterly drove you crazy, but you of course you couldn’t be surprised with his mysteriousness anymore.

“Well, you’re darn right about that,” you said with a broad smile as Takka now finally brought over your breakfast platters. “Every day with you Iggy? It’s always an adventure.”

“As it is with you, my love. Yes it is,” he said as he smiled at you, taking your hand and kissing if softly before you both dove into you delicious gourmet assortment of bacon, eggs, sausage, potatoes, and fresh fruit.

Little did you know, adventure would be just around the corner.

**************************************

With your bellies full and content and your free hands intertwined in one another’s, you and Ignis set forth from Hammerhead and zoomed across the Lucian highways on your way to Lestallum, ready to officially begin your adventures. Breathing in deeply as the cooling fall wind swept through your hair, you could not help but constantly cast glances aside at the driver whose eyes were attentively upon the road ahead of you, his glance darting at you occasionally on straightaways to see you smiling lovingly at him. Ignis would chuckle and you felt your heart tug at the way loose strands of hair from his styled pompadour would flow down upon his face, and you squeezed your hand tightly upon his, trying your best to contain your excitement.

With the blazing sun blaring down upon your face as you drove, a playful idea came to mind as you neared the Coernix Station by the Astor Slough, and it was almost as if the spirit of Prompto took over you now at this moment. “Ignis, do you mind pulling over for a second?”

Ignis raised his eyebrow but smiled nonetheless. “Certainly,” he said as he drew the car to a slow stop. Smiling broadly now, you exited the Regalia and quickly made your way over to the driver’s side where you opened the door for Ignis, much to his surprise. Grabbing ahold of his hand, you pulled him out of the seat as he quickly fumbled with the Regalia’s keys in his hand and was lead by you, bouncing anxiously on your feat. Ignis chuckled at your apparent enthusiasm, pushing his glasses up upon his nose that were sliding down his face. “My my, whatever is your excitement for?” He asked playfully as you stopped at the edge of the highway and checked both ways to make sure no one was coming.

“I’m feeling a little bit inspired by Prompto right now,” you said breathlessly with a grin and lead him across the road and up to the guard rail on the opposite side. “I want to take some pictures of you. I don’t think it’s fair Prompto gets to have all the fun in that department.”

Ignis’s lips curved into a grin now, a slight flush creeping up through his cheeks at the thought of being the subject of your sudden urge for photography. But nevertheless, him being the surprisingly photogenic man he was, you began your session of him, taking photos of him in various angles and poses and even changing scenery as you made your way closer down to the Slough. Flipping through the camera on your phone you felt yourself blushing at how utterly handsome Ignis looked in each and every shot, and you couldn’t help but friskily nudge at his sides as you saw his humble and flushed expression upon his face.

“Someone here could totally be a model,” you said as you gazed at a shot that made your throat tighten and your heat twist into delightfully knots. The image in question had the sun casting light just perfectly on your subject at hand, the wind blowing just enough to tousle his styled hair in the most attractive of ways. The grin on Ignis’s face was confident and sexy, the off-kilter of his hips and the way his broad hand was placed upon his waist making you feel giddier than ever.

“Oh come now, it’s nothing special,” Ignis said humbly, and yet something in his smile told you otherwise that he knew the affect that he was having on you at this very moment. “Let’s reverse roles now, shall we?”

And so you did, now feeling utterly bashful to be the subject on camera, but nevertheless, you felt yourself laughing hysterically as Ignis directed where and how he wanted you to pose. You felt yourself reddening with embarrassment as you scrolled through the photos in which he took, Ignis too now seeming flustered at the beauty of the subject at hand, and before you knew it, both of you were now laughing with delight at your own childlike fun.

Your laughter led to kisses and a series of selfie shots, and finally deciding to continue along your journey, stopping occasionally to repeat your photo sessions with various subjects in the background such as the meteor at the Disc of Cauthess, the stone arches formed by the impact of the meteor itself, and the soft rolling raised hills of the Kelbass Grasslands, you and Ignis finally began to pass through the never-ending tunnel through the eastern entrance of Lestallum.

Your heart aflutter, you leaned forward in your seat as you held on tightly to Ignis’s hand that was cupped around your thigh, and you took a deep breath. Taking your phone out of your pocket for just a moment, you took note of the fact that there was no reply from Ravus, but still, logically speaking you knew that this was wishful thinking.

 _He’s a busy King, just like Noctis,_ you said. _I just hope that everything is alright with him…_

Ignis took sudden note of your behavior and squeezed your thigh as he watched you put your phone back into your pocket. “Are you alright?” He asked you softly as you the Regalia passed through the tunnel.

You turned to smile at him, nodding as you tried to hide your hidden thoughts. “Y-Yeah. I’m just really happy is all. This has already been a really amazing day so far…” And your words trailed off for a moment as you took another deep breath. “Thank you, Ignis. Thank you for everything as always…”

Ignis inhaled sharply as for but a moment he took his eyes off the road to gaze at you tenderly. “Forever and always, my dearest. Although…the day is young and has only just begun. Let us see where it shall take the two of us next.”

As if someone had instantly turned up the temperature, you felt your body rapidly adjust to the infamously scorching temperature of the small town of Lestallum as you and Ignis pulled the Regalia into an open parking space at the Pelgar Outlook. Turning the Regalia off, Ignis came over to your side of the car and opened the door for you, taking your hand in the process as you looked around you, sighing deeply. It hadn’t even been that long ago since you left Lestallum, and yet somehow it felt like years had passed since you stepped foot on the steamy, cobblestone streets. But gazing out now over past the Outlook and towards the soothing and ethereal glow of the Meteor, feeling in utter awe at the sight as it always made you feel in the past, you slowly turned back your attention to the present to see Ignis looking at you attentively with the sweetest smile on his face, causing you to blush deeply.

“W-What? Is there something on my face?” You said rather stupidly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear like you always did when he made you feel giddy.

But Ignis said nothing as he turned himself to fully face you. Taking a hold of both of your shoulders, Ignis gently skimmed his hands down your arms and to your waist, each motion deliberate and gentle. Then taking one hand, he cupped your chin to angle your face up towards him, and it felt within an instant that all time around you had stopped as he looked down at your face assiduously, his expression somewhat unreadable but exuding an air of contentedness.

“No, my darling, there is nothing on your face,” he said with a smile in his voice as he brought his lips down to kiss the top of your forehead, and it was almost as the though the world inside your heart set itself ablaze at this all too joyous stage that was set for the two of you as the sun blared down upon you and the breeze blew along the stone pavement. “Just slightly overwhelmed at the moment with a sense of nostalgia. I am merely just remembering how this all began…”

Your heart clenched and fluttered at his words, instantly understanding the intent of what he meant. How long ago had it been since Ignis made his visit to Lestallum on that fateful day where he helped you with that pesky valve, that very day which would leave you two walking down a shared path, side by side. To think that ten years had passed for you, wondering if and when you would ever meet the man you learned so much about who helped save his best friend from destruction and the world from raging darkness and misery, and yet there he appeared, staring up at you on that scaffolding while you struggled and him coming to your rescue without a second thought. Finding yourself trembling now and fighting back tears of joy, you closed your eyes as Ignis once more brought his lips to the top of your forehead, inhaling deeply the scent of your hair and reveling in the feel of your gentle frame next to his. But as you two stood there within each other’s presence, you felt him begin to quake, causing you to open your eyes and see him standing there in a state of bliss, a relaxed smile on his lips as he wrapped his arms around your back.

“Ignis…” you murmured with hushed words, your face now pressed gently against his chest, and you inhaled deeply the scent of his cologne in the faint scent of his favorite coffee as you too became lost in this moment, waves of memories starting to flood over you. “I love you….”

Ignis inhaled sharply as he squeezed you tightly, but pulling back from you now, he lifted your head towards him once more as he smiled down upon you, his cheeks slightly flushed. “And I love you too, Y/N.” Brushing your hair away from your face, Ignis now sighed and cleared his throat, seeming like he was fighting back every bit of strength in wanting to let you go. “M-My apologies for that,” she said, a blush creeping up through your cheeks, but by gods did you never witness anything so adoring. “Now dearest, you said you wanted to say hello to Holly, correct?”

For a moment you could only look up him, the usually composed man now seeming overly flustered at his sudden vulnerably, and so it thus took you a moment to reply to his question. “Y-Yeah,” you said with a slow smile. “That would be nice right about now. And I don’t know about you, but all of that picture taking from earlier really struck up an appetite with me. I say we grab an early lunch at Partellum afterwards?”

“Most excellent idea, my love.”

To say that Holly was more than surprised that you would make promise on your word sooner than later was an understatement, for as soon as you made your way through the busy Lestallum streets and towards the plant, Holly was seemingly just making her way out of her office when she looked up to see you and Ignis making your way towards her. Very uncharacteristic of her usual business-like self when on the job, Holly gave you the biggest hug imaginable and immediately began to fill you and Ignis in on all that had transpired in the town since you had departed. Most curious to see what progress was made on the new housing development, Holly led you and Ignis down towards the ravine by the plant, and instantly you gasped in shock to see that the majority of the housing units were essentially finished in terms of their structure. All that was left was the plumbing and wiring for their power sources.

“How the hell did you manage to get this finished so quickly?” You asked in shock as you and Ignis walked around the new homes, soon to be inhabited by future home owners.

“The LC-X models,” Holly said with a thumbs-up. “After the initial test run that Noctis ran he finally had one of his engineers officially come over to help us guide the machine. It’s pretty amazing stuff here,” she said, almost in awe. “And again, we have you to help thank for that.”

Holly afterwards took you back to the office where she showed you the plans for the expansion of the cable cars, and now you were beginning to feel more hopeful than ever at the prospect that the Lucian content would once more be restored to the thriving glory that it was once before. But upon asking her where several of the girls were currently stationed today, Holly could only give you a frustrated somber look. “A lot of them have been out in the field this week. As ever, those damn varmits have been causing such a disturbance lately that they’ve been keeping us on our toes. Believe me when I say that I will be glad once we get these new girls fully trained so that we can have more people carry on this work load…”

“It’s going to work out in the end,” you said to Holly, trying your best to sound hopeful to your boss. “I promise you that. And I will make sure that I will not let you down on my end.”

It was then that you and Ignis said your goodbyes to Holly for the afternoon, and something in Holly’s eyes told you that she was missing your assistance more than ever these days. But her reassuring yourself that you were doing what you were meant to do, as you parted ways you couldn’t help but feel a little bit guilty deep down inside about not being there to be bear the workload for her team.

Perceptive as always, Ignis was quick to take note of your emotional state and grasped firmly onto your hand to help you ground yourself. “You are doing wonders, my love. Don’t place all these burdens upon yourself.”

Knowing how right he was as the two of you finally made your way over to the market place, a smile spread across your lips. “Yeah, I know. But still. You know me. I just want to ensure that I can help out in any way possible. You know how that is after all,” you said, playfully elbowing him in the side.

Ignis chuckled as you rounded the corner and approached the food stands. “That I do indeed, my love. But that is why we are both here today to reminds ourselves that we can only bear so much of that weight ourselves and that we are merely human. We cannot take on the world all alone ourselves.”

You couldn’t help but smile at the tactician taking his own advice to heart, but nevertheless your heart was warmed by his words. “You’re absolutely right,” you murmured as you held onto his hand tightly. “Which…by the way…thank you for giving me the time to catch up with Holly on business talk. I know that must not have been the most exciting conversation for you.”

“On the contrary,” Ignis said with a grin as you two approached a stand, and Ignis immediately reached for a beautifully plump red Lucian tomato, “all matters as such ARE of importance to me, as no matter how trivial of a matter it may appear, what happens across the continent of Lucis is part of his Majesty’s concern and thus so is mine. I am merely his vessel to go out and report to ensure that all is transpiring well for his people.” And truth be told, you could not help but almost feel foolish in an instant, recalling that all that time ago when Ignis assisted you with your work that he had explained that was his purpose in visiting Lestallum in the first place: to safeguard that all matters of power were taken care of properly as well as to ensure the Lucian Empire’s citizen’s safety. “And so thus,” Ignis continued, “your affairs mean much to me in guaranteeing that they are all properly taken care of…” Ignis’s words trailed off as he held firmly onto the tomato, and him turning to grin at you, you too placed one into your hand and held onto it, turning it over delicately in your hand. “I must say though, it is quite amusing to see how life comes full circle, isn’t it now?” He murmured as he watched at you with loving eyes.

Your heart swelled, knowing the exact moment he was referring to of your first ‘date’ with one another so long ago and how it started this exact same way.

“Are you sure she left over an hour ago?” Cried a frantic voice over the noisy crowd a few stalls down. “S-She should have been back by now!”

You and Ignis turned to look at one another as you both instincuually tuned into this sudden sound of distress, and quickly you both sat down your vegetables and made your way over to the stand of where the commotion was coming from. As you approached, you noticed standing behind the counter was a middle-aged couple each wearing a baseball cap and apron with ‘Furloch Farms’ emblazoned on the fabric. The husband was on his cellphone with his eyebrows furrowed in panic while is his wife stood beside him, her hand over her mouth and her eyes drawn together with fright.

“And you’re sure she said she had no other stops? She didn’t tell us about making any pitstops!” The husband continued as he now paced, and the wife only could fold her arms as she held back an apparent onslaught of tears that was about to cascade from her face. “Y-Yeah, c-call the officials. We’ll call them too, but I don’t know if they are back yet because we heard there was an issue out at Burbost. Y-Yeah…”

The man hung up on the phone and quickly began to dial his phone once more. Bringing it up to his face and seeming to wait patiently, he immediately showed his disgust, apparently no one now answering on the other line, and panic was drawn over his face once more as he and his wife seemed to now pace like frantic Sabertusks inside their stand. But you looking at Ignis now and both of you nodding to one another, Ignis approached the stand and spoke. “Pardon us for eavesdropping, but we heard you in distress and it set the two of us at unease. What seems to be the matter? Perhaps we can be of assistance to you.”

The husband and wife stared at the two of you for a moment, their expressions at first fear-ridden. But the longer you looked at the terror that masked itself across the countenances, your heart engorged with pain, knowing all too well that look in their eyes, one that you knew personally and still ate at you in random passing moments.

_Mom….Dad…..they look just like Mom and Dad….right before they-_

But after a moment passed as the husband inspected Ignis’s face more closely, slowly his eyes widened at a sudden realization, the wife joining him in his shock as if a sudden epiphany came over them.

“You’re…you’re one of the guys in black that helped us out all those years ago, aren’t you?” The man said now, his expression contorted in a series of twisted emotions.

Ignis raised his eyebrow, seeming rather utterly surprised that someone after the passage of all those years would remember him. “W-Why yes. Yes I am. Why is it that you ask?”

It was now that husband and wife looked at you too, recognizing you as a former resident but also knowing of and hearing about your work through EXINERIS and as a hunter.

“Oh Astrals, bless us!” Said the wife, clasping her hands together. “We’re having an emergency and we can’t seem to get ahold of any of the officials here to help us. We don’t know what to do! We-“

“Do you want our help? What’s wrong?” You quickly cut in, not even taking a moment to question work as a good Samaritan.

“O-Our daughter,” the husband began, “our daughter who works for the family business was sent out to Furloch to pick up a shipment of fresh produce to bring back here to sell at our stand. But when we called the employees on staff there today to see where she was because she was running behind schedule, they had said she left an hour ago and yet she still isn’t here. She’s never late for bringing any shipments in. We tried calling her before calling back our staff but she didn’t answer, and she always answers her phone. Everyone’s been trying to get a hold of her, but no one can reach her. This is completely unlike her. We…we fear something could have happened to her.”

“We don’t even care if something happened to the shipment,” the wife cut in, holding back her tears. “We just want to make sure that our daughter is ok! And it’s not even just us who is worrying about her…”

You felt your heartbreaking as a wave of helpless washed over you for their sake, and before you could even open your mouth to express your sympathy, Ignis spoke.

“What route does she typically take from here to Saxham?” Ignis finally said firmly, all business now as he took out of his phone to begin mapping the route.

The couple quickly gave the directions to the typical delivery route, Ignis marking each check point upon his map with dexterous fingers. As the husband relayed the information to Ignis, you quickly wrote down your own phone number for the woman on a receipt that happened to be lying on the ground. “H-Here,” you said quickly. “Call us if you find anything out and we’ll call you too if something comes up or we find her. “

“Y-You have no idea how grateful we are for your help,” said the wife as she now wrote down her own number, her hands shaking as she wrote with her pen. “We all don’t know what we would do if something happened to our daughter. I couldn’t live with myself knowing that-“

“Do not fret,” Ignis softly cut in, his expression serious and yet sympathetic. “We will do what we can, but please try your best to remain calm. We will call some of the local hunters to see if they have seen anything.”

“Oh thank you thank you thank you,” you wife cried, her husband now pulling her close to him.

Turning to look at Ignis you both nodded to one another and made a dash out of the Partellum market and back to the Outlook, ready to embark on another adventure.

It looked like lunch would just have to wait a little bit longer.

***********************

“Iggy, this isn’t good. This isn’t good at all!” You said anxiously as your eyes frantically surveyed the landscape before you. “You’d think that it’d be obvious if we saw signs of her, right?”

“Patience, darling,” Ignis replied, although his words too word strained within his voice. He squeezed your hand reassuringly as his eyes too now scanned the horizon before him. “But yes, you are indeed correct. Last when Noctis and all of us dealt in such a similar manner all those years ago, we were indeed provided with a sign of the lost cargo we helped retrieve. But we mustn’t lose sight of hope. We will find her, I promise.”

“I hope so,” you murmured, feeling your stomach turn over in knots. A call to Dave Auburnbrie left you feeling rather restless, ironically none of his hunters being in the local area at the time as they were dealing with a case of riotous Arbas further west, and it would take them longer than expected to arrive to your search area. “I just…I don’t know, Ignis. I couldn’t live with myself knowing that something could have happened to this young girl and we didn’t get there in time. I saw the look on her parents’ face. I know exactly what they are thinking because I’ve seen it before too…”

Ignis inhaled sharply at the mention of your parents as he squeezed your hand once more. “We will do as best as we can, my love. I promise you that...”

And so it was now that the Regalia zoomed father to the south in the direction of Furloch Farms where you passed the Wainterre Haven, just west of the Aracheole Stronghold, and the sight of the place was just enough to make your spine shiver at the reminder of your past excursions inside of the Niflheim bases. But it was now that as you rounded the bend of rolling hills where Ignis almost seemed to steer the car slightly off the road, and drawing your attention to what was forth ahead of you, you felt your eyes widen with utter shock at what you saw on the side of the highway.

“Ignis…oh _goodness_ …is that what I think it is?”

“Bloody hell…” Was all the tactician could say in response, his grip suddenly tightening upon the steering wheel.

And surely enough as Ignis pulled the Regalia to a complete stop along the side of the highway, there, sitting ‘parked’ along the side of the road was a Niflheim aircraft carrier, one so much like the ones that you would see soaring over the skies of Eos during those many years.

And even more frightening, its hatch was open and its lights were ablaze, yet not sign of ‘life’ was to be seen around it.

_Gods…oh gods…what is going on? This…._

But now it was just as the boys had told you: with the snow of Niflheim melting and the natural world of Eos slowly reverting back to its normal state, there were bound to be some disturbances on more than one level, and here situated before you was solid proof of just that.

_But still…just how…oh…oh no…_

But before you could finish your thought your hand came up cover your mouth as you saw it: There, now crashed slightly into a ditch off the side of the road with the driver’s seat door wide open and the headlights still lit was indeed the truck embellished with the Furloch Farms logo, and now haphazardly displaced alongside of the vehicle were various crates of produce that were intended to the shipped back into Lestallum.

“Ignis…oh gods, Ignis, this…”

“Stay alert, my love. There could be rouge magiteks walking about the parameters as we speak.”

And yet the air around you was utterly silent as you and Ignis both jumped out of the Regalia cautiously, you running to the trunk to grab your blade and curatives to prepare yourself as Ignis stood guard next to you. But as you fumbled with your gear and slung your pack over your shoulder, your eyes quickly turned back to the scene before you, your brows knitting together in absolute confusion as you and Ignis now slowly made your way over to the scene of the crime.

“Ignis, I don’t understand…just… how on earth did no one see this?” You asked, your heart now pounding madly in your chest as you felt your breathing stifled by the horrendous picture before you. “Just…I don’t get it. Not a single person drove past here and saw this to report it?”

“I don’t know, my dearest,” Ignis said, his accent laced with equal concern as he took each careful step in front of you. “Travel has been indeed a limitation for many within Lucis as a result of the darkness, but even yet, your concern also strikes me as unnerving. Let us search the area to see what we can find.”

You and Ignis first made your way over to the aircraft, the lights upon its structure still gleaming bright read, but upon slowly stepping onto the hatch and inside the structure, there was indeed not a single movement of any potential threat in sight.

“Just…just how…” you began, sounding like a school-aged child asking too many questions.

“How did it get here?” Ignis continued, turning to look at you. “That is what we can hope to find out.” And as he said this, Ignis rummaged quickly in his pocket and pulled out a small object, and your eyes widened when you realized that it was indeed a memory stick, similar to the one that he had used in retrieving the data while at Pepetouss. “We have no time to waste right now and must find our subject at hand. But while we search, perhaps we’ll be able to retrieve the data from this ship’s interface and can analyze its intended destination and purpose.”

You inhaled deeply as you watched Ignis quickly began to hit buttons on the aircraft’s control panel, the tactician seeming to have had the experience in doing such with these ships when he had helped Ravus infiltrate Niflheim all those many months ago.

“Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant,” you breathed, the man standing before you never seeming to fail you with his utter genius.

And with Ignis now turning to you, the files seeming to be now downloading onto the hard drive, you and Ignis nodded to one another as you hastily made your way back outside to the Furloch truck and began to inspect it thoroughly. While the door was in fact opened, as you first examined the vehicle, there appeared to be no sustainable damage, other than some denting near the front hood that had made impact with the ditch. The keys were still in the ignition, clearly raising alarm to you both that the driver indeed had rushed out of the vehicle to her safety. Covering your mouth over your hand, you saw a slight smear of blood over the steering wheel, causing your stomach to churn. But as you circled the car for further indication of what it was that you were likely to be dealing with at any moment, your eyes widened with terror as you saw it: a distinct dent of a weapon marked in the side of the passenger’s door.

“Ignis…oh gods…Ignis…what if…what if….”

“Don’t lose sight of hope, Y/N,” Ignis said as he came to stand next to you and pull you into his arms for but a brief moment for support. “We cannot let the fear of the worst get the best of us just yet. It appears as though despite this small bit of blood, there are no other signs or indications of a potential altercation our subject may have had with the threat at hand. And, if my eyes are not but failing me, apparently it looks as though we have a trail that we can follow…”

And surely enough, he was right, for your eyes scanned in the direction of his gaze and saw patches of tall grass that had been flattened out, giving you a clear trail of where your subject may have gone. Looking ahead you swallowed hard with apprehension, noticing that this would take you into a thicket of the woods. But Ignis who was observant as always gently took ahold of your hand and squeezed tightly. “Stay close to me, my love,” he murmured, and your heart swelled at his overly protective demeanor now as you two headed deep into the woods.

With your katana drawn at your side and Ignis trailing ahead of you, the two of you scanned the woods before you, looking for any sign of life as you passed through with cautious steps. Other than the song of birds that chorused through the woods, you were more than shocked to find that your excursion had thus far been rather peaceful, having expecting to encounter the various wildlife that typically roamed in this neck of the woods. But staying high on alert, nevertheless you focused intently for any disturbance as you and Ignis made your way deeper into the trees, managing to follow the trail that slowly was dissipating before you.

“Ignis….” You murmured as he led you two forth. “The path is slowly starting to disappear. I have a feeling that we’re getting close. …”

“As do I, Y/N,” Ignis said with hushed words as his stance slowly shifted defensively and he summoned his daggers forth from his hands.

Crack.

Crash.

“Iggy….?”

Utter silence.

Crack.

Snap.

“Y/N! Watch out!”

And sure enough as Ignis screamed out his warning, you whipped around your head to see a trio of MT assassins suddenly charging at you, their eyes glowing daemonically red and their blades drawn at their sides as they screeched and twitched and plunged towards you. They lunged at you with tenacity and hatred, but you quickly rolling out of the way and crashing towards the ground away from their advances. Screaming in frustration they quickly followed each of your movements as they hacked and slashed through the air, attempting to land a hit on you as you maneuvered yourself away from their swords.

_Shit…they aren’t just normal MTs...they’re…_

Prototypes.

Just like the ones that had been hiding away in Pepetouss

“Y/N!” Ignis yelled in a frantic manner as he leaped into the air with his powerful legs helping to vault him forward, and slashing his daggers in a downward motion, he managed to catch one of the assassins off guard as he sliced down at the back of its neck, causing the entity to shriek and convulse as a cloud of miasma began to seep from the hole in its back.

“Ignis!” You cried with fear as the two other MTs began to swarm and hack at him, and you were about to rush in his direction when another two MTs came charging out from behind a set of trees, their heads tilted eerily to the side as they neared you.

“Y/N, get back!” Ignis cried desperately as his blades now flourished in a cloud of ice, and as always you were in awe at how the man not only wielded his magic with skill but also seemed to know each and every weakness of the foes you faced, these menaces in particular having an ailment to ice. You once more rolled out of the way, blocking at their dual-wielded blades that slashed downwards at you, but miraculously dodging the quick speed of these models in particular, you managed to send the one flying backwards upon its back while your katana managed to hack right through the throat of its companion, its ghastly groan curdling through its throat as it twitched and fell into a heap of metal armor upon the grassy earth.

“And let you take all the credit for this fight?” You called with a slight smirk in your voice as you watched him make light of the other foe in which he fought, the tactician doing a graceful backflip and summoning his lance, lunging forward in a graceful, feline motion and spearing the MT through the chest.

“Perhaps that may be my intention,” Ignis called as he kicked the MT and sent it sprawling on its back, its screeching coming to a halt now as a cloud of purple miasma dissipated into the air. “But I say let us finish off that last one together.”

“R-Right,” you said as you drew your blade forth at the final MT that was finally back on its two feet, but this one in particular, seeming to be the ring leader of the crew, appeared to be more than perceptive of your motions as it slowly stalked towards you as Ignis joined you by your side. The machine quickly tracked you two from left to right, its head bobbing side to side as it moved, and slowly but surely, you and Ignis analyzed each of its motions as it moved. But knowing the unpredictable nature of these hazards, you and Ignis both knew not best to rush forth until it gave you a sign.

But, in one quick motion, the MT crossed both of its blades in front of his chest, and lunged forward towards you with incredible velocity, screeching and groaning as it dashed forward.

“NO MERCY!” Ignis yelled, and he and you maneuvering yourself in the most graceful and synchronized of motions, using each other for support as Ignis braced himself with your arm and used your strength to help him vault into the air, slamming his lance down though the skull of the MT who now plummeted to the ground at your feet, its last cry of defeat filling the air as a misty cloud from its defeated form filtered into the air.

The forest around you was once more silence, save for the chorus of song birds as you and Ignis stood standing above the corpses of the slain MTs, your chests rising and falling as you both regained your breathing. You looked to Ignis now who was clinically examining the fallen assassin leader where it lay, several strands from his pompadour now having fallen from his styled hair upon his forehead, and his once clean t-shirt was now covered in dirt that was kicked up into the air and was soaked with the sweat that was now slightly coating his body. You swallowed hard at the beautiful sight before you as you tried to maintain your breathing and hide your apparent arousal at the battle driven-man, and biting your lip you tried to push back your desirous thoughts, given the current situation that you just dealt with.

But almost sensing your eyes on him, Ignis’s focus quickly snapped back to yours and his eyes widened at the sight of you standing there looking at him, and immediately he rushed forward to pull you tightly into your arms, your senses immediately being clouded by the sweet combination of his sweat, cologne, and Ebony.

“Bloody hell, are you alright, darling?” He asked breathlessly, the sudden realization finally seeming to hit him that you two actually just fought something quite dangerous.

Your head spun as your face was pressed into his chest, your arms instinctually wrapping themselves around his rock hard frame as you found yourself trembling all of a sudden.

“Y-Yeah, of course I’m alright,” you said, angling your face up to look up at him. “Why wouldn’t I be when I had you by my side?” And still, you couldn’t help but be wary at the eerie sensation that was running up through your spine as you quickly glanced at a helmet of the fallen assassin.

His expression remained serious for a moment as he finally allowed himself to breathe, and Ignis once more pulled you into his chest and kissed you on the forehead. “I know, my darling,” he murmured, lifting one arm to stroke your hair with his hand. “But you know that from our past experiences together that we are more than fortunate to have walked away from that unscathed, considering that we were caught slightly off guard.”

And now you inhaled sharply, realizing why were you so anxious. “Iggy…what were those MTs doing out here? How did those prototypes get loose like that?”

“I don’t know, my darling,” Ignis said, and his voice broke slightly at his frustration at wanting this answer for himself. “But I am hoping that the files we retrieve from the carrier may give way to information on its intended destination and what caused it to be triggered in the first place. This is perhaps exactly what Ravus was warning us about in the first place.”

But lifting your head from his chest as you felt your breathing being to falter, your eyes widened as you looked up at him, not knowing how to handle such potential information. “Oh Ignis…the girl…the girl…we have to find the girl!”

But no sooner had you said the words did you hear a crackle in the woods, causing yours and Ignis’s head to snap towards the direction of the sound.

“H-Hello?” Cried a feeble voice, and you and Ignis looking to each other now, you nodded to each other as you ran towards the direction of the sound.

“Hello!” You called back, your eyes scanning each and every detail of the woods before you. “We’re here to help you! Where are you?”

You heard a slight sob (perhaps for joy?) as the voice responded. “I-I hear you getting closer! I-I’m under a rock ledge!”

And surely enough, with several more paces down a slight embankment, there you spotted her underneath a rock formation. She was a young woman, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and sporting the Furloch Farms baseball cap, her attired caked in dirt and a streak of blood across her cheek and arm.

“Oh heavenly Shiva, are you alright?” You cried as you and Ignis reached her now, the young girl’s eyes going wide as you approached, her almost too shocked to see that someone actually came to her rescue. “Your parents…we ran into them at the market in Lestallum and they said you never showed up to deliver the shipment. We told them we’d come out to find you…What happened to you?”

“Y-You guys…are you hunters?” She asked with a flush in her cheeks as she looked to both you and Ignis. “Oh gods, you came to save me…” She murmured with relief as she winced slightly when she moved her arm. “Y-Yeah, I was on my way back home to the market when out of nowhere that Nif carrier just appeared out of nowhere and dropped all of those soldiers. They leapt out at me and caused me to swerve off the road and I hit my head and arm pretty badly on the steering wheel. I was so scared and I didn’t know what to do and so I quickly jumped out of the car and ran. I t-think they were too preoccupied with my vehicle to even see that I was running away, but when I looked back I saw one starting to attack the vehicle. Oh gods, the shipment went everywhere. And I had left my phone in the car and so I wasn’t able to call anyone to tell them what happened!”

“You have no idea how fortunate you are to be alive,” Ignis said reassuringly as he began to inspect her limbs. “You’re bleeding. Let me check to make sure that nothing is broken.”

Your heart began to swell with approbation as you watched Ignis begin to look closely at her injuries, and he now reached into your satchel to work his magic with a potion. “Does this hurt?” He asked as he touched her forearm and moved it somewhat.

She winced slightly, but nevertheless she seemed ok. “O-Only a little. I don’t think I broke anything but I got banged up pretty badly still. But I’m lucky that I managed to run away and find a hiding spot because I’m pretty sure I sprained something in my ankle, and before I knew it I heard those creeps w-walking about like they were trying to find me.”

You sighed deeply as you smiled at the young woman, realizing now as you studied her face that she was likely to be about your age. “We’re just happy we found you. We’ve had our fair share of dealings with those types before. Again, you’re lucky you managed to get away while you could.”

The girl breathed in deeply now as Ignis administered the potion and put some ointment on her cut forehead. “Thank you both. Seriously. I m-mean it. You’ll never hear the end of it from my parents for saving me. I mean it. Thank you...and…” And now the girl studied both of you closely as Ignis finished his last bit of healing touch, and it was her next words that made you blush, “just looking at you two right now? You both are heroes, and gosh can I tell what a great team you two make. I’m forever grateful for you two…”

And by the Astrals, was she certainly right.

******************************

Having scanned the parameters of the area once more to ensure that no threat was hidden about, Ignis carried the young girl back towards the destination of the Regalia, too concerned about her wellbeing and wanting her to strain herself as little as possible, and the sight of it made you blush with admiration at him in being so utterly caring. Sitting her in the back seat, you had called her parents to inform her of your success, and on the other line you heard nothing but shrieks of tears and joys and thank yous for your good deed done. After Ignis had retrieved the information that had been downloading from the aircraft carrier he immediately called Noctis to inform him of what had transpired, whereas you on the other hand had called Cindy to tell her that you were in need of her services of towing the damaged Furloch vehicle. Luckily the grease-monkey goddess just happened to be in the area, delivering some batteries for a customer at the Cauthess Coernix Station, and she was able to arrive more promptly than expected. Much to the young girl’s delight, most of her family’s shipment was salvageable, save for a small crate-load of Leiden peppers, and part of you could not help but smile at her spirit and dedication to her family business, even though she could have very much likely lost her life today.

And so it was now that not much later you all had arrived back in Lestallum as you pulled into the Pelgar Outlook parking area with Cindy trailing not too far behind. Ignis now fully parked the Regalia and turned off the ignition, and you jumping out of the car went around to the back seat to open the door and help her out. “Are you ok?” You asked her, your voice laced with concern as she slowly swung her legs out of the Regalia and looked up at you with a smile on her face.

“Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much, to both of you. I think I will be ok to walk now.”

And so as the young woman slowly made her way out of the car, it was now that you looked up the steps leading to the parking lot to see the mother and father who had so desperately been waiting for the return of their daughter, all safe and sound, standing there almost in awe. The mother had covered her mouth with her hands, almost in complete and utter shock of the sight of her daughter almost being too good to be true. The father had wrapped his arms around his wife as the two quickly began to make their way down the steps, but it was the two individuals that stood with them and quickly passed in front of them that drew your brows into a curious look.

“Mommy? Is that mommy?” Said a squeaky and juvenile voice of the smaller figure, and slowly your eyes widened as you watched this minuscule little human being trailed by a young handsome man who towered over her that made you realize just exactly what was going on.

“Sweetie!” The young woman said as she stumbled towards the two, her face lighting up with happiness and a tear trailing down her cheek.

“Oh my gods, honey, you’re alright!” Said the young man who quickly approached this young woman and carefully swooped her into his arms, holding her close and pressing a kiss to her forehead as tears streamed down his face. “Oh gods, I wish I could have been here sooner to go out and find you. I’m so sorry. Thank the gods you are alright!”

“Mommy, are you ok?” said the little child who now gazed up at her mother wide-eyed, and your heart broke at her sweet little innocence in not understanding what happened to her mother, seeing her mom in such a rough and beaten up state.

“Y-Yes, sweetie, Mommy’s ok,” said the young woman as she now carefully leaned down and picked her girl up in her arms. “Mommy’s here. Mommy’s alright…”

You held your breath as you watched this scene before you transpire, your heart clenching in your chest and your face flushed slightly at the reunion of this family who could have faced more than a tragedy on this day. As you stood there watching from afar, a smile formed on your lips as you watched the little girl hug at her mother’s neck as she was sandwiched between reunited husband and wife, and you too felt a small tear form at the corner of your eye.

But what startled you next was the warm hand that now grasped at yours and held your much smaller one in his palm, and smiling at Ignis’s sudden gesture, you turned to the man standing next to you that you loved so terribly much. As you went to look at his face you felt your breath catch in your chest and your throat tighten to see that the usually ever so composed tactician now was staring off that the scene transpiring before you with his chest puffed out as if holding in his own emotions and his own eyes brimmed with tears of joy.

_Ignis…Ignis…_

“Iggy?” You said softly as you squeezed his hand. Almost as if snapped out of a trance, Ignis turned to look at you to see you staring at him attentively with affection in your eyes, and slowly a smile of his own spread across his lips.

“Y/N….” he murmured softly, pully your hand up to his lips to give it a gentle kiss.

And so now as the two of you stood there feeling your personal sacrifice for recreation and relaxation was more than worth your good deed for the day, it was Cindy who came to stand next to you and placed her hand upon your shoulder, her own face plastered with joy as you all watched the mother and father hug their daughter tightly, the parents looking your way and giving you an appreciative nod.

“Ya two did done good, today,” Cindy said, a grin on her face and her own eyes shimmering with tears. “Ya both done good. And you all both deserve your own happiness, just like them.”

Boy, was Cindy ever right.

***************************

“Sooo…are we there yet?” You said to Ignis spiritedly as you continued along on your evening drive, the sun almost breaking across the horizon as the soothing night air brushed across your skin. You gazed over at him and felt your throat tighten at the handsome sight of the royal advisor dressed in a crisp and tailored dark grey dress shirt and fresh pair of his infamous leather pants. His typical gloves were off for the evening, revealing his beautiful bare hands that you couldn’t but stare at as they grasped at the steering wheel. While you on the other hand opted for a dark purple skater dress with a nice blazer to match and some simple heels, you never failed to feel underdressed in the presence of the always stylish man you loved so much.

Ignis chuckled as he kept his eyes forth on the road, casting a sideways glance at you for a moment as took a hold of your hand to squeeze it gently. “Patience my darling,” he said with a coy smile. “We are indeed almost at our destination.

“Good,” you said with a grin as you tucked your hair behind your ear. “You know how much I have been looking forward to whatever this is you are taking me. Not that I didn’t enjoy all the excitement today, but I’m really looking forward to whatever you have in store for us next.”

“Ahhh, yes….” Ignis said smoothly, the syllables of his accent rolling smoothly off his tongue. “You shall find out very shortly.”

The remainder of your day had transpired rather smoothly, much to both your and Ignis’s delight. Having received many thanks from the Furloch family, you kindly denied the reward they offered you for saving their daughter/wife/mother, as you just simply couldn’t accept a single gil for wanting to help someone in need in their distress. When the commotion had died down and you had parted ways with the family, you and Ignis sought privacy at the outskirts of the Outlook and made a phone call to Noctis and the boys, letting them know what had happened this afternoon.

“Seriously, Specs? Unbelievable! Are you sure you guys are ok?” Noctis said incredulously over the speaker phone. “And I haven’t heard a thing from Ravus about this yet. I hope nothing happened on his end…”

“Why the hell didn’t you two call us to tell us what was going on? We would have been there in a heartbeat!” Gladio reaffirmed, and you could tell by the sound in his voice that he too was now all more than worried about your scuffle.

“Why, do you have such little faith in Y/N’s and my abilities?” Ignis said somewhat teasingly as he looked to you with a grin, and yet you could see the seriousness in his eyes over the situation that had transpired.

“Y/N! You at least should have called us right away!” Prompto chirped, and you felt your heart enlarge at the genuine concern that your friends had for you two.

“And take away time from the busy schedule that you guys are already dealing with? No way! We took care of it just fine!” You said with a smile in your voice.

“I will send your Majesty the files we obtained right once we part from this call,” Ignis finally said. “It would be best that I right away make contact with Ravus to make him aware of the situation at hand.”

“Hell no you aren’t, Specs,” Noctis said now, and you couldn’t help but quirk up your eyebrow at the King’s reprimanding tone. “You and Y/N are on your mini vacation. We’ll take care of it from here and I’ll get a hold of Ravus. Don’t you worry.”

Ignis was about to protest when he stopped himself from speaking and sighed. “As you wish, your Majesty. I shall let you take the lead here.”

“Damn right, you will,” Gladio said, and you couldn’t help but giggle now at how flustered Ignis was at being told what to do.

“And you two kids have fuuuuuuuun now, ok?” Prompto sang, and a blush ran up through both of your cheeks and it his insinuating tone.

Having hung up from the call with the boys, you and Ignis both looked at each other in your semi-flustered states. But just as Ignis took a step towards you to touch you, a loud growl rumbled in his stomach, and grinning wide now, you let out a laugh.

“Ahh, perhaps Noct is right,” Ignis said with a sigh and cheeky smile now as he finally took a hold of your hand. “I do say that we are indeed long overdue for that lunch we had intended to come here for in the first place.”

And so you and Ignis finally managed to grab your lunch from the marketplace, having realized the moment the delectable spicy skewers touched your lips how utterly hungry you had become after your escapades. But as you devoured your lunch, you soon came to realize just how grimy and dirty you had become from your fight with the magitek soldiers (as your current disheveled state drew much attention as you made your way through the market), and so thus after lunch you and Ignis decided to make your way back to your old apartment to shower up. A sense of nostalgia rushed over you as you took your step into the mainframe of your former residence, and discerning as always Ignis engulfed you in his arms and held you close, even though you were still caked in mud and sweat. Inhaling deeply, you lost yourself in the feel of his strong arms around you, and before you knew it you felt a surge of heat rush to your loins at the realization that you two, after this long and exhausting day, were finally all alone in the presence of no one else but each other.

Slowly you snaked your hands up to Ignis’s back as you gradually shifted your gaze up at him, your eyes broadening at the sight of his heated eyes now boring down upon you, and you bit your lip as you took a deep breath, trying to stabilize yourself.

“Ignis…” you whispered, grasping slightly at the back of his shirt and realizing how utterly hot the room felt all of a sudden.

But Ignis merely smirked down at you as he cupped your chin in his hand and lifted your face towards him. “Yes, dearest?” He murmured as he examined your flushed expression, and gods could you not understand how he was able to remain so composed at this moment.

But trembling now, you simply couldn’t find the words to speak, not understanding why all of a sudden you were feeling so utterly giddy around this man that you had made yourself vulnerable to so many times, time after time in the most heated of ways.

He was making your wait, you realized. He was restraining himself to play with you, and gods, you could tell by the way that he looked at you that he knew very well just how he was affecting you at this very moment, and yet he was making you be patient.

Seeing your loss for words, Ignis chuckled as he kissed the top of your head, his warm breath flowing down to the top of your skull. “Perhaps it is best we wash up, my darling. After all, we do have places to be this evening. Unless you’d rather not be surprised?”

You inhaled sharply, now finding yourself utterly rattled over how this man teased you and left you standing as he now grabbed his bag and headed down the hallway towards the bathroom to wash up. But just as you were about to open your mouth to protest your frustration wanting more than anything to enact upon your desires at this moment, you heard and felt your phone blip and vibrate in your pocket, and you raised your eyebrow curiously to see who it was as you pulled it out.

_Goodness…it’s…it’s Ravus!_

Fumbling with your phone now, you quickly unlocked your screen and swiped to read his message, now feeling utterly surprised that he had actually found the time to respond to you, and the fact that you were now reading a message from the King of Tenbrae made you feel utterly breathless.

**Dear Y/N, I am most pleased to hear from you after all this time. I too apologize greatly for my lack of correspondence with you and I hope this message finds you in good faith at this moment. I feel shame in knowing that you have been through so much and yet I haven’t reached out to offer my support to you.**

You raised your eyebrow at this, feeling yourself blush over the fact that it was likely Ignis and the boys who mentioned you in passing over the course of time since you last spoke in person. **But indeed, all is well in Tenebrae, although yes, we are in fact currently engaging in our search for information at Gralea once more. I was informed by King Noctis of your and Mr. Scientia’s endeavor today and I must express my deepest regrets in feeling that your struggle and as well as the trauma that poor woman faced was part of my doing. We have in fact uncovered a few rouge carriers brimmed with MTs and have been doing our best to eliminate these threats, but it indeed appears that one had escaped and made its way over to the mainland of Lucis. But I was told that Ignis had obtained more files and we too are anticipating analyzing this information along with you to see just exactly what caused that carrier to make its way towards you.**

Your head was suddenly spinning as you read each word, but nonetheless your heart swelled, knowing that despite enduring through his own struggles, Ravus and his people were still safe. Ravus’s message continued.

**Please do not fret over this, and I am sure that you and I shall hopefully be graced with each other’s presence once more soon enough. The Queen certainly would like you to see what we have done with the nursery when our child has arrived.**

You blushed deeply at this, having not believed that surely by now, that time of the birth of the future heir of Tenebrae was nearing.

 **As for your request, I will be more than happy to oblige. I will have my blacksmiths begin work immediately and I shall let you know when it is ready.** What Ravus had typed next made you flush deeply though, yet you couldn’t help but smile knowing that the Insomnians had become so open with the people of Tenebrae after the strife that had once persisted during the reign of Niflheim. **I too was informed that you are currently taking some time off, and so that I hope that this correspondence has not interrupted your peace. I shall leave this message at this and I do hope that it finds you in good favor. Give my regards to Mr. Scientia, and treat each other with care.**

You inhaled sharply, finding your heart burst at his endearing words. And so you replied:

**Thank you Ravus…thank you…And I’m glad to hear that all is well…I’ll hear from you soon…**

It was a sudden voice now that snapped you back into reality.

“Darling, is everything alright?” Ignis now said, and looking up from your phone you had to fight back a groan at the fact that he was now naked, save for his pair of briefs that clung delightfully to his lithe hips, as he apparently had been waiting for you all this time to join him in a bath.

“Y-Yeah, everything is perfect,” you said as your words caught in your throat, and now you clumsily sat down your phone and rushed towards the bathroom, realizing you were more than ready to get out of your soiled garments and into the soon to be wet arms of your dearest love.

Perfect wouldn’t even begin to describe how you’d be feeling for the rest of your day.

So it was finally later now that you and Ignis passed through the Fallgrove and made your way south that you slowly started to process just exactly where Ignis was taking you as the scent of sea water graced your nostrils with its aroma.

“Ignis…oh my goodness, we’re going to….?”

“Indeed, my love,” Ignis cooed.

And sure enough as you two made your way down the rolling hillsides and rocky ravines, as you rounded one last corner, there it was indeed within your sight, the Galdin Quay seaside resort.

During the duration of your life you had only ever been to the resort twice. The very first time was the most unfortunate day that you had escaped the traumatic horrors of the events of Altissia, and you would never forget to this day ten years ago when you had gotten off one of the escape boats packed with refugees, feeling fearful and utterly alone. Once you had docked at Galdin Quay, you had somehow managed to hitch a ride to Lestallum in all the chaos that ensued to start a new life over after the traumatic passing of your parents and the destruction of your home. The second case was on a mission only three years afterwards. Desperate to transport a small quarry of gemstones back to Lestallum that would provide protection against the Scourge to the remaining citizens left in Eos, you and several hunters and Glaives accompanied Dino to the region where a cave had hidden away the precious cargo after all this time. But with a wave of Bombs and Flan that ganged up on you out of nowhere, as you escaped the Quay on your truck and looked back at the once beautiful resort now succumbed to destruction that was to be left behind until power was restored and Noctis was awakened.

And so as you and Ignis pulled into the newly paved parking lot and the scent of sea air now fully graced your nostrils with its fragrance, you had figured that it was always indeed three times the charm and that your third memory of this establishment would be filled with positive memories and nothing but happiness.

“Oh Ignis…Ignis…just look how beautiful it is.”

“Indeed, my love….”

And the grandeur of its beauty was beyond true. Since your last visit the resort had been completely renovated and restored to its former glory and more, and you could tell from where you sat in the Regalia that there indeed was now an expansion upon the dock, the spa and hotel, all seeming to have doubled in size. The port had now been fully restored, but once again, due to recent issues with tariffs and docking issues that still plagued Altissia due to its destruction, travel was still overly expensive across the ocean and so the Quay’s dock was still vacant of any ships. But nonetheless, your heart enlarged with excitement and you felt your heart flutter in your chest at the way that the lights from the restaurant glimmered on the shore’s waters, and from afar you could hear the laughter and gaiety of the patrons who took advantage of the services that it had to offer.

Ignis turned the ignition to the Regalia off and now had come around to your side of the vehicle, but as soon as he opened the door for you, you had jumped out in haste and grabbed a hold of his hand, hastily leading him towards the beach.

“My my! Ever excited now, are we?” Ignis said with a breathless laugh as you pulled him along towards the water’s edge.

“You could say that again!” You said laughing as you looked back at him with a beaming grin, and you felt yourself blush at the adoring way he reacted to your exhilaration.

As you reached the edge of the sand you leaned down to take off your shoes, and giving Ignis you look he smiled endearingly at you. Him taking a hold of your hand once more, he stepped with you onto the soft sand, and immediately you sighed with relief at the feel of the small granules between your weary feet. Ignis laughing at your reaction now too bent down and took off his own shoes and socks, and the sight of his own feet pressing into the soft powder made you giggle with delight.

Above you, you heard the cries of gulls as you shut your eyes to the sound of the waves gently crashing upon the shores, and you inhaled deeply the delectable scent of salt and fresh air. Ignis’s hand tightened upon yours, and feeling his movement now, you opened your eyes to see that he shifted himself in front of you. With his shoes and socks now sitting upon the sand, you too lowered yours to the ground as he took your other free hand and brought it up to his mouth, kissing your palm delicately and causing your spine to shiver. You felt your throat tighten at the way the now evening breeze rustled through his sandy-blond hair, and as he kissed your hand his eyes fluttered shut in complete happiness.

“Ignis?” You murmured, feeling your breath escape you as he now nuzzled your hand with his nose, and feeling you stomach turn and twist in excited knots you reached up with your free hand now to touch his right eyebrow.

Ignis’s eyes fluttered open as he looked at you with a gentle smile upon his face. “Yes, Y/N?” At the very way he uttered your name you could see that all the tension and stress that had been culminating during the course of the day (and even the last few weeks at that) had finally left his shoulders, his stance now completely and utterly relaxed and him letting himself go to the scenic and romantic set before you.

Smiling up at him, you shimmied your hand from his grasp as you now brought your second hand up to the other side of his face, and delicately pulling him down towards you, you kissed him on the bridge of his scared nose, causing a sharp sigh to escape his lips.

“I love you so much, Ignis,” you murmured with your heart fluttering, now nuzzling your nose against his and inhaling deeply as he breathed. “Thank you for everything as always and thank you for never failing to surprise me. You’re something else, you know that?”

Ignis blushed now as he cupped your chin with his hand and brought your lips up towards his, his mouth delicately grazing over yours and causing your knees to shake. “Anything for you, my dearest. Forever and always.” He pulled back to look at you now, his hand trailing down your face and neck and stopping at your collar bone, his fingers tracing over the lines of your collarbone, and the sensation of his fingertips made you shudder with delight and desire. “Now, why don’t we head to the restaurant and take advantage of our reservation?”

Biting your lip at his touch and feeling yourself become giddy like a young child, you nodded to him as you hastily put back on your shoes, shaking your feet free of as much sand as you could before putting them back on your feet, and now you and Ignis hand in hand made your way over the endless dock into the restaurant. A soft salty breeze swept through the air, your body shivering slightly as the soon to come early autumn air brushed over your face, and taking note of your slight discomfort, Ignis wrapped his arm around your back and pulled you closer to him to keep you warm. You blushed as you looked up at him to see him smiling at you, and you grinned back up at him as you now approached the receptionist at the front of the restaurant.

“Good evening, sir, miss,” he said kindly, bowing slightly in a courteous manner as he looked at the two of you. “Table for two tonight?”

Ignis nodded to him. “Indeed,” he replied, his smooth accent rolling off of his tongue. “The name is under Scientia.”

“Ah, yes, right this way, Mr. Scientia, miss,” the host said as he motioned to you for you to follow, and as you tread after him and Ignis you found your eyebrow raising, curious as to just why Ignis needed to make a reservation, the Galdin Quay restaurant never needing one before in order for patrons to dine at its establishment. However, it was as you were lead to the back of the newly renovated restaurant did you see with your eyes widening a private seating area enclosed with dividers and a secluded view of the sea before you.

“Here you are sir, miss,” the man said with a smile as you and Ignis took your seats. “Your server will be right with you in a moment.”

You took a deep breath as you now looked out to the rolling ocean waters, the smell of salt tickling your nostrils as you inhaled deeply, feeling rather light-headed over the fact that you and Ignis could revel in the scenery in the privacy of one another’s company. But turning your attention away from the waters, you looked back now to see Ignis staring at you with adoration in his beautiful green eyes, and smiling back at him, you blushed as he gently reached for your hand and held it softly within his, his fingers grazing affectionately over your knuckles.

“How are you feeling, love?” He asked you softly, and his question almost confused you for a moment. Quite frankly you would have declared that you had died and gone to the heavens with how blissful you were feeling at this moment, but after a second you realized why Ignis was asking such a question, having had one hell of an unexpected exploratory day.

You sighed deeply, trying to control the lustful feelings that began to pool into your loins as Ignis’s lips graced your fingers, and to hide your anxiousness you were now equally playing with the knuckles of his large hands. “Never better, Iggy,” you said sweetly, keeping your voice even. “Perhaps a little tired with how long we’ve been up today, but other than that? I’m feeling pretty darn good. And you?”

Ignis chuckled. “Never better, my love. I am feeling quite at ease right now.” He paused to look at you now, his eyes studying you, and he sighed deeply. “I do must say though, while that I would never complain over a good deed well done, I am feeling rather…guilty…over the matter that a larger portion of your day was engaged in perilous pursuits. I wish that I could find a way to make this up to you…”

What other man could possibly love like this?

Your brows knit together as you took Ignis’s hand in both of yours. How was it that this man could forever remain so humble never failed to baffle you. “Hey you mister, none of that feeling guilty. Yeah, perhaps having my head close to being hacked off by an MT wasn’t exactly on my wish list for today, but you know what?” I….” and you paused, feeling your heart enlarge once again at the thought of the young woman being brought back to safety to her family, “I…quite frankly feel that I will sleep better tonight, knowing what we did. So yeah, dangerous as today may have been, I don’t think I would have had it any other way, especially considering I got to spend it with you.”

Ignis’s smile broadened now as he brought your hands up to his lips once more, his mouth softly kissing your palms now. “And I too, would rather have not have spent it any other way, although I could perhaps add something else to the itinerary that I would have added and will add…”

You held back a gasp and felt heat shoot down to your loins at the sudden implication of what he was suggesting, a charming now grin plastered upon his face as you felt his legs shift against yours from under the table. But before you could open your mouth to speak and react to his words, soon enough your waiter had arrived with menus, completely oblivious to what was slowly transpiring at your table. Hiding your face from Ignis’s gaze for another moment and hastily opening the menu and propping it up to hide the rising and falling of your chest, immediately you felt your stomach growl loudly as you began to read over the menu options presented to you. Having not enjoyed fresh seafood in such a long time, you were more than looking forward to indulging on the fresh catches of the day. With you and Ignis finally deciding on what you wanted (as Ignis played with your foot with his own as you attempted to tell the waiter what you wanted to order), you had opted for a white fish in tomato sauce whereas Ignis chose steamed crab with rock salt.

As your entrees were eventually brought to the table, you felt your senses assaulted with the most delicious aromas of spices and various seasonings. The meal itself did not disappoint as you almost had to refrain from inhaling your food too quickly, realizing that despite your big lunch you still had worked up a large appetite over your excitement, not to mention that Ignis’s heated gaze upon you made you forgot to try and eat like a lady. He in particular seemed to take delight in you enjoying your meal as you were, and as he seemed to for but a moment study your plate, he reached into the front pocket of his dress shirt, pulling out a rather small notebook.

As you were about to take a bite of your fish, you stopped your fork right at your mouth, a smiling coming to your lips as you watched the tactician pause his playful behavior with you to jot something down.

“Did you…did you just?” you said in a cheeky manner, knowing exactly what he was about to say.

Ignis did his best to hide his grin but failed. “Why yes…yes. I did. I have indeed just come up with a new recipe,” he said with a wink.

You laughed heartily as Ignis too chuckled at his infamous catchphrase.

As you two continued to dine, as you both looked out towards the sea your conversation switched gears as you both began to exchange your personal stories that you experienced by the sea side in your pasts. As a child your father would take you to the docks in Altissia quite frequently and would teach you about the various species of fish and crustaceans that inhabited its waters. Your father like Noctis was also a very avid fisher, and whenever he made a successful catch for the day, you and him would take your catches back home to where your mother would prep the most delicious of meals. All the while Ignis would smile as you mentioned how you would dote by your mother’s side in the kitchen, wanting very much to learn her techniques, and yet you were so very tiny that your head barely reached the counter to see how she was preparing your dinner.

Ignis in turned shared more of his fishing antics spurred on by Noctis, and two cases in particular had you wanting to roll on the floor laughing. The first in particular was a Murk Grouper known locally as the Devil of the Cygillian, and after an almost twenty-minute ordeal of trying to real in the menace, somehow all of the boys managed to end up in the ocean waves to help Noct carry it in to shore. Another instant farther out at sea resulted in a similar case, this time the boys dragging in a massive tuna that gave Ignis further inspiration for his now famous sushi dish.

With your bellies almost reaching their food capacity limit, your waiter returned with dessert menus, and opening up your pamphlet you licked your lips at all of the mouthwatering options. But when Ignis caught his breath you looked up to see him astounded, this causing you to raise your eyebrow.

“What is it, Ignis?” You asked as you angled your head downwards to see what he was looking at on his own menu.

“After all these years, they still have kept this on the menu,” Ignis with astonishment in his voice.

Angling your head to see exactly what he was pointing out, you looked down to see his finger placed upon a picture of a layered chocolate mousse topped with fresh berries and a mint leaf. Despite how full you were from your dinner, your stomach growled at the sight of the appetizing dessert, and yet, you felt your curiosity quite peaked.

Ignis noting your expression continued. “A dessert of sorts that the boys and I once helped a waitress name Coctura concoct many a year ago. I must say that it is quite delectable indeed…”

You licked your lips as you looked back down at the menu again, your stomach growling once more and your mouth watering at the sight. “Can...can we?” You asked with a smile like that of a child.

Ignis chuckled at your enthusiasm as he once more brushed his leg against yours. “But of course, my darling. I was hoping that you would ask.”

Praising him once more for his genius inspiration in helping the waitress of the past, you and Ignis had indulged upon the scrumptious delight together, its chocolaty flavors utterly divine. It was finally now that your stomachs were both bursting to the brim with culinary satisfaction and Ignis paid for the check for your dinner and you made your leave of the restaurant. As you made your way across the boardwalk once more and arrived back at the Regalia, now officially feeling spent for the day but never the less satisfied and content, you were about to reach for the door handle to the Regalia when Ignis stopped you by grabbing gently onto your other hand. With your eyebrow raised, you turned to look at him, his gazed somewhat heated and playful, causing your own face to flush and your stomach to suddenly feel jumbled like it had been all day.

“Ah dearest, surely you didn’t think we’d be leaving so soon, did you? We are in fact staying here for the evening.”

 _Oh…oh my…._ And suddenly you felt your throat tighten at the way he looked at you with his head titled and expression curious. _But of course we would be…why else would we have packed for an overnight trip?_

As the moonlight now shone down upon the landscape surrounding you, the chilliness of the night air caused you to shiver, yet your body felt more on fire than ever now. You smiled at Ignis now as confidently as you could, not understanding why you were once more feeling so nervous as the man brushed his hand over yours. But now, having realized with all that had transpired over the course of the day, you now came to the realization of how incredibly virtuous Ignis had remained around you all along, and it now seemed to you that he was on the verge of bursting at the scenes like you. You had fought since the beginning of your awakening this morning to give into your aching desire of wanting to profess to Ignis just exactly how much you needed him and how much you wanted him more than ever at this moment as a soft breeze rustled through his pompadour that had slowly been becoming undone.

Perhaps it would be shortly that you both would find your release.

“Let us take our bags back to our room so we can enjoy our evening relaxation and peace,” Ignis said very matter of fact, suddenly seeming to feign ignorance to your sudden giddiness and flush of your cheeks, yet he clearly took note of your behavior by the way he shifted past you with an innocent smile upon his face.

Swallowing hard, you nodded to him, and as chivalrous as ever Ignis carried both of your bags to your room of stay for the evening, and retrieving your keys from the front desk and heading to your private room, it was immediately as you shut the door behind you two and removed your blazer that you felt your heart begin to slam in your chest at just how unbelievably romantic your little private retreat would be for the evening. While you had never stayed at the Quay, in your past you had read brochures about the services they offered and had seen photos of what the rooms had looked like. Having the resort made expansions since it endured destruction from the age of darkness, the rooms themselves had even seemed to be enhanced and updated, lush carpets now lining the floors and a fire place along the west wall. Lamps accompanied various parts of the room, casting a warming, soothing, and hazy glow that did little to settle your nerves but much to further enhance your desirous feelings that were coursing through your bloodstream. A large open glass wall with a door lead to a private balcony overlooking the ocean, its viewing completely secluded and void of any wandering eyes from other patrons of the resort. But the detail of all that made you scream internally with anticipation was a rather large king-sized bed with plush pillows and a soft duvet cover, and gods did it take you every ounce of your strength to not lose control of yourself as you thought about what activities could be taking place on there any moment.

“Y/N?” Ignis said now, and snapping out of your daze, you almost groaned out loud as you saw him staring at you now, his glasses now discarded and sat upon the dresser in the one corner of the room, the sparkle in those beautiful emerald orbs making you feel utterly unstitched at your unraveling seams. Having sat your bags down, Ignis had already begun to make himself more comfortable as you noticed the top button of his shirt undone, and you had to fight everything in your power to not openly gawk at the exposed flesh of his collar bone and the upper curve of his pectoral muscles.

 _Oh Shiva, why on earth am I so nervous?_ You asked yourself as you felt your breath taken away. Ignis slowly approached you with concern upon face, and it was the look in those stunning green eyes that made you utterly weak in the knees as he sauntered over towards you with a swag in his hips.

“Y/N? Is everything alright?” He repeated as he now reached for your hands, the heat from his palms held against yours making you feel like your hands were on fire.

“Y-Yeah, I’m wonderful, Ignis,” you said with a soft smile on your lips, trying to brace yourself as best as you could upon unstable feet. “Just maybe a little bit tired, but other than that? I’ve never been better.”

Ignis’s lips curved into a grin and he squeezed one of your hands while he brought the other up to his lips and moved his mouth over your knuckles affectionately. The chaste ministrations of his lips made your heart clench as his breath tickled your skin, causing your lashes to flutter, and yet, within seconds his eyes immediately darkened and his breathing stitched, the sensual way his lips grazed over each bone making your loins tighten with absolute anticipation.

He knew exactly what he was doing to you and how badly you wanted him, and by the way the tendons in his forearms flexed and the way his chest rose and fell told you that he was on the brink of shattering just like the glass wall of your private retreat.

“That is what I had wished to hear, my dearest,” he said huskily as he slowly lowered your hand to your side, his one hand now reaching out to graze along the curve of your waist and the other to brush his fingertips over your collarbones. Your throat tightened at his touch and a bolt of arousal shot down to your loins as his hand slowly opened to now curve around the base of your throat, and as you stood there almost helpless before him, you could hardly comprehend how this man was able to remain so composed in the privacy of each other’s company for this long. But Ignis inhaled deeply one more as he looked down upon you, and so he continued. “Fortunately for us our eventful and industrious parts of the day have come to their close, and so now we shall be able to finally unwind our weary minds and bodies. Might I suggest to us that –“

But as Ignis was about to continue speaking as his hand now began to slide down the sensitive skin of your neck, from outside you saw the flash of lightning and a crash of thunder, and within seconds the sound of a gentle pattering began to pelt down upon the room and decks of the resort. You and Ignis both turned to look out the giant window wall, observing now that a gentle thunderstorm began to cascade its way down upon the ocean waters.

_Rain…_

“My goodness, I did not foresee rain in the forecast for tonight,” Ignis said somewhat disappointedly with surprise as he made his way over to the window to look outside, and the sight of both of his hands now upon his hips made you have to fight back a moan, wanting more than anything for those very hands to be holding you. “I do hope the sun in fact dries the beach enough tomorrow for us to partake in its use...”

Your hearing suddenly became fuzzy as the visage of your dream from last night infiltrated your mind, your nostrils flaring at the thought of what Ignis had done to you in the realm of visions.

_“Ever so eager, aren’t we love?” Ignis cooed as he lips turned into a small curve as he better situated himself between your legs, and now you were up upon both elbows, watching each and every movement with trepidation and eagerness._

_Yes. Yes I am. Please, give it to me._

_“But first,” he said, pausing for a moment as his nostrils flared slightly, “allow me to have a taste…”_

_Yes, this is what I wanted. Please, give me release._

_Your eyes snapped open and you threw back your head towards the moonlit sky as Ignis’s tongue began to press down upon your sensitive bundle of nerves, each and every expert gesticulation of his mouth and tongue causing your legs to twitch and shudder with need. His eyes now fully boring into you and watching your breasts rise and heave at the reaction of his ministrations, Ignis now wrapped his arm and hands under and around your legs, his hands grabbing at your behind and holding you in place so that there was no escape to the sweet torture he was administering upon you._

_“I-Ignis…Ignis!” It truly was all so much with the smell of grass, moss and soil beneath your bodies, Ignis’s natural and musky odor fogging your senses, the sight of his usually styled hair now slowly becoming tousled with each motion of his head, the feel of a soothing breeze grazing across your breasts, and the scent of rain that now slowly began to pelt down upon your naked bodies._

_What kind of man loves like this?_

_Ignis…_

And as the rain now poured down across Galdin Quay, it was truly all too much as you wanted more than anything at this given moment to return the pleasure he had given you in your dreams, unable to bear all that had been attempting to burst forth from within you all day long.

“Ignis…” you whispered, the sound of the rain causing your heart to patter in your chest and your breathing to sputter with excitement.

And deliberately, at the mention of his name, Ignis turned to gaze back at you now, his eyes darkened and blazing with desirous fire like of the god Ifrit himself and with parted lips he returned your call.

“Y/N….”

And thus closing the gap between you both, you instantly fell into Ignis’s arms as his mouth came falling down upon yours, and with passion and fervor his lips began to dance across yours, your body instantly ablaze within his clutches as you kissed him back. Not even knowing what to do with your hands due to your exhilaration, you found them moving across every inch of his body, grasping at his face and touching his scars as you nipped excitedly at his scarred lower lip, causing him to groan and press his body closer to yours.

“Y/N,” Ignis muttered once more as his lips parted with yours, his mouth now moving down to nip at your ear and the side of your neck, causing you to whimper out loud and arch your back, pressing your heat closer to the apparent bulge that was already now restrained within the confines of his pants.

“Oh Ignis…Ignis…” you murmured as you threw back your head, and your shaking hands snaked their way down to his chest and began to pluck away at the buttons of his shirt. Ignis pulling back with his mouth to allow you to see what you were doing, with trembling fingertips you slowly began to reveal the line of his exposed torso, the sight of each revealed inch of his flesh shooting a wave of anticipation down to your loins. “Oh gods…Ignis, you are so beautiful,” you muttered once more as you pulled gently at the sides of his shirts, and without even being told, Ignis shifted his arms to allow you to pull off his shirt in one swift motion, him now dropping it to the floor without a care in the world. Immediately your hands went back to touching every since of his body, your mouth reaching up to kiss along his collar bone and to the sharp lines of his pectorals, and Ignis hissed at your ministrations, his hands making their way up to your back and into your hair, his hands tugging gently and his feet parting slightly as his breathing became ragged.

“Y/N….” he gasped sharply, and not even giving you a chance to respond, he grasped the sides of your face and began to kiss you passionately once again, and with wide eyes you felt yourself being scooped up and plopped down upon the plush mattress of the king-sized bed, Ignis’s body immediately hovering over yours and him continuing his assault of kisses upon your face and neck, his teeth now grazing down to your collar bone and nipping at the bone, causing you to arch your back and press your heat into his groin. Ignis groaned in response as he snaked an arm underneath your body, pulling you close to him as his mouth now grazed down towards the mound of your breasts that were showing from the top of your dress, and gasping loudly, you cried out Ignis began to nip and suck gently at the flesh.

“Ignis…Ignis…” You whimpered as you squirmed beneath him, the heat of his large frame almost suffocating you in the most wonderful ways.

“Y-Yes, Y/N,” Ignis said hoarsely, his own desirous feelings finally getting the best of him.

“Please…Let me…let me get…”

“O-Of course, Y/N….”

Ignis now grasping upon your hips, he rotated the two of you with such grace to where you now found yourself straddling his hips from on top of him, and the sudden change in position made you feel utterly breathless as you felt the obvious bulge of Ignis now grinding against your heat that was only sheltered by the thing fabric of your panties. Looking down at Ignis, you felt your face utterly flushed at the way he was looking at you, his lips parted and his chest rising and falling at a moderate pace. Your eyes trailed down the plains of his beautifully scared chest, your hands delicately trailing their way from his pectorals and over every dip of his abdomen, all the way down to beneath his belly button, and Ignis inhaled deeply at the torturous sensation your fingertips left behind. And yet all the while as you touched him, Ignis’s hands grazed your thighs as he looked up at you with adoring eyes, and never in your life could you have imagined someone looking at you the way that he was looking at you now.

“Y/N…”

At the sound of your name, you swallowed hard as you now grasped upon the hem of your dress and lifted it up over your arms, yanking the garment off and tossing it to the floor without a care in the world, and now you sat on top of Ignis in just your lingerie. Ignis panted sharply at the sight of your exposed form, and his hands now trailed up from your thighs to your hips and waist, holding you firmly in place on top of him. Moaning at the feel of his large hands upon your tiny waist, you shifted yourself on top of him so that you leaned down to kiss him with all the love in the world, your mouth moving from each eye to his nose and finally to his lips, and Ignis sighed deeply as your lips made contact with his, one arm now wrapping around you tightly and holding you closely to him while the other snaked its way up to the back of your head and tangled itself within the waves of your hair. You moaned in response at his touch and instinctually without even realizing you were doing it, you began to grind against him as you kissed him with your hands upon his broad chest, causing Ignis to growl through locked lips.

“Oh gods, how much I love you,” Ignis murmured as his lips parted with yours and now his mouth began to nip at your chin and throat as you lay over him, and you cried out at the feel of his teeth grazing over the delicate skin. Already you could tell through the fabric of your panties how utterly soaked and aroused you were, and gods you felt you could hardly take it any more on how much you wanted to be one with this man who was worshipping your body like you were the goddess Shiva herself from below.

But with the rain pelting down up the roofs above you, you knew that before you could be one with him, it was your turn to worship him like he so deserved to be treated.

“I love you too, Ignis,” you said breathlessly as you trembled over him, and gradually shifting yourself away from his powerful grasp around your dainty frame, slowly you began to move your way down away from his face, your mouth kissing him one last time before your lips made contact with his chin, throat, his chest, and every single curve of his abs. With each articulated kiss of delicate lips, Ignis sighed and gasp, his hips shifting upwards in your direction, and it was now that you realized that the man finally was allowing himself to fully succumb to pleasure and that he was feeling just as tense and enthralled as you.

Placing one last kiss below his belly button, you raised your face from his body and now once more straddled his legs, and leisurely your hands now came down to the button of his pants. Feeling your anxiety and excitement wash over you once more, your finger tips trembled over the silver enclosure as you finally managed to remove the button from its hole. With tremulous fingers you pulled down the silver teeth of his zipper, and instantly a loud sigh escaped Ignis’s mouth at the sudden relief of pressure that had been building itself up over the last however many hours. All the while as you did this Ignis looked to you with a heated gaze, his pupils fully blown and his lips parted, his body trembling slightly at the feel of your giving his weary body so much attention and care.

“Ignis….lift….lift your hips for me,” you murmured, fluttering your lashes and feeling very bashful now.

You watched Ignis’s Adam’s apple shift as he swallowed, and nodding to you with his cheeks flushed, Ignis’s lifted himself slightly so that you were now able to grasp upon the waist band of his pants and tug downwards, the garment slowly coming off and another loud sigh escaping Ignis’s lip as he was almost fully relieved of the restraints of his raiment. Focusing on pulling down each pant leg from his long lean legs, with one last gentle tug at each ankle, Ignis was now free from his pants, and turning your attention back to him, you gasped loudly at the sight of the ridiculously protuberant swell from the restriction of his briefs. Instantly another bolt of desire shot down to between your legs as you bit your lip, and in response to your reaction, Ignis now began to sit himself up with a confident grin upon his face. However, knowing your intended plan in mind, you gently stopped him with your hand, causing his eyebrow to raise curiously at you.

“Y/N?” he said through husky syllables.

You blushed more deeply now as you as fluttered your lashes bashfully at him and bit your lip once more. “Let me…let me do something,” you said through hushed words. Gently kissing Ignis again and leaving him breathless, you gently pushed him fully back down to the mattress as you shifted to sit in alignment with his legs once more. Slowly and teasingly, in response to his torturous teasing at random parts all day long, you trailed your fingers over the band of his briefs and momentarily dipped your fingers inside, causing Ignis to huff harshly, and the sound of his own desire and frustration added all the more to the heat of the moment. But you yourself unable to handle your desires any longer, using just the right amount of force, you pulled down his briefs, allowing his manhood to spring forth from its confinement, and Ignis once again gasped loudly at the release. Helping him move his legs so that he now was completely free of all clothing, with Ignis’s legs parted slightly you situated yourself between them, your hands now trailing down his soft thighs. Feeling yourself blush deeply as Ignis looked at you with his darkened gaze, your eyes focused upon at his manhood before you, its length swollen and engorged and its tip glistening, the shaft twitching slightly as you looked upon it with your own heated gaze. Feeling your loins coil and knowing more than ever by now that the scent of your arousal was permeating the atmosphere of the room, you took a deep breath as you gained your composure and slowly reached out to grasp the hardened length with soft hands. Ignis groaned loudly as you gripped it, your walls already pulsating with need at the way he responded, and taking another deep breath you began to move your hand firmly up and down his girthy shaft.

Ignis instantly let out another groan and his eyes fluttered shut at your touches, and as you began to slowly but firmly pump your hand up and down his beautiful length, Ignis reached down to grasp upon your hand that was upon his thigh. The sudden tender gesture in the heat of the moment made your heart clench but only seemed to spur on your need to pleasure him even more, and soon enough you began to tighten your grip upon his length and move your hand up and down faster at a quickened stride.

Ignis’s abdominals were flexing now as his chest was rising and falling and his legs twitched slightly at your ministrations, but most of all he began to whimper your name through his heavy breath. The sight of the tactician giving into your touches made you bite your own lip and help your confidence swell, and now shifting yourself upon your knees, you knew at this moment what you wanted more than anything.

More than anything, you wanted to have his length find shelter from the storm that now raged down upon you from outside.

And so ever so slowly but in a graceful motion, without giving Ignis warning you opened your mouth wide and sheathed his manhood deep inside the confines of your mouth.

Instantly Ignis’s eyes shot open as a loud groan escaped his lips, and instinctually he thrust his hips upwards towards your mouth, causing his manhood to push all the way to the back of your throat, causing you to gag slightly. “Y/N….Y/N….” he said hoarsely as his hand clutched more tightly upon yours, and shifting your eyes up to look at him with a flush over your cheeks, you saw him looking at you with lust in his eyes and his teeth gritted together, and his countenance only spurred you on even more to please him who deserved sweet salvation more than anyone. And so, you began to move your mouth even faster, your tongue pressing against the length as you moved up and down upon his length, and every few motions you would draw his shaft from your mouth with a loud popping sound and world swirl your tongue around his tip. Taking your tongue and slowly trailing it down his beautiful girth, you kissed and sucked at the length, breathing in deeply his musky scent as your lips now pressed and sucked upon the small sacks of flesh that dangled right below, and cupping them gently in your hand, Ignis once more groaned loudly and muttered your name over and over in succession as you licked and fondled his delicate skin ever so careful.

“Oh Astrals, Y/N,” moaned as he once more thrust his hips upwards, the tactician now completely and utterly lost in complete pleasure.

“Ignis…” you murmured, your mouth vibrating against him, and once more you sheathed his length deep into your mouth and throat and resumed your ministrations. Ignis continued to clutch at your hand and his legs trembled as you grasped upon the base of his manhood, you and Ignis breathing heavily as you labored, wanting more than anything to please the man you loved. But as your motions continued, your nostrils flared and your eyes widened as you noticed that out of nowhere, Ignis’s breathing began to quicken and his lower abs and legs began to spasm.

“Y/N…Y/N…P-Please…stop…I don’t want to release without you…” he said through shaky breath, and as your eyes looked into Ignis’s, you felt your heart clench at the way he looked at you, his eyes a mixture of absolute pleasure and ecstasy but also pleading, Ignis always and never having released before you or without you.

But wanting more than anything to for once in your relationship let this man whom you loved and adored so much climax and feel the pleasure that he so deserved, you knew that you simply could not meet his request.

Taking his shaft out of your mouth for just a moment as you continued to pump your hand up and down his length, you smiled at him and shook your head. “Ignis…please…this is what I want. I want you to feel good. Please, let me have this moment, just this once….”

His eyes widening and his face flushing even more deeply, Ignis gasped loudly as without giving him a chance to respond, you lowered your mouth down upon him and resumed your worship, and it was now that Ignis seemed to fully let you take control for once. His moans and mutterings louder than ever, Ignis let go of your hand and now grasped the back of your head and hair as you continued your gesticulations. He tugged slightly at your wavy strands, almost not even knowing what to do with himself, and his flustered gestures seemed to even send you over the edge even more. You too breathing hard now, you worked your mouth even faster as you began to gag upon his length that seemed to be getting harder by each passing second.

And now, Ignis’s breathing was louder than ever and you looked up through your slightly tear-blinded eyes to see that his eyes were tightly clenched shut and his teeth were gritted, and you would have sworn that his pearly whites were going to shatter at how hard he was clenching his jaw.

“Y/N…Y/N…I’m….I’m….”

_Yes. Release for me, my love. Let me taste you…_

You whimpered and moaned over his length as in a wave of successive motions, Ignis’s hips sputtered forward and he cried out your name as you felt his hot seed shoot deep to the back of your throat, and your eyes widened at the sensation of the fluid trickling down your throat as you attempted to swallow every drop, its taste an indescribable mixture of both bitter and sweet. Ignis now grasped firmly onto the back of your head as he gave into his most base instincts and desires, him pushing your head down onto his length as waves of ribbons of fluid continued to shoot forth into your mouth, and moaning and whimpering loudly, you savored each sensation as you tried your best to breathe through your nose. But finally, after a few more spurts and the last tremor of Ignis’s legs and hips, you felt his form below you melt onto the mattress, and the tight grip that was upon the back of your head finally loosened, allowing your head to raise. Slowly and reluctantly having his shaft leave your mouth, you gave one last lick at his taste and now raised yourself fully onto your knees to look at Ignis, his chest rising and falling madly and his eyes still shut tightly, his body now covered in a glossy sheen of sweat.

Your heart was slamming in your chest at the realization of what you had just done, the exhilaration of that first ever experience sending jolts of heat and desire down to your groin. But anxiously examining the expression of your love before you, you took a deep breath as you knit your brows together and spoke.

“Iggy…are you ok?” You asked softly, feeling nervous now over how Ignis would react to what you just did. But in response to you saying his name, Ignis now slowly opened his eyes with his cheeks flushed, and without giving you a warning, he sat up quickly and grasped at you firmly, pulling you to his scalding hot body and situating you on his lap. Instantly his lips crashed against yours and he groaned loudly, seeming to be overly surprised but never the less spurred on by the taste of himself on your lips, and quickly he began to touch every inch of your body as his lips now worshipped you in return.

“Oh gods, Y/N, what you do to me and you don’t even realize it,” Ignis said hoarsely as his hands now made their way around your back and unclasped your bra, him helping you shimmy the garment off your shoulders and toss it to the floor. His mouth fell to your throat and your collar bone as he groaned loudly, still seeming shaken over the pleasure you just gave him. “Gods, how I love you, you amazing, beautiful woman.”

Moaning and whimpering with each of his touches, you gasped as you now felt yourself flipped upon your back, and not even giving you a moment to protest this sudden change in position, Ignis helped lift your buttocks and without haste pulled your panties off and tossed the tiny garment to the floor. Pinning you down and kissing and sucking softly at your breasts, Ignis achingly deliberately trailed his mouth down your stomach and right to your pubic bone, his breath hot and heavy and mere inches away from your entrance.

_What kind of man loves and worships like this?_

“Oh Ignis…Ignis…” you uttered as he placed warm and gentle kisses on the bump of your pubic bone, and you yelped with surprise as Ignis now shifted upon his elbows and grasped gently your buttocks, lifting your behind slightly and causing your legs to part. As you looked down upon him with heated and heavy breath, your eyes broadened as you watched his eyes darken and he inhaled deeply your scent of arousal.

“Y/N…” Ignis murmured sweetly as his lips turned into a small curve as he better situated himself between your legs, and now you were up upon both elbows, watching each and every movement with trepidation and eagerness. “Let me show you just how much I appreciate you for you making me feel the way you do…”

Your eyes snapped open and you threw back your head towards the ceiling as Ignis’s tongue began to press down upon your sensitive bundle of nerves, each and every expert gesticulation of his mouth and tongue causing your legs to twitch and jolt with need. His eyes now fully boring into you and watching your breasts rise and heave at the reaction of his ministrations, Ignis now wrapped his arm and hands under and around your legs, his hands grasping gently at your behind and holding you in place so that there was no escape to the sweet torture he was returning to you.

“I-Ignis…Ignis!” You whimpered, tossing your head back as you lost yourself to his pleasure. “I…I…” And yet your words caught in your throat as his tongue pushed gently between your folds, and you bit your lip at trying to control the intense pleasure that was now swelling in your core. “I….I love you Ignis…gods, how I love you…”

Ignis’s eyes lit up, his gaze a mixture of need and esteem of the woman he loved so much, and at your words his tongue moved more feverishly through and over your pink folds, his tongue plunging inside of you now and tasting your arousal. Ignis inhaled deeply and groaned at your sweet scent and now once more began sucking and nipping at your bud, and you began to feel the approaching tell-tale signs as he worked his magic with his mouth.

With your legs completely bent and you unable to withstand not touching him any longer, your hand now found its way to the stop of his head, his hair now completely undone from his style and his bangs brushing his beautiful forehead. You tugged gently at the strands, almost not knowing what to do as you began to whine and bite your lip at the tightening of your walls. Your legs began to shake and almost close around Ignis’s head, but using his strong hands and arms he kept them open, his ministrations with his mouth, teeth, and tongue almost becoming too unbearable to withstand.

But it was his next words that he uttered to you ever so adoringly with longing in each syllable that would send you over the edge.

“You’re mine….” He murmured, and with one last strong swirl of his tongue your walls began to throb and pulsate, you now letting go of Ignis’s hair as you fell back onto the mattress and cried out his name over and over again as he mercilessly lapped and licked at your bundle of nerves. Clutching at the bedsheets below you as your legs jerked and your chest rose and fell, your breasts heaving and your body now too covered in a sheen of sweat, Ignis held you firmly in place as his own breathing was labored, seeming utterly aroused and excited over watching your release right in front of his face.

And so, after the white hot pleasure succeeded and the sensation of your spine finally returned to you, you lay there in but a brief moment of recovery and peace, the only sounds heard the thundering of the storm outside and the panting of synchronized and heated breath.

“I-Ignis…” you whispered, your eyes finally fluttering open as you now looked at the man before you, and seeing the desperate and heated look in his eyes, it was now that as Ignis situated himself upon his knees before you that your eyes widened and a gasp escaped your lips.

Ignis was already hardened once more, his shaft again glistening and throbbing with need and more than ready to be one with you.

Now positioning himself between your legs upon the wrinkled and messy bedsheets, one arm wrapping underneath the curve of your back and the other grabbing the base of his shaft, Ignis lined himself to your entrance, pushed forth, and gods did the rains find their release from the sky more than ever as the storm raged on outside.

Instantly you wrapped your legs around Ignis’s waist and pulled him as humanly close to you as possible, and you clutched at his back as you tried to brace yourself with the sudden intrusion of his hardened girth penetrating deep inside you and hitting your core in the most sinfully delightful of ways. Your nails almost seeming to dig into his skin as you gave into the sweet ecstasy of finally being joined with him after this long and exhausting day, you began to whimper and moan out his name over and over again, tears of joy and pleasure trickling down your face as he kissed you, his hips moving expertly as he made love to you. Nipping at your lower lip and now holding onto your face with his one hand, Ignis moved his lips to your forehead and placed a heated kiss there, his teeth grazing the skin slightly and his eyes shutting tightly as his other arm clutched at you from underneath.

“Oh Six…oh gods…Y/N….” he moaned, a droplet of sweat now skimming down his temple as he kissed your head once more. Shifting slightly he moved his face to the nape of your neck and buried his face there, his teeth sinking into your skin and causing you to cry out sharply with a mixture of pleasure and pain. Your legs only tightened around his waist as he accelerated his strides with inside of you, your loins already throbbing with the need to climax once again, and the feel of Ignis’s hot breath upon your neck only made you lose yourself even more as you tossed your head back deeper into the mattress, submissively allowing him better access to your sensitive flesh. Ignis growling now protectively and possessively, his mouth moved down to the base of your throat, his teeth sinking down with just enough pressure to cause you to scream his name, your nails now surely leaving marks upon his already scarred body, and tears of absolute pleasure were streaming down your cheeks as he continued to make the most beautiful love to you.

“Y/N…Y/N….” Ignis mumbled now, losing himself in all that he felt as he pounded into you more passionately, his forehead pressed to yours and his eyes fluttering open to look deeply into your eyes. “I’m…I’m….”

And just the thought of knowing he too was so close to climax once more, you placed a deep and desperate kiss upon his lips as he thrust harshly into you one last time, and like the most beautiful song ever orchestrated, you and Ignis both simultaneously lost yourselves within each other’s arms as you cried out each other’s names, your walls now pulsating and fluttering and grabbing at Ignis’s shaft that was now twitching and throbbing and releasing another helping of hot warm seed deep into your depths. Ignis crashed his lips against yours, muffling both of your cries as your bodies became a wave of tangled sweaty messes, and with the last wave of both of your climaxes riding out, your core now hot and filled to the brim with the essence of his loving making and Ignis now finally softening within you, you both came crashing back to earth as you now lay within the safety of each other’s arms, the sounds of contented and heavy breathing, and the now soft rains of the world outside.

Moments passed as Ignis held you tightly in his arms, his hand stroking the strands of your tangled mess of hair, and you listened to the sound of his heartbeat as you enjoyed the gentle rise and fall of his chest that you lay upon. Ignis inhaled deeply, and angling your face to look at up him now, you felt your heart swell with joy at the blissful expression upon his strikingly handsome face. Taking your hand that was upon his chest, slowly you reached up and gently touched the scar of his lower lip, and Ignis’s eyes fluttered open at your soothing touch. Angling his face, he looked down at you with a smile upon his lips, his eyes now hazy and sleep-ridden but still utterly beautiful and breathtaking.

“Hello, Y/N,” he said somewhat sheepishly, and you couldn’t stifle your giggle at his sleepiness.

“Hello, Ignis…” you said, your words trailing off as you looked at your love like he was the most precious entity in the world.

The two of you could only look at each other, Ignis’s eyes shimmering as he too seemed to be at a loss for words, his emotions seeming to get the best of him in the private and tender moment in your arms. And so, instead of uttering a single word, he merely cupped your chin gently with his hand and pulled your face up to his, placing the safest and most endearing kiss ever imaginable upon your trembling lips.

Life may throw precarious danger at you. Life may challenge you with the hardest obstacles imaginable. The world may be brimmed with fearsome beasts and terrors of the unknown, but despite all the uncertainty that your life may have thrown at you in the last ten years of your life, there was one thing that you knew for absolute certain, and that was that here within your arms was the most sacred life that you could ever be blessed with knowing.

For what kind of man could ever love like Ignis?

You didn’t think you’d ever meet another man in the world ever again who could love you like he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I couldn't keep a straight face when including Takka in this chapter. Of all the characters in this game, he was certainly the hardest to characterize because of how awkward he is, lol.
> 
> *Ravus! Ahhhh! I'm so glad I was able to find a way to bring him back into the story, having not seen him in such a long time. But don't worry, this isn't his last appearance in this epic. :D
> 
> *Hopefully you guys have picked up on the constant mentioning of children in the last few chapters. That will be important later on ;)


	20. Over The Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A TWENTY CHAPTER MILESTONE! HOLY SHIT I DID NOT THINK I WOULD HAVE THE STORY GO ON FOR THIS LONG! Thank you thank you THANK YOU to everyone who has been on this journey with the Reader and Iggy since the start! :) Your support these last many months has meant the absolute world to me!
> 
> Like the previous chapter "What Kind Of Man," this one as well focuses less on plot of the lore and conflict of the world and more so on the development and love that the Reader and Ignis share, and I truly think that at this point in the story with what will come for upcoming chapters, it was so essential for me to establish just how much these two really are in love and work so well together. This chapter is also going to greatly setup a lot of the conflict and action that you will see in the next chapter which will drive the plot forward more (But I won't spoil that for you!). I have already outlined my ideas for that and so I am more than an excited to see where that all will take our heroes. For this very reason, given how much is going to be happening, I had no choice but to end on a cliff hanger.
> 
> So without further ado, please enjoy, and your feedback is always more than welcome. :) *hugs*
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_Now there's green light in my eyes_

_And my lover on my mind_

_And I'll sing from the piano_

_Tear my yellow dress and_

_Cry and cry and cry_

_Over the love of you_

_-Florence and the Machine – “Over the Love”_

 To say that your requested-by-the-king R&R was more than welcome was an understatement. Having both of you slept in at your Galdin Quay room much past the time that either of you would normally sleep in, it was upon waking within the warm encompassment of Ignis’s arms wrapped tightly around you to hold your petite frame closely to his that were you able to truly appreciate just how pleasing it was to know that neither of you had any place you needed to be at this moment. Smiling widely at the realization that this was one of the infrequent occurrences in which you awoke before he did, you began to place gentle kisses up his mouth and chin, your hand gently pushing his bangs back away from his face. The tactician grumbling slightly (and the sound alone made your heart erupt with adulation), Ignis slowly came to his senses as his eyes fluttered open, suddenly seeming to discern just exactly where the two of you were. His green eyes sluggishly coming into focus as his eyes fell to yours, a wide grin gradually spread across his face, the awareness of last night’s endeavors coming to full fruition in his mind once more.

And so with a hardened shaft pressing against your thighs as your eyes widened at this unexpected early morning eagerness, Ignis took you once more as you cried out with pleasure and delight as your limbs became a tangled mess under the sheets as the break of day finally cast itself into your oceanside suite. It was with playful reluctance however that afterwards you left your secret haven and made use of your remaining time together before life resumed back to normal.

First on your agenda as mentioned by Ignis the night before was making use of the picturesque and white sandy beaches of the Galdin shoreline. While the water was a tad bit chillier to your liking due to this time of year (yet somehow the air around you managed to stay much warmer due to the climactic shifts), you and Ignis bathed in the warmth of the sun as you lay upon the soft granules of the ocean’s coast. The feel of the tiny pellets between your toes was enough to make you sigh with pure bliss as the warm breeze graced itself across your cheeks, but it was the particular sight of Ignis donning a swimsuit that brought the most joy to your senses. While always having remained conserved about his image in the presence of the public, the initial shock of him actually displaying his body wore off rather quickly when you more so realized that he seemed confident enough to bare a naked torso that was adorned with the markings of his past sacrifice to save his liege, and just the thought of this alone that made you appreciate him more than ever.

Having made use of your time in Galdin, you and Ignis decided to head back to your realm of residence in the Crown City, you and the tactician having a few more ideas in mind that you wished to partake in while you had no interruptions to worry about. Your first stop was at the art museum that you and your companions had visited months ago upon your surprise day trip to Insomnia, this time around now having the proper amount of time to indulge in the sights within the facility with just Ignis by your side.

After venerating the many stunning sculptures and paintings that had you feeling particularly inspired, with Ignis’s hand in yours you lead him elatedly to your favorite marketplace where the two of you began to shop for fresh ingredients, requesting that Ignis teach you how to make some of your favorite recipes of his. Ignis’s grin widened at the prospect, him too now seeming more excited than ever to put his skills of instruction to use. And so thus as the two of you made your way back to his apartment, you feeling bumbleheaded once more at the thought of being within his private realm, you clashed with your desires as you watched with esteem as Ignis showed you step by step how to prepare your requested courses.

However, it was when you began prepping the dessert of his fluffy orange sponge cake (the very foodstuff you had been craving since he surprised you with it long ago before his excursion to Niflheim to aid Ravus) that a rather frisky idea came to mind as you helped him make the whip cream to accompany the cake. Him turning his head away for just a moment to reach into the cupboards to get the necessary equipment for the next phase of the dessert, you just happened to have had the whip cream “accidently” splatter all over the place, some of the sweet fluffiness now upon your face, neck and chest. Ignis hearing your abrupt outburst of shock quickly turned around with wide eyes at the apparent mess that you just made.

“Goodness darling, are you alright?” He asked as he reached for a clean cloth, and you had to stifle a giggle at his concern over something so simple that would cause no room for worry. “Here, let me help remove that from you…”

But as Ignis reached for your face with the rag in hand, you brought your hand up to gently grasp around his wrist to stop him, your lashes fluttering at him a small smile upon your face.

“Y/N, what is it?” Ignis asked, his brows knit together in confusion as you held onto him, and part of you was screaming on the inside at the ever so more than perceptive tactician now seemingly oblivious to your intentions. But as you pursed your lips slightly and shifted on your feet, your cheeks flushed as you took a step even closer to him, and it was with widening eyes that Ignis came to a dawn of realization at the way you stared at him.

“Won’t you help clean me up?” You said to him playfully, trying your best not to laugh out loud, and with a sharp inhalation and a flare of his nostrils Ignis now fully put two and two together, realizing just exactly what it was that you were insinuating.

“Well, my my, darling,” he cooed now as he took a step closer with a grin on his face, bringing his thumb up to your neck to slowly scrape away some of the whip cream that was accumulated there. Ignis ran the digit achingly slowly across your skin, his thumb now scooping up the concoction and deliberately bringing it to his mouth in the most seductive manner, and you did your best to stifle a moan at the way he slowly opened his mouth and brought the mixture to his lips. “Most delectable,” he said lowly, and bringing his other hand up to the side of your face, he breathed in deeply, him now seeming to have lost all sense of control of the situation that was laid at hand. “Although I must say, my love, that perhaps this appetizer will surely be followed by the most delectably decadent of main courses…”

Oh _my my_ , was it ever…

Having also expressed your desire to partake in activities of the competitive nature but also feeling rather nostalgic, Ignis took up upon your hint and surprised you with a visit to Noctis’s “man cave” right within the Citadel where Ignis immediately challenged you to a series of various vintage video games within Noctis’s collection. While you were not overly surprised at his interest in such, knowing very well how much he used to game with the boys throughout their travels made your heart beam. But even yet, the way he rolled up his sleeves and placed his controller in hand as you two were about to begin a series of cups in Chocobo Racing left you feeling utterly giddy at this sudden wave of gusto and competitiveness of the advisor and you felt your hands already begin to sweat as you grasped upon your controller, ready to take him on.

“Don’t you dare go easy on me just because I’m a girl,” you said with a laugh. “I’m not one to back down from the opportunity to kick someone’s ass in a game.”

Ignis chuckled smoothly, the reverberance of his glee sending shivers down your spine as your Chocobos lined up at the starting line. “Trust me, my dearest. I never not put in my full effort in all that I do. You should certainly know that by now. I do hope though you shall not be disappointed when I emerge victorious…”

_Oh bring it on, mister…_

However, much to Ignis’s consternation, after your series of challenges, it was somehow you who managed to come out as the victor, leaving Ignis utterly speechless as you watched your character on the screen do a victory dance and the podium.

“You cheeky little thing….” Ignis uttered now as a slow smile spread across his lips and he set his controller done.

“I swear, I have no idea how I was able to beat you!” You said, and even though you knew you wouldn’t be terrible, you were still just as surprised at yourself for your win. “I mean, I’m not bad at these games but I’m certainly not-“

But before you could even finish the defense of your victory, you soon found yourself pinned to your back on the carpeted floor with Ignis hovering over you with one leg in between your legs and the other straddling your hip, his one arm pinning your hands above your head while the other placed itself upon your hip.

_Oh Astrals, goodness…_

“I-Ignis….” You said breathlessly, your face now flushed a crimson red as Ignis gazed down upon you with heat in his eyes and his frame utterly scorching hot as it pressed itself down upon yours. But swallowing hard, a playfully lopsided grin crossed your lips as you tried your best to stifle a laugh. “You’re….you’re not a sore loser, are you?”

Perhaps that wasn’t the right set of words to say as you now found Ignis’s massive hands tickling you viscously, your screams and shouts of laughter filling the air as you squirmed beneath the advisor, Ignis laughing equally as hard as you tried to fight off his attack. But as each dig and grab of his hand became less playful and more sensual, each writhe of your helpless body now causing you to wrap your legs tightly around his waist and grasp desperately at the fabric of his shirt, it would be soon enough where losing a game wouldn’t be the only thing that would leave you two feeling sore in each other’s arms…

With your afternoon flying by much to your greater dislike, you and Ignis now made it back to his apartment to finally settle in for the evening, both regrettably knowing that tomorrow you would once more have to resume your normal routine of duties. Washing up and cooking dinner together (and this time chastefully so), you and Ignis afterwards made camp upon his couch where you proceeded to watch one of your favorite movies from when you were a child. Laughing at the ostensibly cheesy acting but nevertheless enjoying every moment of the sense of nostalgia, you could not help but feel in utter bliss at the feel of Ignis’s arms wrapped tightly around you as you lay within his legs and the feel of his chest pressed to your back while he rested his head upon your shoulder.

You chuckled loudly as the main hero in the film did something rather foolish and ended up getting chased by a ragtag group of thugs. “This was always my favorite part, Iggy,” you giggled, trying to stifle your laughter as the situation unwound itself more precariously for the lead, and now you finally laughed heartily as the hero smashed through a pile of stacked crates and rolled onto the pavement. “My goodness though, to see how bad this CGI was we were younger...can you believe it?”

However, after a moment of silence you did not get a response, and you raised your eyebrow inquisitively. You felt your spine tingle for but a moment at the sensation of something soft delicately touching your skin, and you turned your head marginally to see that it was Ignis’s bangs brushing your bare shoulder. But examining his face closely now, you realized that his eyes were shut softly and his mouth was drawn into a relaxed smile. You inhaling profoundly, immediately your heart swelled at the sight of your love now having dozed off in the middle of your movie night, and there was something so endearing at the sight of the tactician finally succumbing to his own his own bodily needs and functioning that made you feel rather peaceful at this moment.

 _The poor guy...we’ve been on the go so much these last few days…_ Soon a contemplation came to mind that made you blush deeply, realizing that perhaps there were more than a few reasons as to what could have made Ignis so utterly exhausted from your various rendezvous over the last few days.

Shifting yourself so that you were facing him, you maneuvered him gently so that he was reclining carefully against the arm of the couch, and you now laying directly upon his chest began to study his handsome features. In this moment of solitude within his arms as the sound effects of your feature film boomed in the background, your chest tightened as your eyes scanned over every inch of his Ignis’s charming face. Beauty marks that peppered themselves over his cheeks, the scars of his eyes, nose and lip that shinned glossily in the lamp light, and even the ever so slightly beginning trace of a scruff that tried to poked through his hair follicles having missed shaving for one day…every little combined element of the superb chemistry of his face made your throat tighten and your mouth become parched like the dusty sands of Longwythe, and no matter how many times you tried to deny that you were this fortunate, you still could not believe that after all of this time this man was actually yours and you were actually his.

“Oh Iggy….my adorable Iggy…” You murmured as your hand shakily brushed his sandy hair away from his forehead, and moving your face closer to his you placed a soft kiss right between his eyebrows. Inhaling in deeply his natural scent as you once more pulled back to look at him, a small smile formed itself upon your lips as you watched his mouth shift slightly from your kiss, his sleep-ridden eyes now calmly fluttering open to see you looking lovingly upon him.

“Y/N….” he murmured almost inaudibly, and it took him but a moment to become cognizant of his surroundings as you lay within his arms. But gradually, his eyes began to expand as he came to the awareness of where he was and what had happened. “M-My apologies,” he stammered, his words catching in his throat as he snaked his hands upon along your lower back and pulled you as humanly as tight as possible against his frame in a possessive way. In return, he pressed his mouth to the top of your head for but a moment and inhaled deeply the scent of your freshly washed hair, sighing deeply in the process. “I…I was feeling most comfortable and I must have dozed off into a slumber for but a moment. I suppose I was but not aware of how utterly worn out I have become over the last few days from our various…enterprises…” He paused for but a moment, and you blushed deeply now at his words, understanding his implication that it was indeed _you_ this time around who seemed to have worn him out. But Ignis continued, his fingertips skimming up along your back, causing your spine to shiver at his delicate touches. “I do hope that I did not miss too much of the cinematic, did I?”

For but a moment you reached down to the coffee table in front of his sofa and turned the movie off, not even caring to see at this point where the scene concluded. You smiled softly at Ignis, placing a gentle kiss upon his chin and sighing deeply, once more brushing his hair away from his face.

“Only a little bit, but nothing that we can’t rewind the next time we resume the film.”

You paused as you looked at him, his eyes fully coming into focus now but nevertheless laden with sleepiness, and a sudden wave of guilt seemed to wash over him at the apprehension that he fell asleep during one of your favorite films. “Darling, I-I’m most sorry for that. This behavior is most unlike me. Perhaps the excitement of the last few days has finally caught up with me and I-“

You silenced him with a kind kiss upon his lips, his eyes seeming to suddenly fully snap open at the sudden gesture in his haziness. You grasped upon the sides of his face and now rubbed your nose against his, inhaling deeply his scent. “No apologies, mister,” you said sweetly, you wanting to ensure to him more than ever that you couldn’t be upset with him over something like this. “Besides, it’s late after all indeed, and….well, we both kinda have to return to reality tomorrow after all…”

It pained you to say it, but it was true, and even Ignis himself, who was always so driven by his duties to the Crown and his king too seemed for but a moment to be distraught at this realization. And so thus he sighed deeply, pressing his forward to yours and cupping your face with his hands, and he kissed you deeply in return upon your lips.

“That we do indeed, my darling. That we must do….”

But despite all good things coming to an end and you possessing the initial reluctance of stepping away from your personal heaven that you were granted for a few days, your return to work at EXINERIS had been a rather smooth and pain-free transition. You and a small team of girls were assigned to working on reestablishing a set of power lines that had fallen in one of the more urban districts about ten blocks from the Citadel that had suffered at the hands of one of the guardians of the wall, and although the majority of your work in recent weeks you had completed independently, it was on this particular project that made you grateful to have companions by your side. Making the project even more gratifying and satisfying as your neared its completion was an unexpected surprise visit from Noctis himself who began to survey the hard work you and the fellow ladies had put forth over the course of several days.

“You ladies need any help at all?” Your king had asked you, and you had to stifle a giggle over how utterly flustered your younger and newly hired teammates who had never met or seen Noctis before blushed at seeing the handsome King in person for the first time. Standing below you and dressed rather casually, very unlike a monarch in public, he stared up at the scaffolding on which you all stood with his arms crossed and his head titled curiously to the side.

“O-Oh no, your Majesty! W-We’re doing quite ok!” Said the one young girl in particular that you personally had spent many weeks training as your apprentice.

“Y-Yeah! No need to fret over us!” Said another, her cheeks a crimson red over being addressed by royalty.

But in typical Noctis fashion, the King could not simply stand by and do nothing, and so even to your sudden surprise, within a flash of the eyes he gracefully warp-struck himself up to the particularly precarious ledge on which you all stood and began to help install some tricky cables that required a bit of extra strength in manipulating. Once more you had to hold back your laughter at how your girls fumbled within their hands the wires and cables as Noctis grasped them for support, your teammates blushing furiously over the fact that their King was in such proximity to them. You catching Noctis’s eyes for just a second, even he smiled a bit over taking note of what affect he was having on his subjects.

It was however on one of your lunch breaks later towards the end of the week in which Cor called you in wishing to speak with you and Noctis in person at the Citadel, you more curious than ever at his request. It was after you washed up and made yourself presentable at the end of your shift and headed towards the deliberation room that you became speculative over what they may have wished to speak to you about, and by gods after this meeting was your initial speculation right.

“We have finally managed to extract and analyze all of the data that you and Ignis obtained from the Niflheim carrier,” Cor began as you, Noctis, and Ignis seated yourselves around his desk, Cor’s brows drawn together and his lips cast in a frown. “And as always, we are impressed by the work you two did to obtain this data. We are more than fortunate that you two were able to take care of the situation, and equally fortunate to have found out the purpose of this particular aircraft.”

You raised your eyebrow now as you sat yourself upright in your chair, your heart beating faster in your chest at your sudden anxiety. “Yeah? What exactly is it that you found?”

Cor shifted himself as he sat upon his desk, sighing deeply before he spoke. “To put it short: Years ago upon the day that the treaty was meant to be signed by Regis and Iedolas Aldercapt, the emperor for all intents and purposes had undertaken a plan set forth by Ardyn to have his imperial forces implement a scheduled series of attacks upon the Crown City. These aircrafts that were manned under the command of imperial officers each contained soldiers as well as MTs that were to be dropped off various points within the city, but even though each of these ships functioned through autopilot technologies, this one ship in particular was scheduled to be driven via as an emergency backup in case Adlercapt’s plans fell wayward.”

You held your breath at this, trying to make sense of exactly what this meant. “Autopilot? But then...just…why on earth were these ship being launched now of all times? It’s been over ten years! This doesn’t make any sense!”

Ignis turned to look at you, his expression grave and forlorn but equally frustrated. “For that reason, we are not entirely sure,” he began, pushing his glasses up upon the bridge of the nose as he too mulled the idea over in his head. “It appears in the ship’s data logs that there was indeed some corruption of information, perhaps due to the ever-growing presence of daemonic miasma of the Empire’s experimentation as well as the harsh climate within the Gralean capital. The data could have been glitched as a result and thus the ship never made it to its intended destination all those many years ago.”

“And as to why it landed where it did?” Noctis continued as he scratched his head. “It couldn’t make it to Insomnia because the damn thing ran out of fuel and landed right where it did since it had been sitting around for ten years.”

For a moment you could only stare at Noctis, but as the seconds passed on, you inhaled sharply at realizing the implication of what could have happened. “That...that ship…it was supposed to make it to Insomnia…meaning…it could have hurt innocent people here _now_ …” Your eyes broadened now, looking seriously at Noctis. “Shit, Noct…they..they could have hurt you!”

Cor now grimaced, he too not being pleased with the idea either. “And of course it was most unfortunate that that young woman had to fall victim to its interference. Thank the Astrals that you and Ignis were able to take out the issue before something happened to her.” But Cor paused now, seeming pained at what he was about to say. “And to make matters even worse…the intent of that carrier in particular _was_ meant to lay harm to Noctis, and even more specifically, King Regis himself.”

Your eyes widened in horror at this and the deliberation room became so silent that you would have been able to hear a pin drop. “Are…are you serious?” You said incredulously, your voice almost a hoarse whisper.

Ignis’s grip seemed to tighten upon the arm of his chair as he sighed deeply. “Y/N, do you recall how we both initially thought that those magitek assassins in particular were prototypes? Unfortunately our assumption at such an observation was incorrect. In fact…” And he had to pause, looking to Noctis with eyebrows drawn together, seeming pained and distraught about what he was about to say, “these were not prototypes at all but were in fact preliminary advanced models specifically designed to act as a failsafe and assassinate anyone of royal blood and those soldiers connected to their king…including the Crownsguard.”

You held your breath now, your head spinning at the vastness of what was just said to you.

_The Glaives...Noctis…King Regis….everyone in the Crownsguard…if that’s who their intended targets were then…oh gods…_

It took you a moment to speak, trying to hold back a sob at the thought of what could have happened to all the people who had come to care so much about had the system of this carrier not failed. “And there…there are more carriers just like this one?” You asked quietly, looking to each man within the room now. “This…this carrier couldn’t have been the only ship with these particular models on them, right?”

Cor took a moment to speak, taking a deep breath, but it seemed that he was more than appreciative at how quick you were to perceive the situation. “You’re correct as always, Y/N,” he said, shifting himself on his perch once more. “While the data was corrupt within the ship’s logs, we were actually able to track one of its fellow flight companions and quickly made contact with Ravus over its presumed locations. Upon tracing our data we shared, Ravus and his men were able to find its exact location and destroy the machine after having extracting its data, and shortly after they were able to find the third carrier and destroy it before any of its infantry were able to be reactivated. The fourth and fifth ones though are still missing in action, and so therefore his army are in the works of tracing their whereabouts through the data logs that they had managed to find throughout Gralea’s database.”

You sighed deeply now, grateful that this search was partially a success, and yet you still could not help but panic over the severity of what this situation could still lead to. “Ravus…Gods…the Niflheim empire is so _huge_ though! It’s going to take forever to search the whole place! Isn’t there anything that we can do to help them? I feel awful over the fact that Ravus is taking on this work all by himself….”

Noctis scowled now, appearing more than irritated, and it was Ignis who broke the tension with a slight smile upon his face. “By all means, Noctis has been nothing but adamant upon helping Ravus for months now. But as I have mentioned to you previously, the King of Tenebrae has insisted that he take full responsibility of this task, as he still feels more than at fault for partaking in the fall of Lucian Empire. Ravus asserts that we focus our efforts here and on Accordo first and that if the situation does indeed become more dire than he anticipated, he will surely call for our aid.”

At this point, Noctis began pacing the room, fidgeting with his hands and randomly summoning forth weapons from his Armiger to stifle his aggravation over his helplessness. “To think how things between the two of us have changed….” Noctis said out loud but mostly to himself as he now beckoned forth his famous Engine Blade and began to scrutinize its hilt. “If you told me ten years ago that we would be working together the way that we do now, I would have called you a fool. But, despite all our tragedies that we have faced, it’s the least that I could do to want to help. His wife actually lost family in Altissia that day all those years ago, so I suppose I could say that I do feel equally responsible for setting things right for Ravus too…”

Your heart clenched tightly at this, recollecting now how Ravus’s wife previously had business in Accordo all those many months ago, but never would you have ever guessed that she too fell a victim to loss of those she cared about, just like you did.

_And how we all manage to be connected somehow in this grand scheme that was laid out before us will never fail to amaze me…_

“Believe it or not though, Ravus is not in this all on his own, though,” Cor continued as he drew your attention back to him, making you raise your eyebrow inquiringly. “Unlike with Noctis here who he kindly denied his help, Ravus has recently taken on the assistance of Commodore Highwind who has more than willingly obliged to share the responsibility of what has transpired in this world over the last ten years.”

Your eyes amplified at the mention of the Aranea Highwind, you having always felt more than intimidated at the thought of meeting this formidable woman. In fact, you only had ever seen the woman a few times with your own eyes, the last time seeing her in person back at the ball that marked the official return of the reign of Noctis and the return of the light to the world. Prior to that though, Aranea frequented the steam-powered town, and yet you yourself never had the chance to work with her. Much like the Marshall himself, Aranea would assist the Glaives and hunters in protecting Lestallum from the daemons that threatened the peace and prosperity of the city’s safe haven, and it was over the years that she had become known as a defender and protector of the innocent, leading her own army across the lands of Lucis to take out whatever threats made their way across the darkened lands.

Like Ravus himself who once walked a wayward path, Aranea too at one point had her hands soiled in dealings with the Empire, at one point in her past being the Third Army Corps 87th Airborne Division’s leader, but as explained to you by Ignis who had more than enough dealings with her way back in the days prior to Noctis falling asleep within the Crystal, Aranea’s intentions had not always been made clear to the royal retinue. However, Aranea apparently never failed to express her distrust of Aldercapt and even Ardyn himself, and so it soon became apparent enough that the Crownsguard and their king were able to trust the woman and what she sought to do in making right to her wrongs.

 _It would only make sense that she is trying to set things right now too,_ you thought as you became lost in thought, and the more that you pondered it, you had found it rather strange and curious that no mention of her and her whereabouts had been brought up in these last many months since the light had returned.

“The Commodore is a free spirit,” Ignis said as he took note of your expression and placed his hand upon yours that was resting of your chair. “As much as I too disagree with our lack of assistance in this matter, we can only trust hers and Ravus’s judgement, and so thus we will remain on standby until further notified. Until then, my dearest, do not fret. We here shall do what we can and take our burdens into our own hands.”

Letting out a deep breath, you nodded to Ignis and shifted your hand to hold onto his, and you looked to Cor and Noctis who too also nodded at you, reaffirming that all would be ok with your friends in Tenebrae.

However, little did you know that you would soon have your own burdens to bear at home, and it would be _you_ who would have to step up to the plate.

****************

And so another week had transpired, projects around the city of Insomnia slowly being completed with the teamwork of the EXINERIS staff. Thankfully another LC-X was released from production and was able to help you and your girls remove a rather large pile of rubble that was hindering you from accessing a power grid that was a key source of energy to your current project. Hunter reports continued to slowly come in to the Citadel’s intel, and Sania Yeager at this point worked harder than ever with her research team to continue to analyze some of the bizarre behavior of the local wildlife. Her teams scouring the landscapes across Eos, they had yet to identify what it could be that was causing the various species to act unaccordingly, and so she and her colleagues began to analyze and experiment on the fauna and local water sources for anything particularly strange that could be the cause of the changes. While you personally had not heard from Ravus directly, word got back that he and Aranea had managed to find one more of the carriers with the special MTs, leaving one left to locate within the vast realm of the fallen Niflheim Empire. However, much to your surprise, in an old-fashioned tradition you had received in your mailbox upon arriving home upon a rather particularly busy day at work a letter from none other than the wife of Ravus and queen of Tenebrae herself.

 _“I do hope that this letter has found you in good faith and that all is well_ , the letter began. _Ravus has informed me of your recent endeavors and that I must say you are truly an inspiration to me in how you continue to fight bravely and move past your fears. The arrival of mine and Ravus’s child is nearing upon us and I must admit that I am finding myself quite anxious over the child’s advent. But just the other evening when I experienced a moment of panic, I thought of you and suddenly I was overcome with a sense of strength and courage. I just wanted to let you know that I keep you and your dear Ignis in my thoughts and that I hope to see the two of you sooner than later. I cannot wait for you to see the child.”_

Your heart swelling with joy, you felt a happy tear streak down your face at the idea that you helped give someone else strength. But the letter did not conclude at just that, the P.S. making you smile with exhilaration _. Ravus did want me to let you know however that your gift for Ignis is in the works and our blacksmiths are make diligent progress in its production. While they’ve had their hands full as of late to Ravus’s excursions within Gralea, I can assure you that it will be ready for you by the time you two do manage come to make visit to us._

_I do hope all is well.”_

_And I hope you and Ravus will be ok too_ …you thought as you now as you parked your car between Prompto’s and the Regalia and turned off the engine. _If only we can be done with all this Empire nonsense once more so we can all just go back to normal and peaceful lives..._

While Ignis made it particularly routine at this point in your relationship that preferred to stay at your apartment on weekends, this time around he had requested for you to meet him at the Citadel once you officially finished your shift at EXINERIS for week. While you were now certainly no stranger to making visits to the Citadel, you still at times found yourself getting lost in the winding corridors that the gods only knew what lead to.

And so obviously, with your mind and body tired from work but your brain clouded with excitement at whatever Ignis had planned for this evening, you had found that it was now such an occasion where you happened to have taken the wrong turn and gotten lost.

“Oh come on…I’ve been down this hallway so many times before. Just where the heck is this place that Ignis wanted me to meet him at? Maybe I should just call-“

But before you could finish your monologue, as you rounded a corner you ran smackdab into a particular tall and firm figure that sent you falling backwards and dropping your bag in hand, and landing on your behind you cried out harshly at the impact of it falling on the tile floor.

“Shit, are you alright?” Said a deep rumbling voice, and your brain whirling and realizing what the hell just happened, you looked up to see a tall and foreboding figure staring at you with his hand extended to you. But upon quick examination of this individual, immediately by the sight of his glossy leather attire with buckles upon buckles accessorizing his gear did you realize that he was in fact a Glaive, one of whom you had never in particular see before. His hair was shaved on the sides, and along with a solitary crow’s foot tattoo by his temple his appearance made you immediately think of Libertus, you quickly wondering if he too was from Gahlad.

 _Shit, and he’s huge too_ , you thought as you suddenly felt yourself becoming anxious in his presence, and while you thought no one could ever compare to the intimidating size and magnitude of Gladio’s form, this man certainly would rank in the top of the fierce-some category. But despite your sudden unease, you tried your best not to be rude as you reached out to take his hand, and almost much more harshly than you expected, he helped pull you to your feet and up against his chest to stabilize yourself.

_Oh no. Not good._

Finally comprehending that you must seem like an ignorant heathen to him and not wanting to make a bad impression to any of the Glaives, you brushed yourself off and reached down to pick up your bag before he could help you. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” you said breathlessly as you made eye contact with him again, and instantly you felt your throat tauten at the way that he was observing you. “I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I seemed to have gotten myself a bit lost is all.”

Promptly you cursed yourself, realizing that this was perhaps not the best thing to be saying to a complete stranger, regardless of the fact that he was a Glaive, and noticing now that not a single other soul had passed in this hallway in the moments that transpired, you felt yourself getting more on edge after each passing second. Looking at this Glaive now, you saw a lopsided grin on his face as he shifted himself upon his feet as he looked at you.

“That tends to happen a lot to first time guests here,” he said as he tilted his head to examine you. “But I’m assuming that you must not be a first timer here, otherwise you wouldn’t be walking around unescorted like this…”

You tucked your hair behind your ear as you looked away from him for but a moment. “Y-yeah, I have all my clearances on file and everything. Like I said, I just got a bit disoriented on where I was going. It’s been a long week after all.”

The Glaive smirked at you now, causing you to swallow hard. “Well if you’ve got your clearances on file then certainly you’ve got a name too. You ain’t new around here but I certainly haven’t seen you before…”

“I’m…My name is Y/N,” you said a bit too hastily for your liking. “I’m the EXINERIS representative working with the King and the Marshall.”

The Glaive now leaned his hand against the wall, his sheer size threatening you even more as you felt the minutes ticking on, not wanting to leave Ignis waiting for you any longer.

“Ahhh, so you’re the one that I’ve been hearing about. Heard what you did with those MTs past Aracheole Stronghold. That’s pretty badass for just an EXINERIS girl if you ask me. I must say, I’m quite impressed.” But he paused for a moment, seeming to take note of your befuddled expression, and he extended his hand once more with a softer smile. “Oh. My name is Ferox, by the way. Ferox Pardus. It’s pretty damn nice to meet you.”

You blushed deeply, not wanting to be rude and took his hand, but you now felt overwrought with confusion as to why this man was suddenly so interested in someone as simple as you. “It’s nice to meet you too. L-Look, I don’t want to be rude or anything, but I actually need to be somewhere right now. I…” And not wanting to drag Ignis’s name into the situation, especially considering the privacy of your relationship might be at stake, you came up with a quick fib. “I’m actually on my way to see the Marshall this moment. He needed to speak with me about a process we are doing at the plant.”

Ferox grinned wider now, and part of you was fearful over the notion that he seemed to see past your lie. But nevertheless, he shifted out of the way to give you breathing space, his hand gesturing towards the end of the hallway. “By all means. I understand,” he said calmly, yet the intentions in his voice where unclear to you. “I’ll let ya be on your way. But don’t be afraid to ask me if you need help with anything or needing to know your way around. I’ll be more than happy to oblige.” And smiling again, he gesticulated to you in the typical Glaive manner. “For hearth and home. I hope I run into you again soon…”

Biting your lip, you nodded and quickly made your way down the hallway, not even caring if you seemed to be moving too hastily or awkward for your liking. _Shit, what the hell was that about?_ You asked yourself as you reared another corner and sighed with relief as you arrived at a point in the Citadel that you finally recognized. _Just who the hell was that guy? Why have I never seen him before? Should I...should I ask Ignis about him?_

But you shook your head to yourself, trying to shake yourself of the uncomforting feeling that prickled down your spine now, and with your eyes widening you came to a sudden epiphany.

 _Oh gods…was he…was he_ flirting _with me?_

Truth be told, why you by no means would ever say that you were hideous to look at, you had always did your best to remain humble with your appearance and thought that you were just a normal, average, and healthy looking young woman like the majority of the population. But however, in recent weeks as you spent more and more time walking the streets of Insomnia as well as working with the boys within the Citadel, you started to notice slowly but surely the amount of stares that you would get from the male population, especially from that of the Glaives that you would pass. Blushing deeply now, you felt slightly embarrassed over the notion that perhaps maybe you were more than just something “average” to look at, and suddenly thinking back now to yours and Ignis’s visit to the Prairie Outpost, you remembered just how hungrily those two hunters had looked at you and how seductively they spoke to you before Ignis and Dave had intervened.

 _Shit_ …you thought once more as you tried to combat the flush that was creeping up your cheeks, and your spine tingled again at the thought of what they would have wanted to do to you. _Iggy…Oh Iggy, and then there is you who treats me with all the goodness in the world. And to think that I still think at times I don’t deserve you._

And so finally managing to shake yourself of your thoughts that had plagued you for the last several minutes, you finally arrived at one of the receptionist desks within the Citadel and approached the young woman who sat behind the counter, her eyes attentively starting at a computer before her until she noticed you. She too must have been a newer hire, you not having recognized seeing her before as the usual employee on staff at this position was currently not here.

“Hello!” She said to you cheerfully, the enthusiasm in her voice almost making you jump. “How can I help you today?”

Smiling to her, you pulled your badge out of your pocket to show her that you had your clearances. “Hi there, miss. Perhaps I’m just having an off day today, but can you help direct me in the direction of the Maestro’s Quarters? You’d think having worked here for a while now I should know my way around this place. I was told to meet Ignis Scientia there.”

Why you suddenly chose to reveal this last bit of information to this stranger you had no idea (perhaps out of comfort to yourself in light of your strange encounter), but upon saying the name of the tactician the young woman’s face suddenly lit up and she began blushing deeply, seeming flustered now. “Oh! Oh Mr. Scientia! Goodness! Why yes, yes! Of course I can tell you where the Maestro’s Quarters is!” She began fumbling around with the mouse on her desk and she clicked away suddenly at her keyboard, and you raised your eyebrow at her sudden odd behavior. “Yes. Mr. Scientia. Yes,” she continued. “The Maestro’s Quarters. If you head straight down this hallway and make a left, you will see a small hallway that will lead to another smaller hallway. The Maestro’s Quarters are right at the end of the hallway!”

“Thank you,” you said to the young woman, deciding to not question her conduct and smiling at her as you noticed the hint of red in her cheeks. “I really do appreciate it.”

“Y-You’re welcome!” she said with a squeak in her voice, and turning to walk away from the desk to make your way to your destination, she spoke once more, her shaky voice stopping you right in your tracks. “Mr. Scientia is such a nice man. I’m new here and I’m supposed to be helping to keep track of guests and visitors and clients who come to the Citadel with appointments. When Mr. Scientia had an important meeting with a client he was nothing but helpful and patient with me in filling out the data within our database, even though I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. He’s so nice, isn’t he?” She was blushing deeply now, seeming embarrassed over her admission to you, a complete stranger. “You know, we certainly are lucky here to be working for such great people. The King and his court are all so good to us. And Mr. Scientia? He’s always so considerate of all of us here, especially us new hires. I don’t know about you, but…well, I don’t know if he’d ever get married, seeing how busy he is, but Astrals bless whoever he ends up with him in life. She’d be the luckiest woman in the world.”

Your throat tightened and your heart leapt out of your chest at her words, and finding yourself blushing deeply now, a grin spread across your lips as you looked to her.

“Yeah…I think she’d be the luckiest woman in the world too…”

_Oh Iggy…Iggy…_

But turning almost too hastily away from the receptionist and following the directions she gave you, you felt your heart slamming in your chest at what she had just said, the weight and implication of her words weighing upon your heart and you more than excited than ever now to see your love.

It was so true. All these years and all the stories you were told of the altruistic deeds that Noctis and his retinue had done for complete strangers, and for some reason it had only taken you to this very moment to realize how truly and utterly blessed you were to be within the company of such wonderful people that would literally have died to save to the world so that others could live happily within it. People, self-sacrificing and loving, just like you. Companions that left you feeling like you mattered in this crazy, ever-changing world. And even more so importantly, it hadn’t hit you until this very moment at the thought that it wasn’t just you that thought so highly of Ignis but also everyone who was graced with his kindness, compassion, and sympathy, and this very man would have literally given the skin on his back and would have seen himself burned to ruin if it meant taking care of those he loved.

 _Oh Ignis…Ignis...I am truly the luckiest woman ever. Gods, I only wish I could find other ways to express and tell you just how much I love you_ …

And so it was now that you finally rounded that last left corner that you found yourself entering a small hallway off shooting itself from the main hustle and bustle of the Citadel. With your heart throbbing in your chest from jubilation, more enthralled than ever at getting to see Ignis on this late afternoon did you find yourself stopping dead in your tracks. Your ears adjusting to the quiet hallway around you, the soft and delicate chimes of something sweet began to dance across your ear drums, the resonance of such beauty helping bring your heartbeat slowly to respite as you closed your eyes and took in the melodious noise.

_No…no chimes…that’s...that’s a piano…_

Inhaling deeply as you followed the sound, you came to the very end of the hallway as directed by the receptionist and now stood before a doorway that was indeed labeled with a small silver plaque of “Maestro’s Quarters.” Leaning your head gently against the doorway, you closed your eyes as you eavesdropped on the tune that was now playing within the chamber, feeling your heart skip as you shortly recognized that you were familiar with the song that was being performed.

_This is it…Oh gods…Ignis…_

And so gently gripping the door handle and gradually pushing the door open, you held back a gasp as you now entered the intended destination, your eyes slowly taking in the sight that you were now standing in what was a music room. Your eyes darting from each corner as your eyes fell upon the visuals of harps, guitars, percussion drums, and various exotic instruments that you could not identify, it was the sight of what was in the very center of the room that made your heart clench and your throat constrict once more with fondness and admiration. And so it was there, within the sunlight that cast itself into the room through a large stained-glass window, that sat Ignis in front of a piano, his fingers dancing across the keys as he lost himself to the melody in which he graced your ears with.

You took a few steps forward, finding your bag slowly sliding out of your hand as you stood in awe, your body trembling as you listened carefully to the song that reverberated around the antechamber. Heeding carefully to the soulful and moving gospel-like chords at hand, you took note that Ignis was nearing the end of the song, and taking a deep breath as he hit a specific chord, you felt the music move you as you opened your mouth and sang the accompanying lyric that ended the song:

_“I chose hope when all hope had seemed lost_

_And I believed in the strength of my friends.”_

You now made your way over to Ignis and shakily sat down next to him on the piano bench, and his eyes were shut gently and a soft smile was placed upon his lips as he played the last two measures of the song, him seeming utterly delighted that you recognized his playing. You felt a warmth creep across your flesh as you watched his hands press gently upon the keys, his song now concluding and leading the music hall in an air of silence _._

You could only stare at him for a moment and you felt your heart sputter with approbation in your chest, and slowly his eyes came to an open as he gazed upon you with a glimmer. Taking his eyes off the keys now, he placed his hand upon your thigh, the contact making you instantly melt at his touch. “You’ve made it,” he said softly as he leaned over to cup your chin gently with his free hand and kissed you softly upon your lips, causing your eye lids to flutter. “I was beginning to get worried.”

You swallowed hard, placing your own hand upon his leg as well. “I-I’m sorry, Ignis,” you replied quietly, still unable to believe what you just heard. “No lie, but I actually somehow managed to get lost. But thankfully the receptionist helped me find my way here.” You paused your words though as you began to study the features of his face, your eyes darting to each scar that marked his flesh, and reaching up slowly, you brushed away the stray strand of hair that always managed to loose itself from his sleek and styled pompadour. Inhaling deeply, you felt like you were at a complete loss at even where to begin. “Ignis, that…that was so beautiful. I had no idea that you could play piano. Why did you never tell me?” You paused again, a blush creeping up through your cheeks as you inhaled deeply. “You never fail to surprise me, you know that?”

For but just a second a pained expression crossed his features, completely catching you off guard, but before you could open your mouth to ask what the matter was his mien transitioned to one of mischievousness and love. “Perhaps that was my intent this time around, darling: to surprise you in full. What fun would it be if I did not occasionally throw you through a loop?”

You laughed and rolled your eyes, setting your head upon his shoulder for a moment and breathing in dthe scent of his luxurious cologne. “You say that like this is the first time you have ever surprised me. Every day with you is a surprise.”

“Is that so?” Ignis said spiritedly as he nuzzled his nose against the side of your head and through your hair. “Then remind me to remain adamant about keeping you on your toes. I rather much do enjoy the look upon your face when I catch you off guard…”

You blushed deeply and felt your loins tighten at the suggestiveness of his words, and slowly you raised your head to look at him, now trying to control your breathing at the way his suddenly heated gaze fell upon you. Biting your lip and smiling now, you pushed your hair behind your ear as you now lazy moved your fingers across the ebony and ivory keys before you, trying to keep the focus on your curiosity at hand. “You know, that song you were playing…I remember the very first time I heard it. I think perhaps it was six or seven years ago, right when we were all in the middle of dealing with the darkness. I remember having stopped at the Cape Caem base to help deliver some materials for Cid and there was this beautiful music that hit my ears when I stepped out of the elevator shaft down in the hidden harbor. There were these musicians that I had remembered seeing play in the streets all the time in Altissia, and here I was, overly surprised to see that years had passed and here they were, still together and making people smile through their songs. But it was this song that they were playing that immediately just struck at my heart. How the song managed to get recorded I will never know, but it wasn’t too much later when I remember getting home one night and turning on one of the radio stations to listen to some recent hunter reports that the song was playing, only this time with vocals. I never would have imagined that someone would have found the time or resources to get it recorded. But now that I think about it, I think it makes sense now.” And so you paused your words, took your hands off the keys, and put them back on Ignis’s thigh, and you inhaled deeply, smiling in the process. “Despite how chaotic everything was, we all needed that hope. We needed something in that given time to make us all feel united and human again. No wonder that song has stuck, even to this day. And you, Ignis? Gods, do you play it so beautifully and I think yours is my favorite rendition of it ever.”

Ignis’s cheeks flushed as he cupped your face once more and kissed you deeply on the lips, and in response you snaked your hands up to his chest to brace yourself upon the bench. Once more the scent of his cologne clouded your senses and the taste of Ebony graced your lips and tongue, and it was all you could do to not snake your fingertips between the buttons of his dress shirt. But you trying your best to behave yourself and Ignis pulling back from his kiss, you could see that by the look in his eyes he was more than appreciative of your complimentary words.

“Thank you, my darling,” he said as he placed his hands back on the piano, and he looked to you with an appreciative smile. “Your words most certainly mean much to me. However, surely I did not ask you to grace me with your presence here this afternoon just to have me being the only one who receives such compliments. My song was only decent, that is, until you added those beautiful words to it with your vocal chords.”

You blushed now, nervously tucking your hair behind your ear again, and you smiled shyly in response. “Oh come on. You’re just saying that because you feel like you have to.” While you always thought you had a decent singing voice, still, hearing such a compliment from the talented advisor was more than you felt you deserved and yet helped boost your confidence.

Ignis chuckled heartily as he began to play random chords on the keys. “Why surely I am not. In fact, the reason I indeed asked you to join me here tonight was because I was feeling rather inspired and wished to perhaps perform something with you together. That is, if that isn’t too much of a demand to ask of you,” he added with a wink.

Your eyes widened and suddenly you felt your foot tapping eagerly upon the tile floor. “Really? Oh gosh, no, that’s not too much to ask for! I love that idea! It’s just that I never had someone ask me to do this with them.” You paused for a second as you wracked through your brain. “What song would you like to do though?”

Ignis beamed at you as he continued to play arbitrarily, and you could not help but stare in awe at his beautiful hands that shifted over the keys. All the while, he looked at you adoringly and you could not help but appreciate just how unbelievably talented Ignis was, not even having to look at the keys directly as he played. In fact, it made you all the more curious just how Ignis managed to stay so practiced all of these years, given his tasks and duties at hand. But not wanting to interrupt the mood of the moment with such questions, you kept your queries to yourself as Ignis removed his hands from the keys and opened his mouth to speak. “Why, dearest, THAT is something I wanted to leave up to you. Give me a suggestion and I shall see if I have it within my repertoire.”

“Oh! Ok…Ummm…” The cogs in your mind began to turn as Ignis waited for a response, and all of a sudden a particular melody that you were exceptionally fond of came to mind. “I got it! I remember when I was little and heard this song for the first time and I thought how pretty it was. I always used to hum in when I played in the streets with my friends, but it wasn’t until I got older that I started to really understand the lyrics more. And when the darkness hit?” You said with a pause, taking a hold of Ignis’s hand for a moment and running your fingers over his knuckles. “I would sing this song all the time to myself when I was alone or felt lost. It gave me a lot of hope and made me feel less lonely. I’m sure you probably have heard of it but I want to see if you can guess it…”

And so, letting go of his hand, you placed your own upon the keys and tried to locate the opening notes to the song, wincing slightly at yourself when you hit the wrong chord. Ignis smiled however as he patiently waited at your side, and after a minute or so, you were able to find the succession of the first six notes.

“Ahhhh, yes…” Ignis said slowly, smiling even more widely now as he looked to you with keenness. “How could I ever forget that song….”

And so, his hands replacing yours, he began to play an extended in-depth introduction to the tune, your heart swelling with bliss as you listened to him play the beginnings of one of your favorite songs. After a few measures as the chords began to soften, he looked to you with a glint in his eyes, and sitting up straight, you smiled to him and nodded. And so, opening your mouth, you sang the first verse:

_“Make my wish come true, let darkness slip aside,_

_Hiding all our hope, mocking what we treasure._

_Battles we can win, if we believe our souls,_

_Hang in for the light, till dawn._

_Fate will not leave you, hate will not heal you._

_Pray and one day, peace shall flow everywhere.”_

 Ignis smiled and closed his eyes as he lost himself to the sound of your voice, your heart now racing at the beautiful harmonies you were fashioning together. You felt yourself trembling as you watched pure and raw emotion plaster itself upon his handsome features, and at this given moment in time you would have sworn that you had entered the realm of the heavens and were blessed by the beautiful jubilations of song by the gods themselves. And so thus, after the interlude passed, it was your turn once more to carry the melody, and you now sang the second half of the song, you losing yourself to the passion of the resonances of the piano keys and the emotion in your heart:

_“Make my wish come true, let darkness fade to light,_

_Show me there's still hope, show me it's not over._

_Battles we can win, our struggle lies within,_

_Will we live to greet the dawn?_

_Love will not leave you, hate will not heal you._

_Promise me one day that peace shall reign.”_

You felt yourself losing your breath at just how such beautiful music could be created between you and Ignis, and it was in this moment of serenity and solitude with the love of your life that the true weight of the lyrics to this song from your childhood came to full fruition. Quivering now, you watched Ignis intently as he finished the remaining measures of the song, and he too seemed to be trembling as the sentiment of the song seemed to get the best of him. And so, hitting the last few keys of the arrangement, Ignis slowly opened his eyes and looked at you deeply, his countenance wrought with feeling. But removing his hands from the keys now, Ignis turned to you and brought his hands up to cup your face, and in a soft and swift motion his lips descended upon yours with a passionate kiss. Your eyes snapped open as you instantly melted to his touch, your body trembling feverishly as you braced yourself by placing your hands upon his broad chest. Ignis nipping lightly at your lower lip, causing a jolt of tingliness to shoot down your spine, he pulled back from your face to run his thumb over your lower lip, his eyes hazy but laden with adoration.

“Y/N….” he said sweetly, his words almost completely inaudible, even with the quiet of the music room. Once more something within his expression became pained, but nevertheless, a gentle smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he brought his mouth to kiss the tip of your nose.

You shuddered with delight at his affectionate touch, fluttering your eyelashes at him, and your stomach turned and flipped in knots at the way he looked at you. “Y-Yes, Ignis?” You said in a whisper, your hands skimming over the soft fabric of his shirt.

“Astrals, how I love you, Y/N,” he said softly, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “How I had always prayed for peace. How I had always prayed that our battles would be won and that we would all greet the dawn once more together in light. And gods, how I waited and prayed ever so patiently that I would perhaps be graced with hope and love. Little would I have believed that my own personal prayers would have been answered when you walked into my life.”

 _“But Astrals bless whoever he ends up with him in life,”_ the young receptionist had said to you, catching you off guard but nevertheless making you smile in her ignorance. “ _She’d be the luckiest woman in the world.”_

And so it was indeed that after all of those years of you equally praying for peace, hope, and light that you too would also be given the love that you truly did deserve that you promised you would never take for granted.

**************************************

An hour had passed, you and Ignis having played around more on the piano when you both realized that your restlessness and fatigue from a rather busy week of duties and obligations started to get the best of you. Making your way back to his apartment, hand in hand and avoiding any eyes of those who would intrude upon your peace, you would catch him smiling lovingly at you as your feet pattered down the hallways and to the upper levels of his apartment’s location. Yet all the while, as you walked, you could not help but discern a sense of grief behind his eyes, or perhaps this observation was partially due to your weary imagination. But nevertheless, by the time you found the words to gather your thoughts and the courage to ask him exactly what was on his mind, his behavior would resume to normal and he’d begin to discuss with you ideas that he had for new recipes or random conversations that he and the boys would shared between meetings.

But now having arrived back at his residence, you sighed heavily with a sense of relief that you could now enjoy some full amity and privacy with the advisor. Removing your shoes at the door and making your way into Ignis’s kitchen to start grabbing some dishes and bowls to prepare dinner, your encounter with the young receptionist from earlier popped into mind, making you smile.

Ignis took note of your expression and raised his eyebrow as he now followed suit and made his way into the kitchen to assist you. “Why, whatever is it that is making you smile like that?” He asked you inquiringly, his eyebrow raising as he reached for a bowl in a cupboard that you couldn’t get to.

“Ohhhhhh nothing,” you replied cheekily as you watched the way his body and limbs stretched, finding your loins tightening faintly as he brushed slightly against you. You swallowed hard before you spoke, holding back a whine as he turned around for just a moment to adjust something on the stove, the plains of his back muscles quite obvious and pronounced from underneath his shirt. But trying to remain focused with your thoughts, you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear as you came over to watch what he was doing. “I had quite an interesting little chat with that receptionist today and it had me feeling more appreciative of you than ever.”

Ignis turned to look at you, his eyebrow raising again with perplexity as a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Is that so?” He asked as he placed a skillet on the stove top. “And what words were exchanged within this conversation?”

You grinned now, you biting your lip slightly and finding your heart swelling. “It was very brief,” you began as you shifted next to him and rested your head upon his arm for just a moment, “but basically she gave me all the more reason to just make me love you even more. She said she was one of the newer employees and that she was extremely grateful for how helpful and patient you were with her when it came to filing away information for your meetings you have. She was rather flustered when she mentioned it. But then again, I don’t think I could blame her if I was in her shoes, because I know exactly how I feel when you do things for me.”

Ignis inhaled sharply as his lips parted, seeming more than taken aback at your words. Placing your hands upon his arm you felt him trembling, and looking up into his face you could see that his cheeks were deeply flushed, him seeming quite surprised at the mention that someone expressed such kind words about him. Reaching up to touch his face, your hand skimmed down his cheek, your fingertips dancing over his scarred lip. “Ignis…you…you really are wonderful, you know that? I know I say it a billion times over, but I mean it each time when I do. And other people feel the same way. I sure as hell know that Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio do. I know that Cor appreciates how much you dedicate your time to helping fix all that had fallen at the hands of the Nifs. I know I haven’t spoken much to Ravus much as of late (you didn’t want to divulge in your plan to surprise him with a present, and so you fibbed slightly), but he too has done nothing but speak so highly of you for what you’ve done for him. And all those people who have helped over all these years, whether through your hunts or running errands…You...you’re incredible. And so I guess what I am trying to say right now is…well…thank you. Thank you for making such a difference not to just me but to everyone who has been lucky enough to meet you. I don’t know what I or anyone else would have done without you in our lives…”

Silence pervaded the kitchen now, Ignis completely hushed and his flesh flushed and prickled with goosebumps. His chest was standing still as he held in his breath, and his mouth was parted as if his words were strangled in the back of his throat. His eyes glossy with tears now, his hand slowly reached up to touch the side of your face, the large planes of his hand softly cupping your skin, and it seemed that at the way he touched you at this moment that he was going to break at any second.

“Y/N….I….I don’t know what to say…I….thank you…” he murmured, seeming overwrought with sentiment, and just by the humble countenance upon his face it appeared to you that perhaps it was rarely he ever heard these words uttered to him, and that alone made your heart want shatter into little pieces.

But as you examined him and looked him deeply in his eyes, you felt your heart’s palpitations stop as you took note of that same pained expression that seemed to cross his face several times during the course of the afternoon now be present once more. Feeling his hand shudder upon your face, you brought your hand up to covers his, hoping that this would steady him. But him biting his lower lip now as he looked down at you, your eyebrows knit together as you felt yourself at a sudden loss for this alteration in behavior.

“Ignis…are you ok? What’s the matter?”

Ignis was silent as he now slowly took off his glasses and sat them on the counter, and he brought the other hand up to your other cheek again, his eyes locked to yours as if he was trying to unify his thoughts. “Y/N…I….I…”

You grabbed more firmly at his hand now, trying to ground him, but it was you who suddenly felt your own disquiet rising. “Ignis, please say it. What’s wrong? You can trust me.”

Ignis stared at you for just a moment, and sighing deeply now, he pressed his forehead to yours before letting go of the grasp upon your face. “I…Earlier today during our afternoon meetings, Noctis had received a call from Madame Camelia Claustra to follow through with our conversation and itinerary from our previous gathering. She has of recent been receiving grievances from the surrounding nations in wanting to know why the ports of Altissia are not up and running for service yet, and this has caused her and her delegates much stress. She is more than anxious over the ramifications and prospect that these fellow nations will naught want to engage in further business transactions and commerce with Accordo in the future, and so, she has now in dire wish asked for our aid to help her finish the restoration efforts before this potential complication befalls her and her people. Upon us being informed of this, Noctis once more became distraught over knowing that the nation would never have fallen to such a state hadn’t it had been for him in the first place those many years ago, and his sense of guilt is driving him with the purpose to finally set things right after all this time. And so…” And Ignis swallowed hard, the man before you seeming to shatter slightly like a glass wall, “it is that upon tomorrow afternoon, I must make my leave to Accordo to finish the business that we had officially started upon our first visit to Altissia all those months ago…”

The room was hushed for a moment as you stared at one another, and it was all that you could do to steady yourself at the sudden news. While you were by no means thrilled with this abrupt reveal of information, it had been something that you were expecting for quite a while now and you were to prepared to handle at any moment. But what you were not expecting was seeing the tactician standing before you and uncharacteristically crumbling like an old stone wall that could no longer stand the test of time. A tear streamed down his scarred cheek and he shut his eyes now, his lips slightly pursed as if trying to fight back at the floodgate of his emotions that was begging to surge forth all that he was holding within.

“Iggy…Iggy, it’s ok…it’s ok…look at me,” you said, grabbing gently on the sides of his face, and his eyes snapped open as his distraught eyes bore into yours. “Ignis, it’s ok. We knew you’d have to go away. It’s ok. Please, don’t be upset.”

“But darling,” he pleaded, his hands covering yours now, “I cannot help but feel guilt over laying this upon you so suddenly. That is not right of me. If only I had been able to be informed of this sooner I would-“

“Iggy, it’s ok!” You said softly but more firmly now, trying to soothe him as best as you could, and you felt your heart twist in knots at the sight of watching this always composed and put together man falling apart in such an aberrant manner. “Ignis, this isn’t something new to us. Just think of all the times you had go away, even when we first met. It’s ok. This is important work that you have to do, and just think that when it’s all said and done and Accordo is officially back on its feet and running independently once more you’ll be free of that worry. Please, don’t be so upset…” You reached up now and kissed him softly upon the lips, his body freezing and his grip upon your hands tightening now. “You know I don’t want you to go, but this is something that has to be done,” you said reassuringly, trying to help ground him like the professional he was while attempting to remain calm yourself. “I’ll be ok. Please, don’t be upset.”

Ignis’s gaze bore into you still, but finally allowing himself to breathe, he sighed deeply, his clasp upon your hands slackening as they fell back to his sides. “My…my apologies dearest. You are absolutely correct, and I know that I must in fact remain diligent with my focus on this upcoming task at hand. It’s just that…” And he swallowed again, his lips parting slightly and his chest rising as he continued to speak, “perhaps I have become rather spoiled.”

You raised your eyebrow, tilting your head up at him. “What do you mean?” You asked him, not understanding the meaning of his words.

Finally after these several tense minutes, Ignis allowed himself to smile, but even still, the irritation and grief upon his face were quite apparent. “It is just that...a rather sufficient amount of time has transpired since we have been parted for such an extended amount of time. While both of our professions keep us both adequately engaged, even yet, there is hardly ever a day that passes where we are not graced with one other’s attendance. And so, knowing for a while that I will not wake each morning to see your peaceful face rested upon a pillow as you lay beside me as we greet the dawn together just has me feeling… rather rattled.”

Your throat constrained and your eyes widened as you looked up at him, and it was true: for the earlier part of the development of your relationship with one another, at some times weeks might pass between your meetings with one another, and so now, having an established and normalized routine that was all too comfortably domestic (and even marriage-like, now that you thought about it) made you more appreciative of the fact that you did not have to suffer through bouts of separation. But even more so, as you stood there looking up into his stunning emerald eyes and scanning over the silken scarring on the face of the man you would give your life for without a moment’s thought, you felt yourself suddenly being overwhelmed at the notion of just _how much_ this man loved spending time with you and being near you, seeming to hate more than anything that his professional duties would pull him away from you for longer than he liked.

_Iggy…oh Iggy…_

As if you needed any more proof to believe just how much he loved you.

Feeling yourself blush deeply, you tucked your hair behind your ear as you bit you lip, and suddenly the kitchen started to feel exceptionally hot around you.

“Just…just how long will you be gone?” You asked now, realizing that perhaps there was a true reason for Ignis to feel such distress.

Ignis frowned as he reached up to run a strand of your hair through his fingers, tugging gently at your waves. He sighed deeply, seeming to hate more than anything in uttering the words. “Two weeks. Give or take a few days,” he murmured, and his annoyance was more ostensible than ever in his voice.

“Two weeks,” you repeated, trying to remain calm now. _Ok...that’s not fun, but what choice does he have?_

“Yes,” Ignis affirmed reluctantly. “And this time all of our retinue shall be going…”

_Ok. No Ignis. No Noct. And no Gladio and Prompto. Ok. Things will be a little less exciting and humorous for a while. Ok…_

You breathed in deeply, feeling slightly distressed at having the majority of your friends being absent, and so thank the gods Iris and Libertus would remain behind with you. However, knowing that you were more than capable of handling yourself (since you somehow managed to do it ten years on your own), there was something slightly unnerving at the thought of the absence of these men who supported you and had protected you like family. And with the thought of the Glaive Ferox suddenly popping into your mind out of nowhere, you felt yourself tremor at the notion that your safety net wasn’t going to be anywhere near you if you needed help.

_I….I can do this. I’ll be just fine without him…I…_

It was you now who seemed to be overcome with a surge of apprehension as you fought back a sob by biting your lip, and Ignis, finally having grounded himself at the way you handled his news to you was now _your_ support as he bought his lips down to the top of your head and kissed you deeply, inhaling the scent of your hair and skin. “Darling…my darling…” he said with heavy breath, pulling your face up towards him. “Are…are you ok? Are you sure you are going to be ok?”

Your hands had inadvertently found their way to his chest, and without even realizing it you had instinctually undid the top button of his shirt, your fingers now touching the exposed scars across his breastbone. With your lips parting and your breathing suddenly labored and ragged, you did your best to plant yourself upon two feet as you gaped up at him, his eyes laden with concern but darkened with a sudden need to take care of you, and you now yanked on the fabric of his shirt to steady yourself upon wobbly feet.

“I’m…I’m going to be just fine….” You croaked, your words catching in your throat as you quivered over the feel of his body heat radiating off his skin and now soaking into your numb and tingling flesh. “Just...just….”

“Yes?” He said huskily, his lips now mere inches from yours as his breath fluttered to your face.

You swallowed hard again, trying to hold back tears at the thought of how much you would miss him but trembling with desire in knowing how much you needed him at this very moment to reaffirm that you were loved and you’d be missed. “Just…” you said with barely a whisper, “make me forget right now that at this time tomorrow, you won’t be here by my side….”

Not even needing to say another word, Ignis reached down and scooped you up into his arms, holding you gently against his chest as he carried you down the hallway towards his bedroom. Shutting your eyes tightly as you combated the wave of tears that attempted to assault your eyes, your body began to shiver as you felt yourself being placed softly upon the mattress, Ignis’s form blanketing yours as if shielding you from the evils of the world.

“Dearest…open your eyes…look at me….” He murmured softly as he pressed his forehead to yours, and upon opening your eyes you saw his cast with distress upon seeing your face.

“Iggy…Iggy…” you mumbled, and you no longer could you refrain from the raw emotion that spilled forth from your heart. Biting your lip, tears began to stream down your cheeks as you reached up to cover your face in attempt to hide yourself from your sudden embarrassment, but Ignis now straddling you gently took a hold of your wrists and brought them up to his lips, his mouth moving gently over the bumps of your knuckles and the planes of your palms.

“Darling, please don’t cry. Please don’t shed tears on my expense…” And upon looking into his eyes once again your heart clenched in your chest at the sight of a single tear trickling down the side of his face and to his jawline, the notion of realizing how equally hard this was for him too making feel like you would shatter into fragments.

“B-But Ignis…I…I….” You attempted to say, but promptly you were silenced but the softness of his lips upon yours, and with your hands free once again you grasped upon the sides of his face to help steady yourself as you battled your tears.

Ignis pulled back once again and pressed his forehead to yours, the feel of his own tear tickling your cheek as he pushed away the tears from your face and kissed your head. “Not ‘buts’, my dearest. This will all pass soon. I promise you. Have faith in me. But for now,” and suddenly his voice lowered what seemed like several octaves as he shifted over you, “…I’m…I’m here to make you forget about all that plagues your heart at this moment…”

And so kissing away the absolute final solitary tear that blemished your face, Ignis’s lips descended upon yours but with a gentle fervor this time, and gasping through interlocked lips you felt a sudden fire surge through you as if instantaneously all of your qualms thawed from the cold and terrified grip that was upon your heart. Reaching up to hold his face to brace yourself, you kissed him back with equal métier, you savoring every bit of flavor of his lips as you tried to control your breathing, your body slowly giving way to comfort and longing.

Ignis taking note in your change of mood removed his lips from yours and gave you a quick nip before he began to kiss your chin and jawline. The sensation shooting heat down to your loins, you grasped upon the back of his head and ran your hands through his soft tresses of hair, your eyelids fluttering shut at the tenderness of his motions and each deliberate kiss that he soon began to place on various parts of your face, ears, and neck. A soft sigh escaped your lips as you arched your back to his touches, and even though he groaned softly with excitement at your neediness, you could tell that this time he was battling his desirous urges to take his time with you, wanting to savor each passing second he had with you. But pushing you down firmly with his body weight, Ignis moved his mouth to the sensitive flesh of your earlobe, and breathing out hot breath, Ignis’s tongue snaked out of his mouth to flick at the lobe, followed by his teeth gently nibbling along its edge.

A sharp breath escaped your mouth as you arched your back even more, the sensation of his touch sending a jolt of pleasure down your spine, and inadvertently without even realizing it you tugged at the hair at the back of his head, almost as if you didn’t know what to do with your hands.

“I-Ignis,” you stammered, feeling intense heat and moisture pool between your legs as his thigh pressed against your groin.

“Y/N…” Was all he could manage to say in response, his voice hoarse with excitement in hearing that by your reaction you liked what he just did to you. His mouth shifted down to the portion of your neck right below your ear, and repeating his motion, once more his tongue slid along the skin, followed by a gentle nibble of your sensitive skin.

Another sharp cry left your mouth as you began to squirm beneath him, and gods you couldn’t believe how such a simple touch could make you ache with intense need. Yet, no matter how much you tried to move beneath him, wanting to be rid of the garments that separated you from making contact with his bare flesh, Ignis held you firmly in place, one elbow resting by your head while the other snaked itself down the side of your hips and tightly held at your waist through the fabric of your shirt. All the while Ignis repeated his motions to different spots upon your throat and it was all you could do to not rip at the hair on his head, your fingers flexing and trembling as the strands of his tresses slid through your fingertips.

“Iggy…Iggy…” You pleaded with him, knowing at this moment just how utterly your face was flushed as he nipped at the juncture between your collar bones. “I-I want to feel you against me. I want to feel your warmth…please…I want to be close to you….”

A soft moan escaped his lips as he brought his face up to press his forehead against yours, and now you noticed that despite him trying to be patient with himself in wanting to soothe you of your worries, the sound of your pleas was enough to further his actions as he now shifted his weight and crawled down towards your legs, his hands skimming over the top of your thighs and placing them upon the edge of your waist band.

“My pleasure, my darling,” he hummed, wasting no time in unbuttoning and unzipping your pants with deft precision. Lifting your behind to make his task easier, Ignis removed your pants in a peremptory motion, your legs now fully exposed and covered in goosebumps over the prospect of what was to come. Ignis straddled your legs once more as he sat you up and helped lift your arms above your head as he peeled your shirt up and over your arms, the majority of your frame now exposed and ready for him to touch as he pleased. But not wanting to revel in the delight of your almost-nudity all alone, with trembling and fumbling fingertips you began to pluck away at the remaining buttons of his dress shirt, your breathing becoming more and more ragged as each silken scar of the planes of his pectorals became exposed, and as the last button was undone, Ignis helped you by maneuvering himself out of the garment, fully revealing his muscular torso and lithe and toned arms.

“Oh Ignis…” you breathed, biting your lip like you always did at the sight of his bared body. “You’re so beautiful…”

“As you are, my love….”

Ignis reached up to grip the back of your head, pulling your face to his as he kissed you strongly, and placing your hand upon his thigh to brace yourself, your eyes widened at the feel of his rather protuberant bulge that had snaked its way down his pant leg, and a jolt of excitement coursed its way down to your loins, making your shiver with delight at the feel of it in your hand through fabric. Ignis gasped at your touch as you squeezed at his length through his pant leg, and him nipping at your lip once again, he grasped upon your shoulders so that you were on your back once more, and with some nimble movements of rotation, it was he who was now upon his back and you straddling his thighs.

_Oh Astrals…_

Ignis gazed up at you with all the hunger and love in the world emanating in his eyes, but him smirking slightly now, he grabbed ahold of your hips and grinded upwards into your panty-covered loins, and the sudden added friction of his shaft begging for release against the soaked fabric of your underwear was enough to send you over the edge as you gasped sharply and braced your hands upon his sculpted chest. Unable to bare withstanding not seeing him in all his natural glory, you shifted yourself lower upon his shins where you started to yank at his belt and his buttons and zipper, and managing to find the dexterity within your trembling hands to aid him in undressing, you pulled off his pants and now sat upon his legs, staring hungrily at the larger than usual bulge that was restricted in the boundaries of his briefs.

“Y/N…” Ignis murmured, him seeming to be the one pleading with you now as he reached up to touch the flesh between your covered breasts, and without a word you reached around your back and unclasped your bra, removing it perhaps at bit too hastily and shivering with excitement as the air touched your breasts and caused your nipples to harden further. Ignis sighed loudly as his hands cupped your breasts, his massive hands moving over the mounds and his thumbs skimming over the sides and undersides of the sensitive flesh. A moan escaped your lips at his touch, every deliberate motion of his fingertips grazing over your goosebumped skin sending you closer to wanting to plunge off the edge of ecstasy.

“Ignis…”

“Y/N…let me see you.”

Finding the balance as you hovered over him, you removed your panties and discarded them to the floor, and instantly the aroma of your arousal infused the air, your folds already slickened and almost dripping with need to be one with your love. Ignis inhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring and his green eyes darkening, and you had to fight back a moan as you watched his shaft twitch with need through the fabric of his briefs. Thrusting his hips up towards you to signify what he wanted, you took your hands and pulled at the waist band of his underwear, and in one swift motion his beautiful glory was exposed to you in full.

 _Oh my gods…_ you thought as you began to tremble, his manhood throbbing with need, the tip glistening and his length swollen to a capacity that you had never seen before. Feeling your skin burn ablaze with need you reached out to grasp upon the velvety flesh, the feel of the heated and hardened skin in your hands sending another jolt down to your coiling and tightening loins. Ignis moaned loudly as you softly and slowly began to pump your hand up and down the length, the feel of his massive girth causing your throat to tighten and your eyelids to flutter shut, and feeling all too overwhelmed at the moment it was all you could do to avoid Ignis’s eyes and focus on making him feel good. With his abdominal muscles and thighs flexing and his hands grasping onto the bed sheets, Ignis parted his lips and allowed his pleasure to be heard.

“Come here, Y/N,” Ignis said hoarsely out of nowhere as you stopped your ministrations, and looking up at him now you could see his gaze darkening as he motioned to you with his hand to move closer to him. Blushing now you shifted yourself off his shins and hovered over his shaft, lowering yourself slightly and jumping at the contact of his length brushing against your folds, but Ignis shook his head at you, seeing that you misunderstood him. “Come here,” he repeated once more, this time with a slight smirk on his lips, and swallowing hard you crawled your way up to him so that now your heat was drifted right over his chest. But Ignis taking note that you still did not understand his intentions, grabbed a hold of you hips and dragged your body up over his face to where you now found your thighs straddling the sides of his head and his hands holding you firmly in place. Your eyes widening, you finally came to your senses as you felt the feel of his hot breath coasting over your wet folds, his mouth just a mere inch or so from your entrance.

_Oh heavenly Astrals…_

Without warning, you panted loudly as his hands took tighter hold of your hips and pushed your body down onto his face where his expert tongue began to suck and lick and nibble at the flaps of your heat and the mound of your bud, and bracing yourself as best as you could, you inadvertently leaned back so that one hand was now resting upon his chest, the other naturally making its way to his head where you grabbed at his hair. Whimpering madly, you felt your legs trembling uncontrollably as the blissful sensations of his expert tongued pleasuring you like no other could. With your head thrown back as you lost yourself in such heavenly feelings, all the while Ignis moaned, relishing in the taste of your essence upon his lips and tongue as if eating the most delectable dessert conceivable. With his hands digging into your hips, you opened your eyes to look down to see that he was looking up at you ravenously, and suddenly your stomach flipped with the nervous realization that all this time he was watching your reactions. But it was now as he dipped his tongue as far as he could into your walls and sucked on whatever his mouth could make contact with did your hand grabbed more at his hair, you almost pushing his face closer to your entrance, and leaning you body back more, your hand on his chest somehow shifted downwards to find its way around his length.

But realizing that you were already nearing your peak, there was something that you wanted more at this moment than just selfishly reaching your own climax.

“I-Ignis,” you whimpered, grabbing a hold of his head and attempting to stop his treatment of you. “P-Please. I want to make you feel good too…”

Surprised that he was abiding to your request, Ignis’s lips left your entrance and he smiled up at you, letting go of the grip that was on your hips that had already left fingernail marks embedded in your flesh. Maneuvering yourself, careful as to not hit his head, you rotated your body a complete one hundred eighty degrees so that you were still straddling his head but were now facing his shaft that was completely upright and twitching with need to be touched. You swallowing hard as you reached and placed his girth within your hand, you now laying down upon his chest to steady yourself, and breathing in deeply, you opened your mouth as wide as you could and sheathed his shaft deep within your mouth.

Ignis gasped harshly as he grabbed upon your buttocks, and once more resuming the sweet assault upon your entrance, your cries of pleasure were muffled as his tongue dipped in and out of your folds, and you tried your best to maintain your breathing as you gagged slightly upon his shaft in your mouth, this new position for the both of you making you feel all the more excited. Inhaling deeply through your nose, you reveled in the salty taste of his manhood, slight droplets of his pre-seed making their way onto your tongue and down your throat, and you felt tears start to stream down your cheeks as Ignis thrust upwards slightly, seeming to get lost in your ministrations of his manhood.

“Oh Astrals, Y/N,” he murmured huskily as he removed his mouth from your entrance for but a moment to dip a finger into your heat, and with your walls tightening like a vice grip around his index finger you cried out loudly in response, only to have the noise muffled by the length that was pressed to the back of your throat. The sound of the sloshing of his finger told you just how incredibly wet you were from your arousal, only exciting you more, and once again without giving you a chance to react, his mouth descended upon your heat again and began to feed and suck hungrily at your bud.

 _Oh gods…oh Astrals yes_ … you begged in your mind as you felt your one hand gripping tightly at the base of his shaft while you moved your mouth up and down his length, and feeling the tightening of your core as Ignis’s tongue and teeth savagely grazed over your bud, your toes curled and you grabbed around his member more tightly as you began to whimper at the thought of your oncoming climax.

Ignis could only groan in response to your noises, and with one last swirl and nip of his tongue and teeth, a surge of white hot pleasure coursed down your spine and to each of your appendages, your whole body quaking and shivering like a contorted mess as Ignis held onto your behind firmly, his own moaning piercing the air as he relished in the up-close and first-hand view of watching your parts twitch at the result of his ministrations. Ignis gently blew his breath upon your heat, only causing your body to spasm even more. As you now removed his shaft from your mouth and gripped onto it tightly, your forehead fell to his stomach as you tried to prevent yourself from passing out as the last pulse of your loins quelled itself, and your body slackening you fell flat and weak upon his body, your breathing uneven and your hair already sweaty and matted from your efforts.

A few moments passed, the feel of Ignis’s chest rising and falling under your body, and you slowly lifted your head to resume the task that was literally in your hand. But just as you were about to bring his shaft to your lips, Ignis slowly began to sit upright behind you, causing you to lose your grip upon his member and your body to slide down so that your entrance was now pressed against his girth.

“B-But Iggy…” you murmured, your face flushing deeply and now feeling rather selfish that you finished without him, but Ignis merely wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you up against him, causing your entrance to grind along his member. He began to place delicate kisses along your back, shoulder, and neck, the feel of his wet lips covered in your essence tickling your skin. And yet despite your sudden guilt, the tenderness of his sweet touches in the heat of the moment helped placate your concerns.

“None of that now, darling,” Ignis cooed as he nipped at your shoulder, and you titled your head back as you braced your hands upon his shins. “I’m here to make you forget your worries, remember? Besides…” And now he nibbled a little bit more firmly at your shoulder as his hands reached up to cup and massage your breasts, “I am feeling rather…insatiable now, and so I think you should have no worries in… _pleasing_ me…”

The sound of his articulated syllables rolling off his tongue made your loins coil further as he grinded upwards against your entrance, the feel of his rock-hard shaft pressing against your soaked folds making you whimper loudly with need.

“Oh Iggy, Iggy…please…then please….”

“My pleasure, my dearest….”

And so letting go of one of your breasts for just a moment, Ignis grasped around the base of his shaft, pressed its head to your entrance, and then lowered you down onto his length. Instantly a desperate and mangled cry escaped your lips, the overwhelming size of his girth feeling like it was splitting you in half. Gritting your teeth as you adjusted to its feel, despite how utterly prepared you were for him at this point, still, nothing could have readied you for the feel of his throbbing manhood filling you more completely than ever, and Ignis too seemed to be overwhelmed by the sensation as he pressed his mouth to the back of your neck, inhaling deeply as he attempted to brace himself.

“Oh _gods_ , my love….” He croaked as he pushed you down on his length as deeply as possibly, and the sound of his need for you in his voice helped ease the nervous tension in your loins. But finally feeling that you yourself were ready for him, you slowly began to shift forward and back, sensually moving your body on his as you held firmly onto his shins, and Ignis groaned loudly as his hands once more resumed their position upon your breasts. Squeezing with just the right amount of pressure to not hurt you but enough to help guide you on his shaft, Ignis tilted his head back and breathed out unevenly as he started to get lost in the sensuality of your movements. Turning your head back to look at his expression only seemed to further spur you on even more, you relishing in the thought of controlling the pace and helping unravel this man now seeming to be the most arousing experience you’ve ever felt in your life.

Gritting your teeth again as you felt him twitch inside you, you began to pick up your pace, leaning a little bit more forward now as you moved your hips faster, his length gliding in and out of you with ease and the friction of your bud against the base of his shaft shooting intense sensations all over your body. You panting heavily as you worked your hips at a more frenetic and faster pace, Ignis’s hand shifted down from your breasts and over your back to your waist where he gripped at you tightly, his nails digging into his skin as you rode him with passion and fervor.

“Oh Y/N…Y/N…” he panted, leaning forward now as he pressed his face to the center of your back.

“Ignis…” you response, your voice hoarse and your words heavy and heated as you grinded down upon his girth.

As you continued to move more quickly, Ignis’s groans getting more boisterous and piercing as you pleasured him, all of a sudden you felt him take a hold of your hips and lift your backside in the air, never pulling out of you in the process, and how the man was able to maneuver his legs with such grace and precision so that it he was now on his knees was beyond you. But blushing deeply now, realizing that the man could only take so much of not getting to be in control, you found yourself resituated so that your buttocks were pressed right up against his thighs. Ignis seated himself upon his knees and shins and placed his hands upon your ribcage as he began to pull you back and forth against him, the closeness of this submissive position making your loins tighten and tug around his shaft. Crying out loudly at how deeply he was hitting inside of you, your breasts bounced and swayed and you planted your palms firmly onto the bedsheets as he thrust into you from behind with passion and ardor, your unified grunts and groans chorusing around the room like symphony.

These ministrations continued for many more moments longer when Ignis leaned forehead and reached around to cup your chin, his breath hot and heavy upon your ear. “Lay down,” he commanded softly, and your eyes widening at his request, you transplanted yourself so that you were now flat upon your stomach and you were resting upon your forearms, your back arched slightly so that your torso was angled upright. Ignis’s body adjusting itself so that he was situated right in between your legs, he once more began to thrust deep inside of you as he braced himself upon his arms that were aligned with yours. Immediately you began to whimper out loud as his shaft hit unbelievably incredible depths inside of you, your cries only seeming to spur him on even more as began to pound into you at a more voracious pace.

By now your body was completely numb to the sinfully delectable sensations of Ignis making love to you passionately like two soul-bound beasts, and with your hands tearing at the sheets below you, you angled your head upwards to try to look at him. Instantly you felt your heart clench and your loins tighten at the way he gazed upon you, his stare a combination of lust, hunger, love, adoration, and protection as his musculature glided over your back. You bit your lip and a relieved sigh escaped your mouth as Ignis brought his lips down to kiss your forehead tenderly, all the while his desperate animalistic urges taking him over and pounding you deeply into the mattress. The sudden smell of your essence on his lips only made you whimper more loudly as he continued to kiss your head, and he shut his eyes as he relished in the sounds of your body giving way to your needs.

But it was after several more moments of your feverish lovemaking when something darkened within Ignis’s gaze. Ever so slowly, he reached up to place his hand under your chin and around your throat with just the right amount of pressure to not cut off your airways. He inhaled deeply the scent of your hair and skin as he nipped at your forehead, and with another solitary thrust you found your eyes widening and you gasping for air as all of a sudden you felt the sensation of his girth within you throbbing and becoming stiffer and thicker than before. Yelping at the sudden tightening sensation, you tried to burry your face within the bedsheets to muffle your exhausted and overwhelmed cries, but Ignis’s hand held you in place so that there was no escape. But it was as Ignis plunged into you more deeply and more feverishly at a frantic pace that your brain slowly started to comprehend what was happening with his body.

And all the more so, his intent on what he wanted more than anything right now.

“I-Ignis! Ignis!” You whimpered and screamed, the feel of his colossal girth stretching you to beyond compare in the most divine of ways, and it was the very thought that his basic animal instincts in wanting to be bonded with you as long as physically possible taking over him and his desire to be one with his mate made you begin to lose control once more as you felt your walls begin to tug and grip at his length.

Yet it was what Ignis would do next that would send you both skyrocketing to the plains of the Astral realm itself.

Gripping upon your throat and pushing your hair aside, Ignis placed one more kiss upon your forehead, moved his mouth down to the back of your neck, and inhaling sharply and growling like a Behemoth sunk his teeth into the flesh so harshly that you screamed with agonized delectation.

By gods, was that bound to leave a mark.

And by gods was that all you needed to send you crumbling like the ruins of old as you peaked to another orgasm. Your walls convulsing and pulsing and tugging at Ignis’s shaft that refused to leave your passage, you attempted to burry your face into the mattress again to muffle your cries, but Ignis continued to hold your face upright with a gentle grip around your throat as he snarled against your neck, his teeth latching on possessively to the back of your neck. His breathing ragged and uneven now, you felt your eyes go wide as hot seed began to pump and ribbon deep into your depths, the sensation of his own essence filling you completely as his thrusts began to sputter and the rhythm of his movements became uneven. He moaned deeply as he pressed his body against you as wave after wave of his seed released deep into you depths and it was all your body could do not pass out over how utterly ecstatic and aroused you were feeling.

But after several moments as the pulsations for your walls began to ease and Ignis was drained of all his life source, his grip of his teeth finally loosened upon your neck. Your body no longer able to keep itself angled upright in this position, you collapsed to the mattress, Ignis following suite as his body now fell softly on top of yours, and for a moment all was silent as you both focused on the slowly leveling out of each other’s breathing.

“Y/N...darling…” he murmured quietly, his hand skimming down your hips as he lay over you. “Are…are you alright?”

Breathing in deeply, an exhausted smile placed itself upon your lips as you angled your face slightly to see his green eyes looking at you with concern and love, and you could tell just by the look in his eyes that he was afraid that he took his attentions a bit too far.

But with your stomach tingling as he kissed your shoulder, you smiled at him, fluttering your lashes at him as you tried to formulate words.

“Oh Iggy…yes…I’m fine…Perfectly fine…and…and you?” You purred, feeling yourself blushing as he smiled back.

“Never better, my love. Never better…”

And now, as you felt his arms wrap themselves protectively you body and his face once more buried in the back of your neck to gently lick and kiss the wound he left there, you felt your stomach coil again, his tenderness setting you at ease but equally wishing for more of his touches.

Perhaps it was _you_ now who was the insatiable one.

“Iggy, I…I….”

“Mmmmmm, yes darling….”

And like clock-work, as if sensing your need to love him once again, the after effects of the curse of bearing the ring instantly helped him rise to the occasion to meet both your needs once again. Ignis took a hold of you and gently rotated you so that you were lying upon your back and he was hovering over you, and once more, he slowly and deliberately plunged into your depths. You placed your hands upon his shoulders as you looked up at his striking face, the green light of his eyes shining brightly and his hair at this point a complete and utter disheveled mess all around his forehead. Whimpering and crying out as his length hit you in just all the right places, your face flushed deeply as he propped himself onto his elbows and forearms, his hands grasping gently onto the sides of your face and his fingers skimming over your cheeks as he began to kiss you deeply and softly.

“Y/N…” Ignis groaned as he shut as eyes and relished in the feel of your walls gripping at his shaft once more. “G-Gods…you are so exquisite…I…I…”

“Iggy…Iggy…” you pleaded, nipping at his scarred lip which only seemed to drive him on even more as his thrusts became more forceful, and his hands now snaked their way under your head and tugged at your hair.

“Astrals, how I love you,” he croaked, gritting his teeth as he shifted himself slightly away from you, his eyes locking in at the base of your throat now.

“Oh Ignis, I love you too,” you whispered, and throwing your head back to allow access to your throat, Ignis’s mouth descended to the space between your collar bones, and pushing away your necklace as to not damage it, his teeth sunk down hard, and an agonized and delighted shout strangled itself out of your mouth as you tightly wrapped your legs around his taut and muscular waist, your nails digging into his shoulders as he marked you once more, this time deliberately for others to see. Ignis lifting his face to look at you, his gaze was heated and his lips were parted as he articulated ever so carefully each thrust within your walls.

But ever so slowly once again, you felt your cavern begin to tighten around his length, and your eyes leaving his for but a moment, your gaze shifted down to where his own skull pendant dangled between his sculpted collarbones. But realizing he would be having important business matters to take care of and he most likely did not need to be questioned on such a suspicious sight, your eyes now focused on his sweat-covered right pectoral, and lifting your head upwards towards the muscle you latched on harshly with your teeth.

A sharp gasp escaped Ignis’s lips as the rhythm of his thrusting sputtered for but a moment, the tactician seeming surprised at your choice in choosing to leave your own mark. But nonetheless, an aroused moan fled his lips and his eyes fluttered shut as you bit down just a little bit harder, ensuring to not break the skin but nevertheless wanting to leave a mark on him to remind him of you while he was gone.

But as your mouth let go of his flesh, you feeling more aroused than ever now as you stared at the bitemark upon his chest, it was Ignis who began to once again pump more frantically inside of you, the sinfully delightful pain you inflicted upon him arousing him further. Lowering his face to your shoulder, his breath hot and heavy as he began to kiss your shoulder, neck, and cheek, the movement of his hips began to falter and he clasped upon the side of your head, evidently him about to lose himself in his own peak.

You wrapped your arms around his back as you now placed a kiss on the side of his face, the walls of your groin so tightly twisted now that at any moment you were going to lose yourself. But Ignis turning his face to you and kissing your lips, it was now that neither of you could control yourselves any longer as you both harmoniously hit your climaxes in juncture, Ignis’s thrusts spasming and his seed spilling into you once again in hot ribbons as your walls pulsated and shuddered around his length.

“I love you. I-I love you. Y/N, I love you so much,” Ignis babbled in your ear as he tugged at your hair, his green eyes locked upon yours as his energy sluggishly left him, the mass of his form now weighing heavily down upon your fragile body.

“Iggy, I love you too,” you croaked, a tear of joy and sadness trickling down your cheek as you kissed him deeply.

And so, with the last waves of your climaxes dissipating from the shore, both of you fell from the ethereal heights of the Astral plains as you laid in the silent safety and contentment of each other’s arms. With Ignis laying by your side and pulling you to his chest so that his arms were protectively wrapped around your delicate frame, he placed a soft kiss upon your head, the tenderness of such a touch such a stark contrast to the ferocity of his lovemaking.

By now, the sun had mostly set in the sky, only the faint glimmer of daylight casting one lonely beam of warm light through the window as you lay within the company of his arms. Your breathing finally level now and the temperateness of Ignis’s frame soothing your aching body, it was a relieved yet pained sigh that escaped his mouth as he held you tightly that caused your eyes to open.

“Promise me…just promise me darling that you will be safe while I’m gone,” Ignis murmured, and looking up at his face now you were startled to see that his brows were knit together and wrought with concern. His eyes were slightly glassy with moisture, and biting your lip at the notion of how distressed this man was to be parted from you, you shifted yourself upwards so that you were now slightly hovered over his face, and you lowered your lips to his, kissing him sweetly.

“I promise, Iggy. But only if you do the same,” you said softly, your voice cracking slightly and barely audible, and you brushed away his messy bangs from his forehead, kissing him right between the eyebrows.

He was silent for but a moment but then smiled up at you, reaching up to cup your chin in his hand, studying your face to memorize every single one of your delicate features for safe keeping in his heart and mind while he was away.

“But of course, my love.”

“Iggy?”

“Yes dear?”

And at the moment you wanted more than anything in the world to beg and plead with him to not go, even though it would be only such a short time in which he’d be parted from your side, but you knew it best to not make his duty even more difficult than it had to be. And so, keeping your mouth shut and biting your lip, you placed your hand and head upon his chest and began to listen to the soothing arrangement of his heartbeat like delicate ebonies and ivories of the piano keys.

“Thank you. Thank you for being you. And thank you for loving me always….”

******************************

Grey clouds floated through the afternoon sky and as eerie chill drifted through the atmosphere as you stood upon the foot of steps of the Citadel, your arms wrapped tightly around your frame in attempt to keep yourself poised and warm. Rain threatened to rupture through the nimbuses overhead, the lack of any sun draining all happiness from your heart as you stood gathered among your companions who prepared to depart. But despite the somber and depressing weather that further threatened your sense of stability, you were somewhat grateful at the distraction of the activity that you surrounded you. A troupe of three large aircraft carriers sat waiting in the center of the Citadel’s courtyard, two of them loaded with several LC-X machines, each being inspected by a technician servant before setting off across the ocean waters to Accordo. Feeling your apprehension rise as you watched the hustle and bustle about you, you swallowed hard as the voice of the Marshall pulled you back into reality.

“Let us know continuously of how your affairs are going. We are going to want constant updates,” Cor said to Noctis as he placed a hand upon the King’s shoulders. “Altissia is counting on, as you know.”

“Of course,” Noctis said, extending his hand and shaking the Marshall’s in response. “I’ve got this covered. I’m going to set this right once and for all so we ALL can move forward. And with the guys here with me you know we are going to do just that.”

“You guys take care, ok?” Iris said as she looked to each of the boys and hugged them tightly in her dainty arms. You noticed how her hold on Noctis remained particularly longer who too seemed to grasp her strongly with equal fervor. Letting go of him hesitantly she now wrapped her arms around her brother who squeezed her in his arms. “Let us know if we can do anything back here at home to help, ok?” Iris said to the gang.

“Will do!” Prompto said with a smile as he gave Iris a second hug. “You can count on us as always, but leave everything to us and hopefully you won’t have any major nonsense to deal with here at home.”

It was Gladio’s fiancé who now took a step forward towards her future husband, her eyes strained with sadness but nevertheless her face beaming with love for her towering Shield.

“Call me when you can,” she said sweetly and simply as she titled her head to look up at her lover. “You help Ignis keep an eye on everyone, ok?”

Gladio smiled down upon her as he reached out to engulf the beautiful woman in his broad arms, and you felt yourself blushing at their tenderness, the usually rough and gruff Shield letting his guard down in the presence of the woman he treasured. He pressed her face to his massive chest and put his hand to the back of her head, stroking her hair as he brought his lips down to kiss the top of her head, and you felt your heart turn in knots at the witnessing of this tender moment. But Gladio lifting his head now to see you watching him smiled at you and winked, and pulling back from his fiancé now he cupped her chin to angle it up towards his face. “A.S.A.P, hun,” he murmured as he kissed her with a surprising softness that you did somehow did not expect from him. Gladio peering at you once more and then at Ignis, he now turned to Noctis and Prompto who were in mid conversation with Iris and Cor. “Yo, Noct, Prom. Help me with these bags now, ya here?”

The two friends being exceptionally perceptive to what Gladio hinted at, the duo now nodded to him and began to maneuver the various bags and crates of luggage, and several of the technicians came over to assist them. Cor and Iris looking at one another, the two headed over to one of the ships to talk to one of the technicians whom you assumed was in charge, leaving you and Ignis standing solitary within the company of one another.

A gust of wind blew past the grounds, tousling your wavy hair, and the sight of Ignis’s sandy hair loosing itself slightly from its styled up do made your heart swell with a sudden longing. The two of you remained silent for a moment, but as you opened your mouth to speak, it was Ignis who closed the gap between the two of you first and pulled you tightly into his arms.

“Darling…” he whispered, pressing his mouth to the top of your head. His syllables were strained, and him inhaling sharply, he pulled back to look at you and lifted your face with both of his strong hands. The touch of his gloved fingertips sent shivers down your spine, and inch by inch he moved his hands down to touch the softness of your cheeks, your chin, and down the fabric of your jacketed throat. His one hand stopped right at the juncture of your collarbones where he had left his second mark on you the night before, and inhaling as if to find his inner strength, Ignis pressed his lips to yours, holding the back of your head with his other hand and as he pulled you close.

“Ignis…” you murmured as you reluctantly pulled back from him to look in his eyes, catching glances of his companions watching you two out of the corner of your field of vision. “Oh Ignis, please be safe, ok?”

Ignis sighed deeply as he examined your face, a somber smile plastering his handsome features as you studied yours. “But of course, Y/N, and I wish for you to remain safe as well. I am not one to instruct you on your business, but…please, please do not put yourself in compromising or otherwise dangerous situations if you can help it...”

You titled your head at him now, a playful grin spreading across your lips. “What? Do you not trust me? Or don’t you think I can’t handle myself on my own?”

The tension now easing slightly in his shoulders, Ignis chuckled as he kissed you softly once more. “Oh no. That is not the case at all my love,” he began. It’s just…I…I couldn’t live with myself if something were to happen to you and I weren’t able to be here to help you.”

Your gaze softened as your hands shifted down to skim over the fabric of his leather jacket, a sigh leaving your lips as you tried to remain strong. “I know, Iggy…believe me. I feel the same way about you…”

Ignis smiled at you, running his gloved hand through your hair. “Also, please do not hesitate to stay in my quarters at any time. While I know you do enjoy your privacy…I…I’d feel perhaps a tad bit better knowing that you weren’t alone all this time by yourself…”

You reached out to grab his free hand as you nodded at him. “I will, Ignis, I’m promise. Iris and Libertus will help keep me company, and I’m sure Cor will find ways to help keep me busy too so that I’m not all alone. I…I…” And you paused your words as the engines of the aircraft carries roared to life and kicked up wind around you.

“Darling, what is it?” Ignis asked, over the volume of the apparatuses, his words choking in the back of his throat.

_I don’t want you to go. I don’t want to have to see you walk away from me. I’m going to miss you so much, even if this is just for a short while. Please…don’t go…_

“I…I love you, Iggy,” you murmured as you brought your hand up to touch the scars of his face in the most delicate of manners. “With all my heart. And I will be thinking of you constantly. Please, do take care…”

Ignis swallowed hard, knowing that his last minute of time with you had come to its end, and his eyes glazed over with looming tears. “And I love you, my love. With every ounce of fiber of my being, of all that I am...”

And crashing his lips down to yours with the remaining seconds he had left to be in your presence, you inhaled deeply and did you best to memorize the taste of his lips and the smell of his natural scent and the leathers he wore, and you relished for a moment more the feel of his broad hands skimming down your back as he held you tightly within this arms.

“Ignis...”

“Y/N…”

“Be safe…”

“I love you…”

And with forms parting and fingertips touching one last time, with a swish of his leather jacket, Ignis now made his way onto the airship, the hatch closing ever so painfully sluggishly as the wind around you kicked up around you again, and with Iris and Cor now walking over to you to join you by your side, your eyes followed the set of aircrafts that ascended into the sky. With the flash of the engine lights, the mechanisms thundered and darted across the Insomnian skyline, and the sight of the Crownsguard and the operatives was no more.

You felt yourself choking on the tight constrictiveness of your throat, and almost letting out a sob, it was the warmth of Iris’s hand upon your shoulder that helped ground you.

“Don’t worry, Y/N, he’ll be back before you know it. I promise you. Everything is going to be just fine.”

Little did Iris know that there would be more than one challenge that you would have to take head on and all alone without your love by your side, testing your strength and mental fortitude. Whether or not you would be just fine would be yet to be determined…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * I find it really sweet just how much these two are going to miss one another. I know that for many of us, two weeks doesn't seem like a big deal to be away from someone, but in reality, when you have literally spent every day and every free moment with the person you love, it truly is painful when you are forced to be separated for any given time thereafter. It especially makes my heart ache to see just how Iggy handles all of this. What a sweet and loving man he truly is!
> 
> *It has actually been confirmed by Tabata that Ignis can and does in fact play piano. At the suggestion of my dear friend who mentioned that she would love to see Ignis doing such in my story, I just simply couldn't say no! I also love the song choices that I included here. The "Comrades" theme song overall is so fitting! Also, in case you did not recognize the song in which the Reader and Iggy perform together, this is indeed the song called "The Promise" from Final Fantasy XIII. While I myself never played the game, I have watched the movie gameplay of the first of the series and feel that "The Promise" is probably one of my top ten favorite Final Fantasy songs. The more I thought about it, I realized that the lyrics to the song (both the Japanese release and International release, with both verses being the lyrics to each verse in this chapter respectively) were also insanely fitting to the motif represented in this fic as well as the FFXV!
> 
> The Glaive Ferox Pardus's name literally translates to "fierce leopard." Oh my! Let's see what kind of problems he's going to cause while Ignis is away!


	21. Sky Full of Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I go on my rant...HOLY CRAP. The title of this chapter is the new single that was released about a week ago by Florence and the Machine, and this song will be on a NEW album that comes out THIS SUMMER. I am stoked beyond belief and I have to say that the timing of this song coming out could not be more impeccable. How beautifully these lyrics speak to the theme of this chapter, but you will just have to read it for yourself to see how! Make sure to give the song a listen! ^_^
> 
> Anyways...
> 
> OH. MY. GOD. THIS? THIS???? Never in my whole life have I ever written something so EXHAUSTING before and I curse myself through putting myself through this hell. While I knew that this chapter was going to be a daunting task, it wasn't until I sat down to begin this journey that I realized how much time I would have to invest in this writing. Part of it had to do chaos in my personal life, but even more so, given the subject of the Reader having to cope without Iggy while he was gone, I as the writer started to feel the weight of his departure as well. Funny how these things work out.
> 
> At an almost whopping 49,000 words, this is the longest chapter yet and I SWEAR I'M NOT DOING THIS TO MYSELF OR YOU GUYS EVER AGAIN! XD I promise after this point that the chapters will go back to normal length. Originally my intention for this one was to split it up into parts, but once I got to writing I realized that it would be best to keep everything flowing together into one, big long documentation of the Reader's painful (and I mean PAINFUL) experiences without her lover. I apologize to those of you who hate lengthy chapters, but I hope you understand why I did what I did once you start reading. Thankfully, the chapter is essentially broken up into its own chapters by "days," so that should help you all keep track of where you are at if you need to take breaks. You might need to and I am so sorry for that! XD
> 
> Please me kind! I'm beating myself up over this chapter enough as it is because despite how much work I put into it, I still feel like it's not that great. In fact, when I went back to edit it, I literally had to rewrite almost every sentence with how many grammatical errors it had. And so, I hope you aren't all disappointed in me! 
> 
> So without further ado, I hope you enjoy this next installment of the Reader's and Iggy's journey. Comments and feedback are appreciated as always! <3 :)
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_How deeply are you sleeping or are you still awake?_

_A good friend told me you've been staying out so late_

_Be careful, oh, my darling, oh, be careful what it takes_

_From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break_

_And I was screaming at my father and you were screaming at me_

_And I can feel your anger from way across the sea_

_And I was kissing strangers, I was causing such a scene_

_Oh, the heart it hides such unimaginable things_

 

_Grab me by my ankles, I've been flying for too long_

_I couldn't hide from the thunder in a sky full of song_

_And I want you so badly but you could be anyone_

_I couldn't hide from the thunder in a sky full of song_

 

_Hold me down, I'm so tired now_

_Aim your arrow at the sky_

_Take me down, I'm too tired now_

_Leave me where I lie_

_\- Florence and the Machine – “Sky Full of Song”_

**Sunday - Day One**

_The heat...oh gods...why is it so hot? Where...where am I?_

Your breathing heavy and ragged, you clutched tightly on to your bleeding arm as you feebly made your way down the wet, dark passage, the air unbelievably sweltering as your feet and legs sloshed through thick, murky fluids. The discomfort of your injury searing up your arm and to the back of your skull, you felt your vision whirl as you continued forth, wholly weaponless and utterly alone.

_Ignis…Oh Ignis…where are you?_

“I-Iggy!” You cried, your words cracking in your throat as you coughed, blood spewing from your mouth as the heat of the precarious passageway in which you traveled through aimlessly suddenly became too much to bear. “Iggy, where are you? P-Please, don’t leave me all alone!”

But much to your dismay, there was no response, and now a sob echoed down the corridor as you continued your aimless trek, lost and all forlorn.

A crash.

_Oh gods…_

Whipping around to face behind you in the caliginous passageway, you expeditiously began to scan your surroundings as best as you could for the bearings of the mysterious noise which had just assailed your ears. And yet to no avail, your senses failed you in every manner, the hair on your arms and neck prickling upwards as you began proceeding ahead, your ailment now hindering your movements as the air around you suddenly spiked in temperature.

A screech.

_Oh no…Not now. No…no please._

And suddenly a blaze of fire engulfed the walls of the passageway in which you ventured, your eyes dilating with perplexity at the realization that this was not at all a cave in which you found yourself lost. Steel and metal and wire now surrounded you as you began to scream as fire from the walls lapped at your flesh and the water in which you stood began to boil and sear you alive.

 _I…I must keep going!_ You screamed to yourself as a sudden surge of adrenaline rippled through your blood, your laceration now trickling with blood as your eyes spotted a scintillating light at the end of the tunnel. _I must...keep...going!_

Another wail and blood curdling screech had you snapping your head around in the direction of the sonance, and it was now that your own cry of trepidation and despair abandoned your mouth. Like the hunter that you were, out of instinct you reached for your hip to wield your katana in defense to the monstrosity that approached you down the blazing passage, its repulsive rows of teeth bared and its tentacles lashing out towards you in famishment. But to no avail. As your hand touched your hip, a conquered cry absconded your lips, you retaining that you were completely weaponless and there was no way in which to defend yourself from death.

_Run, Y/N…I have to run!_

And so turning away from the beast towards the ominous light that glimmered hundreds of paces away, you made dash for your life, your skin burning and blackening in the boiling fluids. But as you made step to flee, it was the grip of a tight tentacle that now swaddled your weak ankle, yanking you to the ground and dragging you through the scorching water, inch by inch, closer to its gaping mouth, and –

“Ignis!” You screamed, sitting up in bed with your heart slamming in your chest. The room around you completely dim, you began to brush away feebly the tears that streamed down your face and sweat droplets that trickled down the sides of your temples. Attempting to regain your breathing as if an invisible hand gripped at your throat, you hurriedly endeavored to make sense of the terrible visuals that illustrated your thoughts, your skin still prickled and tingling from your mind’s fabrications.

 _It…it was just a dream. It was just another nightmare,_ you said to yourself, biting your lip as your body slowly began to relax. _It’s just your anxiety talking again…_ With trembling hands, you reached over to your night stand and wearily seized your phone, the clock on the screen indicating that it was only 5:23 on this Sunday morning. Sighing loudly, you plopped back onto the bed as you cursed your body for depriving you of much needed sleep.

 _Gods...what am I going to do?_ It had been approximately seventeen hours since Ignis and the boys had made way to Accordo, but the small passage of time had felt like years. Sitting all alone in your bed you began to ponder just exactly how you were going to cope with the sudden realization that you had at least thirteen more days of your situation to endure without their company. Your thoughts flashing back to yesterday, after Ignis had left, you had immediately darted back to your car in the parking garage, Iris trailing after you desperately with concern on her face; clearly she had been able to see that by the blemishing of your skin and the glossiness of your eyes that you were on the verge of bursting into tears.

“Y/N! Where are you going?” She asked you as you reached for your keys in your bag, your hands fumbling as you attempted to unlock your car. “Please don’t go! I don’t want you drive anywhere feeling like this!”

“I…I just need to be alone right now, Iris,” you elucidated to her as tears trickled down your face while you unlocked your vehicle. “I don’t need to look like an embarrassment to the Crownsguard and the King. What kind of example would I be setting if everyone saw me like this?”

And so you had sped away to the privacy of your own home. The moment you stepped through the threshold and walked into the laconism of an empty house, you quickly began to question whether it was the best time to be in the company of your reclusive thoughts.

But nevertheless, the tears had reigned on.

 _Come on, get yourself together_ , you thought now as lay in the dark, running your hand through your hair and covering your face. _I have to get through this. You aren’t a child, Y/N. Be a big girl. You aren’t the only one who deals with this type of stuff..._ But as you lay there in the dark and stared up to the ceiling, you bit your lip as you let out a sob. _Come on, none of this. Stop it, Y/N…you…you can do this…_

A buzz and jingle of your phone startled you as you now rotated yourself and again picked up your cellphone, and instantly your sudden vexations were placated. Swiping your screen and opening the message, a smile was able to fight its way forth to your lips.

 **Good morning, my dearest** , said the text message from Ignis. **I do know that this is indeed a rather prevenient message for a Sunday morning and you are most likely wishing to savor in rest for a while longer. However, I could not help but feel forthwith the exigency to send you positive words, as if the Astrals themselves compelled me to reach out to you this very moment. I hope that this message finds you in good grace upon your awakening. I myself did not sleep too advantageously last evening. I…I am already missing you dreadfully in just these short few hours…I hope this time transpires quickly for us both so that I can hold you soon once again…**

Your heart tightened within your chest as you read his message, your body tingling with warmth. A tear formed in the corner of your eye at the notion that he was feeling exactly as you were this very instant. _Oh Iggy…_ you thought, smiling and sniffling as you scrolled down more to continue reading, and finally you felt the awful spirits from your dream slowly dissipate.

**We shall be meeting with Madame Claustra within the next few hours to confabulate the daily itinerary for the next two weeks. I should be able to give you more intel once our meeting concludes. But until later, my darling, I do hope that you occupy your time for the remainder of your weekend with positive undertakings. Just….do take care, and I shall make sure that the others provide you with company. Until then, my love, take care. I love you with all my heart…**

_Oh how I love you too Iggy…more than I can ever express…_

You brought your phone up to your heart and sighed deeply. Yes. You would manage this time just fine as long as you managed to keep yourself busy. And so, jotting down on your phone some ideas of what you could possibly do on your lonesome Sunday, you felt a little bit more hopeful of what was to come in your next two weeks.

**Monday - Day Two**

The majority of your day off had been spent fostering your creativity to help alleviate your stress and focus your negativity on productive activities. Having not read a book in a while, you had stopped at one of the local bookstores near your development and felt yourself immersed for hours in the adventure and romance that was presented in the narrative, the dynamic between the two lead characters reminding you ever so much of you and Ignis. Having also been on the creative side and wanting to impress Ignis when he arrived home, you purchased a new cook book and practiced concocting several recipes, and you were more than thrilled over the prospect of preparing them for Ignis after one of his shifts at the Citadel. As your Sunday drew to its close, you had taken a stroll through the Insomnian streets to clear your mind, the sights and sounds of happy families mingling distracting you from the pain in your lonely heart.

But to your dismay all positivity you had spent fabricating during the day had been cast aside within a blink of an eye; during the night you awoke several hours before your shift was to start from a terrifying nightmare, the very same one you experienced weeks ago. Again you witnessed in this grotesque visage the deaths of all the people you cared about, you meeting your own tragic fate within the teeth of this daemonic creature that thirsted for your life.

And so now, as you pulled into the EXINERIS parking lot, your eyes heavily laden with sleep and your body beyond exhaustion from tossing and turning all night from the precarious plights of your dreams, it was as you stepped out of your car to see one of the EXINERIS vehicles that you recognized so well that your eyes widened, realizing that the office was to be busier today than you expected.

“H-Holly?” You said as you entered the main entrance of the plant, your senior boss beaming at you as you approached her.

“Bet you’re surprised to see me!” She said with a grin on her face, but as you neared her she crossed her arms and she titled her head to examine you. “Jeese, you aren’t looking so good right now, Y/N. You feelin’ ok?”

“Y-Yeah,” you sighed as you scratched your head. “I didn’t get too much sleep last night, so I’m feeling a little worse for wear at the moment.” But not wanting it to seem like you were trying to snake your way away from responsibilities, especially that your boss was within your company, you smiled lopsidedly as you shook away the awful sensations in the pit of your stomach. “But you know me. I’m ready for whatever you’re about to throw at me.”

For a moment Holly scrutinized you closely as if trying to diagnose what the matter was, but nonetheless she smiled at you and laughed. “Well, I don’t need you pushing yourself too hard. You know that. How many times have I said in the past that I feel guilty for overworking you.” She paused again and motioned for you to follow her. “But nonetheless, what I’m about to show you will hopefully help lessen whatever stress seems to be going through that head of yours.”

Following Holly, you both rounded a corner towards one of the main interfaces that ran the functionality of the facility. Your eyes broadened at the sight of a large group of girls you did not recognize that now were surrounding Jeanne who seemed to be in the middle of some sort of discourse. But even more so, you gasped as your eyes sighted a rather immeasurable and hefty piece of machinery you had never seen before and could only begin to discern for what its purpose was intended.

“Well, two things I wanted to show you,” Holly began with a smile. “Those girls I told you we were in the process of training for the Insomnia branch? Well here they are for ya! I figured that I personally would come out here this morning with them all and introduce them to you, Jeanne, and your other staff members. Many of them used to be former residents like our last batch of hires and so they are more than looking forward to coming back home. They know their stuff pretty damn well and so I think you’ll be more than grateful to have even more set of hands to be helping you out. I know just how much you’ve been working your ass off as of late…”

Without even realizing it a large sigh of relief departed your lips as your eyes fluttered shut momentarily. Yes, this was fantastic news through and through, as your projects of restoring the Crown City only seemed to keep growing longer as you slowly but surely took care of each issue presented to your team. Knowing that you would have even more assistance in helping bring the city back to its former allure and grandeur was enough to make you want to sob with happiness in your current debility.

But as you spotted Jeanne smiling at you and motioning towards you, the new girls turning around to grin and wave at you, you smiled back and again found yourself gawking at the massive machinery that was presented before you.

Holly was quick to take note of your inquisitiveness. “Oh yeah, I suppose I should explain what that is too. I don’t know if you recall, but do you remember how many months ago Ignis came to Lestallum and wanted to see Jeanne about a new refinery process for meteorshards?”

Any scenario that involved Ignis was almost impossible for you to forget. Taking a trip down memory lane, you recalled ever so fondly on that fateful day of his inspection visit of Lestallum how Ignis walked with you back to the plant. “Y-Yeah,” you said, feeling your heart fluttering. “Of course I do. Ignis mentioned something about how Noctis was considering using the meteorshards at the Citadel for whatever reason, partially which now involves the powering of the LC-X models. Does that have anything to do with this?”

“Exactly,” Holly said, crossing her arms again. “But it’s not just for the Citadel itself but for the whole continent of Lucis. The king’s researchers and engineers through trial and error managed to figure out a way of how we can manipulate the meteorshards so that they expend more energy. We were more than thrilled when they shared this news with us and so the last few weeks they’ve helped us develop some new machinery that would not only make the refinement of both meteorshards AND mythril a quicker process, but now when we refine the meteorshards, each bit is going to put out about thirty percent more energy than before. That machine over there which we are going to install inside the main refinery room today is what will do the trick. In a few weeks the King’s team of researchers said they’d come to both of our offices to begin remodeling the older refineries so they will work on the same level as this one.”

You could only gape at Holly for a moment, once more feeling utterly amazed at how much was accomplished right under your nose without your knowledge.

“Well shit, Holly! Why am I only just finding this out now? This is incredible news! I’m not saying I’ll be working any less harder, but do you know how much this is going to help everyone out?”

“You already had your hands filled with enough on your mind taking over this place! Perhaps telling you somewhat slipped my mind,” Holly said with a smirk. “But damn straight it will. You know that we’ve got a long way to go in bringing this world back to what it once was, but man, I have to say that we’ve got a bright future ahead of us for all. And I don’t mean to make a pun there.” She paused for a moment again and her faced beamed like a child on its birthday. “This makes me look forward to our celebration we’re going to have soon. We’ve been long overdue for another festival. Can’t believe it’s been over ten years since we last had one…”

Raising your eyebrow, you were about to ask her what she was referring to when now Jeanne and the new girls approached you. Their excitement in their eyes was apparent over getting to work under you, having apparently heard much about your endeavors as a veteran EXINERIS girl and hunter on the side. And so, as you began to answer their questions with gaeity, the somber thoughts that had pestered your mind earlier were now temporarily forgotten for the time being

_Perhaps I can do this after all, Ignis, and I hope you will be just fine too._

**********************

It was now later in the afternoon after giving the new girls a tour that you resumed your normal schedule for the day. Today’s task a solo endeavor, you were standing upon your usual hazardous scaffolding, adjusting the wiring to a socket for a bulb you were replacing in a streetlight.

“Oh come on, you son of bitch,” you mumbled to yourself, your one eye squinting and your tongue half out as you examined the rust at the tip of the wire. “Don’t give me a hard time now! I was on a streak!”

“Mommy, is that one of the power ladies up there?” Said a small squeaky voice from down below your perch. “Hi lady! Are you a EXIBERTIS person?”

“It’s EXINERIS honey! Now don’t distract the poor woman! She’s trying to do her work and we don’t need her falling!”

Your curiosity piqued, you carefully sat down your tools and brushed your hands free of any rust and dirt on your hands. Turning around to peer down at the street below, there stood a little girl probably no more than the age of five with her hair done up in braids and her swishy tulle dress blowing in the breeze. She was biting her thumb as she gawked up at you, suddenly seeming overly excited over you noticing her.

“Look mommy! It IS an ECKBERNINIS lady! Look at her all the way up there! Isn’t that cool?”

You had to stifle a giggle at her pronunciation, but nevertheless you smiled at her and waved gently as her mother came to join her directly by her side and take her firmly by the hand.

“I-I’m so sorry to have her bother you like this,” the mother said, shaking her head with embarrassment. “She has a tendency to talk to strangers when she knows she shouldn’t, especially if they are in the middle of work. I know how overly busy you must be with all that you ladies are having to take care of.”

You felt yourself flush slightly, suddenly worried that you might be the reason this little girl would get in trouble later, and so you shook your head reassuringly. “N-No, it’s quite alright!” You said to her honestly, making sure you were loud enough for her and her daughter to hear. “It’s not a problem at all! In fact, it’s nice to have the distraction every now and then. Looking at wires isn’t always the most exciting business all the time.”

The woman sighed loudly. “Well, regardless, we apologize for taking up any of your time. You look awfully busy up there.”

The little girl managed to snake her hand out of her mother’s and took a few steps closer to your location, now seeming overly bashful as she started to kick at the ground and play with her dress. “I want to say t-thank you, lady! Mommy and Daddy and I were able to m-move back home because we don’t have to sit in the dark anymore. Thanks to EXIBERTIS and the king, I can finally play in my yard again! So thank youuuuuu!”

Inhaling sharply, while you had no knowledge over what exactly this little girl’s situation had been like before and after the fall of Insomnia, you could not help but feel your heart swell with love and appreciation over hearing this innocent and blissful child thank you for all the hard work that you and your fellow coworkers put forth in bettering the fallen city. But even more importantly to you, hearing her gratitude towards Noctis and his court made you feel ever so expectant in helping to bring back the posterity to come.

And now, as you looked down at her bright and hopeful face with pink cheeks and shimmering blue eyes, her little red lips drawn into a happy smile, you couldn’t help but forget that _you_ too were also working towards a potential future of your own.

_Ignis…._

Heat began to course up through your neck and cheeks at the sudden thought of Ignis’s warm hands reaching out to softly graze over your stomach, and you swallowed hard to hide your current embarrassment over such intimate thoughts now clouding your mind as you fantasized in the presence of this child and her mother. But clearing your throat and taking a deep breath, you smiled down at the duo with the upmost warmth in your countenance.

“You’re welcome!” You called. “And I will make sure to tell the King that you said thank you!” The girl now bounding off and pulling her mother by the hand as she skipped happily down the street, you yourself sighed profoundly as your thoughts began to mull over in your mind.

 _Most jobs in this world are thankless ones,_ you thought to yourself, _but I have to say that I wouldn’t change mine for anything in the world, despite how I’m currently feeling. Just to hear how much we all are appreciated? That’s more than I think I deserve…_

As you watched the child and mother become specks in the distance, inadvertently your hand came up to your neck, and with eyes broadening you realized your fingers were now delicately massaging the skull pendant of the necklace gifted to you by Ignis.

_Thank you…Oh…Oh Iggy!_

A sudden abstraction came to mind that had you instantly bouncing on your heels, and you had to remind yourself that perhaps your current position was not the safest place to be rocking back and forth. But bending down to check the time on your tablet, seeing that you still had a few hours left to your shift before you were free for the day made you more anxious than ever to see your idea come into fruition. Once more you resumed your work with the light fixture, praying to the Astrals that time would pass as quickly for you as possible.

_Oh Iggy, thank you for everything. I hope you are ok this very second, and Astrals can I not wait until you get home to tell you just how much I appreciate you for all you do…_

*********************

With the sun slowly setting over the Insomnian skyline as you drove down the bustling streets, you tapped your fingers anxiously on your steering wheel as your eyes carefully scanned the titles of shops and vendor stands, trying to recall the location of your intended destination that you only partially made visit to so many months ago. But as you hit a stop light and looked up and the signs ahead, you smiled as you suddenly recalled just exactly where you were and where you needed to go.

“Ok, let me just find a spot and get this car parked,” you said cheerfully to yourself, despite how exhausted you were now feeling due to the lack of sleep last night. Your eyes slightly focused yet ever so diligent on the road up ahead, you marked a parking spot conveniently close to your location, put on your turn single to park, then shifted your car into park, and turned off the engine. Hopping out of your vehicle and pulling your jacket closer to your body, a slight chill in the evening air sending a shiver down your spine, you walked briskly to your destination and read its sign.

You shook your head and grinned. “And all those months ago I was so blissfully unaware and happy that I had no idea what Ignis was up to when he was in here,” you said aloud with a laugh as you pushed the door open and headed inside, the joyful jingling of the shop bell almost startling you in your fatigue. As your eyes focused on the sights around you, you could not help but gawk at the absolute exquisiteness of sparkling gems and stones and the shimmering glossiness of various metals and steels that were swaddled in plush velvet matts behind squeaky-clean glass cases. The inner girly-girl in you emerging from her shell, you breathed in deeply as you esteemed the finely delicate and beautifully crafted pieces of jewelry that you were now within the presence of.

 _Dino certainly has made good business after all this time,_ you thought to yourself as you looked around _, and he certainly had HIS dream come true…_

The shop rather noiseless despite this time of evening, you were startled when you heard a noise from a back room, a figure now emerging from behind a certain, and you almost immediately wanted to shake your head at the man that now stood before you.

“Well look who it is! Haven’t seen you in a while, doll! How’s it goin’?”

A wave of nostalgia suddenly washing over you , you laughed as you now looked at Dino Ghiranze who smiled at you with curiosity, he grinning at you widely by flashing his overly white and bright teeth.

“Never better,” you replied to him, stifling a yawn as your eyes fell to the valuable assets that lay on display for clients. “Although I have to say that it seems you’re making out pretty good yourself, right? Just look at all this stuff you’ve got here!”

Dino grinned again as he came up to the edge of the counter and began to look at his own work, and for a moment you couldn’t help but admire him. The former Meteor reporter who would dig up the some pretty shady and gossipy news had eventually turned a new leaf when he had turned his passion and dreams for precious gemstones and jewelry making a reality. Dino once crafting protective gear for the innocent Lucians who tried to defend themselves from the plague of the Starscourge, it was a breath of fresh air to see his goods for sale were more so for the aesthetic purpose of bringing happiness to its wearer.

“You could say that again!” Dino said as he crossed his arms. “Even though right this second the shop is a little bit on the quiet side, business has been booming bigger than ever! But I gotta say though,” and now he looked to you seriously for a moment, “I don’t know what I woulda done had I not had all the help of yous hunters and Glaives all those years. In case I didn’t say it before, I’m tellin’ ya now.”

You couldn’t help but blush at this, finding yourself thanked once again, and you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear in response. “It’s the least we could do,” you said to him with a smile. “Anything to help the good of the cause for everyone. And to see you doing so well as proof of that? You know I can’t complain over that.”

“Damn straight!” Dino said enthusiastically. Looking at you, he leaned slightly on the counter, examining you from behind the glass. “Now not that I ain’t happy to see you, doll, but you look like a woman on a mission right now. What can I help ya with?”

“Well…” You began, feeling heat creep up through your neck as you scanned the cases before you. “I’m…I’m looking for something special. B-But not for me of course. For someone important to me. Someone’s who has done everything for me and I want to show them that I appreciate them and…”

You had no idea what caused you to start babbling like a nervous school girl, but needless to say you found yourself becoming rather embarrassed over your lack of ability in articulating your words. In response, without even realizing you were doing it, you once more were playing delicately with the pendant of your necklace as you continued to scan the cases, feeling like you had an idea of what you were hoping to find and yet feeling ever so lost.

It was Dino’s voice however that pulled you out of your thoughts and made you jump.

“Well I’ll be a Mandrake’s uncle!” He said almost breathlessly as his eyes fell to object within your fingers, and you began to realize instantly that Dino recognized exactly what you were wearing. “Well I’ll be! Something special, eh? And I know exactly for what man we are talkin’ about here…”

Your eyes widened instantly as the blush on your face turned a deep crimson, your heart now pounding heavily within your chest. _Oh gods, he recognizes this necklace because HE made it. He…he knows that Ignis gave it to me. Oh gods…_ And now you couldn’t help but wonder just exactly how many people outside of your circle actually knew that you and Ignis were a couple, you yourself always keeping said information overly private for the sake of both of yours and his professions and lives.

But Dino sensing your sudden nervousness smiled and leaned back to look at you with a laugh. “Oh you ain’t gotta worry about me sayin’ a thing. You should know by now that my days with the tabloids are done and good!” But still, he titled his head to look at your more closely. “But you and Ignis Scientia. Holy crap, I would have never guessed.” He pointed at your throat now where your necklace dangled between your collar bones. “That piece right there you’re wearin’? That’s one of a kind. Ignis went extra lengths to make sure you got nothing but the best. When he heard me say I heard of a quarry of amethyst discovered through word of mouth he insisted and went out into the field and retrieved those amethysts himself. Had to go all the way into the woods of the Calleagh Steps. And he did that all on his own,” Dino added quickly, seeing your shocked expression on your face. “I’m tellin’ ya. When he came into the shop askin’ for something special too, seeing what lengths he went through to get only the best made me wonder who in all of Eos he was doin’ this for. But seeing now it was you? I can’t say I blame the man. And now you want to return the favor to him too.”

Your brain reeling as you processed all that Dino just said to you, you felt you had been holding your breath for minutes on end at the thought of just another bit of proof of how much Ignis cared about you and what lengths he was willing to go through to make you smile. Feeling suddenly undeserving of what was hanging at your throat, holding back a tear at the notion that Ignis painstakingly obtained the stones with his own bare hands in which you touched, you let out a deep sigh, smiling defeatedly at Dino, realizing your game was up.

“Y-Yeah,” you managed to say, your eyes now scanning the cases again. “That’s exactly what I had in mind too. But now, after what you just told me, I don’t see how I’m ever going to compare on his level. I…I had some sort of idea in mind but wanted your opinion too.”

“I just happen to be that expert!” Dino said with a wink. “Whaddaya thinking?”

“Well…I want something elegant yet masculine, and something that won’t get in the way of his work,” you began, and almost instantaneously your eyes spotted just exactly what you had in mind. “Something like this!” You said, pointing down to the piece at hand.

“Ahhh, ah yes,” Dino grinned, reaching underneath the glass case to pull out a particularly beautiful black leather cuff. “Alotta ladies come in here wanting to give their guys something just like this. I like your taste. But I’ll tell ya what. We can do even better than that.” You raised your eyebrow, Dino grinning widely again. “These here cuffs are just made from a standard Garula hide. Good quality hides of course, but nevertheless affordable due to how easy the hides are to harvest. But I got stuff that’s even better but haven’t worked with it yet. Just a few weeks ago a couple hunters took down a massive Behemoth out near Wiz’s Chocobo Resort and I just happened to get my hands on some of that hide. Super high quality stuff and Astrals bless the hunters that took down that damn beast. This is some of the best leather I ever got my hands on. Just still gotta turn into something awesome.”

You could only stand there silent for a moment, your heart pounding in your chest as you realized exactly what Dino just said. _Oh my gods_...you thought, fighting back a smile on your lips. _He’s talking about the Behemoth Gladio, Prompto, and I took out. Oh my gods…Iggy…I’m going to be able to give him a part of my labor too…_

Almost too excited to handle your emotions, you found yourself leaning on the counter and breathing too heavily for comfort. “That’s perfect Dino. I don’t care how much I have to pay for it. That’s exactly what I want.”

Dino raised his eyebrow at you, suddenly lost to your sudden enthusiasm. But looking at your necklace again, he grinned and nodded to you. “But of course. That leather ain’t gonna be cheap due to demand, but you know what? For all the help you gave me in the past, I’m gonna make it more than affordable to you. And we didn’t even talk yet about any of the detailing you can add to it…”

**Tuesday - Day Three**

You awoke to another sleepless night goaded by dreams of nightmarish fiends and mysterious passageways unreachable and dear Astrals did you pray that this was not going to be a reoccurring experience for the next two weeks as you waited ever so patiently for Ignis to come home. Even on this particularly humid day (gods, it was fall already, and yet the climate still took its time adjusting back to normal) with your sweat accumulating on your brow and your clothing sticking to your body like glue, very much unlike your usual self, you prayed to the gods that your day would pass with ease so you could go home and attempt a good night’s sleep.

It was now lunch time as you had made your way over to the local market and purchased a platter of grilled wild trevally, sitting at an empty seat and waiting patiently for Ignis to reply to your message. While you had expected his contact with you to be rather sporadic and unpredictable during his venture, still, old habits die hard and you as always were anticipating his rather clockwork-like pattern of sending you your lunch time next at the usual time.

 _Oh how on earth did Shiva deal for a good thousand years with being parted with and coping with her heartbreak over Ifrit leaving her and betraying everyone?_ You asked yourself as you sighed deeply and poked at your fish, your exhaustion seeming to overwhelm as you sat in the sweltering sun. But even more still, you couldn’t help but feel ashamed of yourself in this particular moment on how you handled your predicament and perhaps you didn’t really have it that bad after all compared to others. _But then again…I have to be fair with myself...It’s been a while since I’ve gone days without seeing Ignis like I used to. I just…have to get readjusted to the old ways I guess…_

Just as you were about to bring a fork full of your food to your mouth, your phone blipped and vibrated on the table, and anxiously sitting your fork down too harshly onto your plate, you picked up your phone and swiped with your finger to find yourself smiling at the message that was now on your screen.

 **My apologies, my dearest, for replying to your message so belatedly** , Ignis said, and rolling your eyes you had to laugh out loud. Again, while you weren’t expecting him to answer you at his typically scheduled time, still, you couldn’t help find it cute that he was ashamed of himself in reaching out to you a whole five minutes later than he usually would. **How are you at this point in your day, my love? I verified the forecast for the Crown City for this day and I do hope that you are bearing the humidity to the best of your abilities. And I do hope that you are staying hydrated.**

 _Always so concerned for me_ , you said with a smile as you typed back:

 **I’m doing just fine Ignis,** you replied, purposely lying to him about how drained you were over lack of sleep in not wanting him to get upset. **As much as this humidity sucks, I think working in Lestallum for over ten years has prepared me for the perpetual feeling of thinking sweat would forever be permanently stuck to my body.** Pausing your message, you smiled deviously at yourself, and while you knew it would be best to not distract Ignis from remaining levelheaded in his matters that he would have to attend to today, you still could not help but feel a little bit playful in saying what was actually on your mind. **Hydration though? Admittedly I should probably be drinking more, but then again, I think I’m a little bit thirsty for something else right now that I just can’t quite quench…**

You waited for a few moments after you hit send, nibbling on the crispy portion of your fish and trying to refrain from giggling out loud as you watched the passersby in the marketplace. But seeing your phone light up, you hastily picked it up, reading Ignis’s response and blushing profusely over his response:

**My my, that DOES indeed seem like quite the predicament. I do recommend checking out your local vendors for the variety of liquid refreshments that they have to offer you in matters of dehydration. But if I do indeed understand the intent of your words, I feel afraid that at the moment you are rather out of luck. If I was there at your side I would have a solution to your quandary, as I happen to have the exact substance “in hand” that would be most suitable to the needs of your…palette and tastes…**

You swallowed hard, your jumpsuit particularly ever more sticky against your body as you attempted to type back a reply:

**You realize I’m dying right now because of what you’re making me think about, right?**

And he replied:

**Oh, don’t put that blame upon me, my darling. You after all are the one who just suggested it. ;)**

Feeling like you were suffocating as heat pooled down to the core between your legs, your loins twisting at the delicious thoughts that were running through your head now, you did your best to breathe as you typed back a reply. As much as you wanted to remain on the topic of yours and his needs, the pain of your heart suddenly aching and your lack of knowing exactly how to convey your thoughts made you switch mental gears.

**Ignis…I…oh how much I love you. I miss you. I really do. I want to hear about you now though…What have you been having to do so far today on your agenda?**

You felt like you could sense with what felt like hundreds of miles away the same sentiment shared by Ignis, as his message seemed to take slightly longer than expected to arrive:

 **I…I love you too, my dearest. More than I could ever express. And by gods do I wish I could tell you that in person right now. Noctis, the boys, and I have been running a rather stiff itinerary so far today. We began our day with the board of the business bureau to continue our discussions on reparations to industries that suffered from the devastation the most. The owners of the** **Touellia in particular felt at need to express their concerns over how their infrastructure has yet to fully be reestablished, and so Noctis and Camelia Claustra discussed procedures for such. Prompto and Gladio have also met with many members of the builders association to assess what damage still persisted. I do have high hopes though that with the LC-X models to assist us, we will be able to accomplish much in such a short duration and can assist the needs of all.**

You felt your heart clenching in your chest, and without even hearing his voice you could almost assess the tension in Ignis’s written word, causing you to once more hold your breath.

**Iggy…I’m…I wish I could help you right now. I really do. But everything is going to be ok though, right? Those foreign diplomats won’t have reason to complain for much longer, right?**

He replied back:

**But of course, my love. All shall be well. Have faith in the King. Noctis has more than proven himself since his return that he shall bring about the betterment of all. Have faith.**

But just as you were about to reply back, Ignis sent an additional message:

**I…must say at the moment, that I am feeling rather particularly guilty and that I do hope you can forgive me upon my return to the Crown City…**

You raised your eyebrow as you took the last bite of your fish, typing back to him with lightheartedness in your words:

**Guilty? Why on earth would you ever feel guilty, Iggy? What exactly are you up to that would make me need to reprimand you? :P**

He was rather quick to reply back:

 **I…I know just how much you adore** **Gelati Galigione and the piquancy of their chocolate confection. At this very moment I too am now at lunch with our companions and am about to savior its taste. If only I were able to bring some home to you, but the melting process would present itself as most disastrous slovenly. But I do promise that my taste-testing currently is for the purposes of finding inspiration for my own variation of the dessert, which I do hope I can recreate for you…**

You inhaled sharply, not even realizing that a happy tear was strolling down your face, and you had to bite your lip to prevent you deluge of emotions from bursting forth.

**Oh Iggy…you think of everything, don’t you?**

**I try, Y/N. All because I think of you.**

**And I of you, Ignis…**

**Just…promise me, Y/N, that you shall take care of yourself? Again, it pains me greatly that I cannot help you if it were needed.**

**I promise I’ll be ok, Ignis. As long as you do the same.**

**But of course, my love.**

**I love you, Ignis.**

**I love you too, Y/N…Always…**

**Wednesday - Day Four**

Only a few days had passed but it had become unsurprisingly apparent to that your plagues of nightly terrors and lack of sufficient rest were going to be an ongoing manifestation. Having finished another grueling but rather productive shift today, you had washed up and were ready to head home, you looking forward more than ever to burying yourself beneath the covers of your bed when a surprise call from Cor had asked you to briefly swing by the Citadel.

Parking your car in the garage (the sight of the boys’ vehicles, especially that of the Regalia, made you realize just how much you missed them) and heading into the Citadel, you began to wrack your brain over what it could be that Cor insisted on seeing you with on such a short notice.

“Maybe they finally found the location of that magitek air carrier,” you said out loud with a rather cavernous yawn, covering your mouth in the process. “Astrals, I hope that’s the case. It freaks me out thinking about that thing potentially landing at any second. That’s the last thing any of us would want…”

Just as you rounded the corner of your usual route to the deliberation room, you ran into a particularly behemoth and solid figure that almost sent you reeling backwards, but much to your fatigued state you remained fast and steady on your feet.

“Well look who it is. I didn’t expect to run into you so soon again, Y/N…”

Your eyes widening as your brain focused on who were you looking at, you found yourself staring up at the formidable Ferox who smiled at you with a mischievous grin. Instantly your heart muscles palpitated and a cold sweat ran over your body, your apparent anxiousness at being in the presence of this man almost sending you into a state of sudden trepidation. Staring up at the man, your eyes quickly darted to the crow’s foot tattoo by the side of his temple and the features of his face, his blueish grey eyes flashing and his strong jawline taut with a smile upon his strong lips. Perhaps had this encounter been in another time or alternate reality in your life you would have greeted the sudden advance of this strikingly handsome man towering over you with open arms, but just by the very nature in which he looked at you with a glint in his eyes sent your skin crawling and your head spinning. Perhaps it also had been due to your naivety of living in a city that was mostly inhabited by independent and strong females for the later portion of your life and feeling safer in the presence of women. Not understanding his gesture of now leaning on the wall with his arm and hand over you as well as the sudden interest in you made you wishing more than ever that you had one of the boys standing by your side to shoo him away.

Especially Ignis. With him by your side, you wouldn’t be afraid at all.

As if your shoes were cemented in place to the tile floors before you, you quickly responded to him to avoid any suspicious behavior.

“H-Hello Ferox,” you said meekly, attempting to not make eye contact with him longer than you needed to. “H-How are you today?”

Cursing yourself for asking such an utterly bland conversational question but hating yourself even more for now opening the potential tête-à-tête even further, Ferox grinned down as he shifted on his feet, his gaze boring into you as you attempted not to tremble before him.

“Oh I’m definitely better than ever,” he said cheekily. “I was just making my rounds as usual to make sure nothing looked out of order, and of course my night just had to get a bit more interesting…” He took a step closer to you now, you backing up slightly as the hallway around you suddenly became too narrow for your liking. “I never would have imagined you’d run into me to help alleviate the dullness in my rounds. Where you headed anyways?”

Thanking the gods this time you didn’t have to lie about your destination, you swallowed hard, trying to remain levelheaded. “I’m actually on my way to see Cor about other business issues.”

Ferox’s grinned widened as if he was smelling right through an apparent little white lie, but nonetheless he crossed his arms as he titled his head to study you. “Oh that’s right,” he began with a smirk. “EXINERIS business and all. You’re pretty damn popular around here, you know that? But then again, it’s easy to see why you are…”

Blushing deeply, you looked away from him, trying to devise a reason to get away from the conversation. “I’m just doing my job to help ensure a hopeful future for the Kingdom of Lucis is all. But as a Glaive, you would understand the importance of doing a diligent job and all…”

You hadn’t intended your remark to sound like dig at him, but nonetheless he didn’t seem to pick up on it. Instead, he only seemed to be more entranced by what you were saying. “Well listen to you there. Damn straight I gotta do my job. I have to protect innocent people after all. And you know, maybe the potential damsel in distress whenever she’s bogged down with too many responsibilities…” Ferox began to lean down towards you and you almost screamed for escape when a pair loud boots stamping upon the tile floor drew your attention away from Ferox’s trap.

“Y/N! There you are! I was looking for you!”

Almost sobbing with relief at this surprise interruption, Libertus now approached you in his own Kingsglaive attire, a warm smile upon his face as he neared you. “Ferox,” he said, now stopping next to you two and acknowledging his comrade with a bow and a salute. “I see that you have met Y/N here!”

Ferox grinned and was about to open his mouth to speak when you interjected first, your words tumbling out of your mouth. “Why yes. Yes he has. We were just talking about how much he takes pride in his job as a Glaive, just as much as I do mine. I just ran into him on my way to see the Marshall on some very important business. I’m assuming that you are coming too?”

“Y-Yeah, yes I am,” Libertus said, seeming taken aback by your sudden assertiveness as he studied your, his brows knit tightly together as he was about to open his mouth again.

“Good! That’s good to hear! We should probably get going then because we don’t want a cranky Marshall” You said almost too hastily as you took his arm and began to jaunt down the hallway. “B-Bye Ferox!”

Not even turning to look back at the stalking Glaive, you felt a droplet of sweat trickle down your temple as you pulled Libertus behind you. Your friend now taking note of your anxious and bleary expression, Libertus finally got his chance to talk.

“By the rivers of Galahd, Y/N, you look like hell! Are you alright?” He asked you, his brows still knit together as he tried to keep up with your pace.

And truth be told, you wouldn’t deny for two seconds how terrible you must currently look, your exhaustion now at its peak obvious on your face in conjunction with your stressful encounter.

“Y-Yeah, I’m just fine,” you said breathlessly, seeing that you were nearing your end point. “Just tired. I haven’t slept a wink in several days so I think it’s just starting to get the best of me…”

Libertus was exceptionally perceptive as he examined your expression, knowing the full-fledged reason for your lack of rest. “Are you sure that’s all it is? Do you…do you want to go home? I can head in and tell Cor you had a sudden change of plans and-“

“N-No, it’s fine, Libertus. I need to be keeping busy right now.”

Thanking the gods he did not pry further (nor ask about Ferox), you and Libertus now entered the deliberation quarter to see Cor sitting at his desk focused very intently upon a document he was reading. Looking up to see you two enter, he smiled warmly, motioning for you to sit.

“Y/N, I’m glad you are here on such short notice. I am sorry for disrupting the flow of your evening tonight…”

“It’s fine, Cor. I wouldn’t miss any important information you had to give us for the world,” you said with a smile upon your face as you and Libertus sat, and you could honestly say that despite how close you were to plopping your head on his desk and passing out, you truly would never say no to learning about more information about the workings of the Crown. “What exactly did you want to see me about? Is…is everything ok?”

Cor nodded as he folded his hands upon the desk. “Yes, everything is just fine. In fact, everything is more than fine. We received an update from Tenebrae and I knew you would want to be the first to know, especially since this matter is going to affect you. While Ravus, Aranea and both of their squadrons were out searching Gralea for that last rogue hauler, the troops managed to uncover another abandoned storage facility stockpiled with an insurmountable amount of mythril.”

Your eyes augmented at this, finding yourself suddenly shaking your head at this good sudden news. “That’s…that’s just insane though! Why on earth would the Empire have all these resources continuously stocked to just leave it laying around like that? How many facilities we’ve broken into at this point and yet they don’t even bother to protect their resources better than this? I…I just don’t understand it. Were they really that caught up in destroying Insomnia all those years ago?”

Both Cor and Libertus frowned at your statement, each seeming utterly frustrated with this prospect. “We here too were more than shocked when Ravus called us to inform us on his discovery,” Cor began, “and we happened share the exact same sentiment you just expressed. We can’t help but feel suspicious over the prospect that they were hoarding these reserves for a secret agenda. I am sure you know by now just how unbelievably difficult it can be to locate and harvest mythril.”

And this was quite indeed true, you having more than enough experience in handling the valuable material. But as you sat there, wondering why Cor could not have told you of this said discovery over the phone, your answer suddenly came to mind. “The new refinery machine,” you said breathlessly. “The one the researchers here at the palace helped develop. And the mythril…”

Cor smiled apologetically as you finally put two and two together. “We’re fortunate that equipment was developed in the knick of time. Ravus and his men have to prep everything first, but the mythril should be arriving at EXINERIS within the next day or so. You’ll be a little more surprised in seeing just how much mythril was found, as they will be shipping all the batches directly from Niflheim to both EXINERIS offices. Thank the Astrals you’ll have the apparatus to assist you with such because you all will certainly have more than your hands full. I figured that I would give you the heads up in person just in case…”

You sat back in your chair as both Libertus and the Marshall looked at you, and quite frankly you didn’t know how to process all that was said to you. Hidden potential motives of Niflheim? Stock piles just left to sit in waste and you to the be the one to take care of it? But breathing in deeply, realizing that more than ever you would want to keep your mind preoccupied in this lonely time of yours, you smiled to the duo, trying to remain positive.

“This is good though, Cor. This is good. We’ve got the new machine to help us quicken the process. And just think of all the LC-X machines we’ll be able to make because of that. This…this is good!”

Cor beamed, seeming somewhat relieved that you were not fully upset. “Yes it is, and Libertus here will be at your beck and call to assist you ladies at the plant at your request, inside and. With that last special MT carrier potentially on the loose, we want to make sure that your office is guarded safely so that nothing can happen to you women while you work.”

“I’ll swear I will do whatever I can to help you,” Libertus said with a grin. “I might not know my way around the plant, but I’m strong enough to assist you in whatever you need.”

By gods would you find out soon enough just how much you’d need that help.

*************************

Finally stepping into the threshold of your apartment, you sighed heavily with relief in knowing you were decisively home for the evening. Unceremoniously kicking your shoes off at the front door and tossing your bag down right in the hallway, not even caring that you were making a mess of your own place, you headed into the living room where you flopped directly upon the couch, instantly shutting your eyes to prevent your head from spinning from all the information that you had gathered in the day.

 _I better really try to get a good night’s sleep tomorrow_ , you thought to yourself as you stretched out your legs, only realizing just now how utterly pained you were. _I’m going to need to be more than prepared and prepped for tomorrow in case the mythril actually shows up…_ Breathing in softly your body gave way to exhaustion as your eyes slowly began to flutter shut when all of a sudden your phone bleeped and buzzed in your pocket. Almost jolting upright at the sound, you quickly fumbled in your pocket and yanked it out, expecting to see a message from Ignis. However, your eyes broadened excitedly to see that despite it not being the sender you expected, you were all the more still very pleasantly surprised.

_It’s…it’s Ravus…I wonder what he has to say!_

You began to read the text that he sent you, feeling your heart swell at his humble and kind tone:

**Good evening, Y/N. I hope that this message finds you in good faith and that all is currently well. I wanted to send word to you that the gift you have requested for Ignis shall be crafted sooner than expected. Despite all that has been transpiring here within Tenebrae and our matters with Niflheim, our blacksmiths have managed to find adequate time to begin its production. I have confidence that it shall be ready for you soon.**

You smiled excitedly and began to type back a response:

**Hi Ravus! I am so excited to hear about that! I hope you know that you don’t have to feel like you need to rush this. I’m just grateful for the fact that you are taking the time at all to do this for him despite how chaotic everything must be for you.**

Ravus replied almost instantly:

**I would think nothing of it. It is the absolute least I could do for the man, considering everything that he has done for me and my people.**

Your throat tightened at his words, once more realizing how wonderful of a man you had the chance of being in love with. And so thus you responded:

**I…I hope that you are doing ok though. I feel helpless knowing that you are taking care of so much right now and that I can’t do anything to help you. Niflheim is such a big place and I have no idea how you and Aranea are managing to take on this task all by yourself. Are you sure that there is nothing that we can do here?**

Ravus responded:

 **I can assure you that we shall be just fine. I feel wholeheartedly that this is my responsibility to endure. Besides, I have been made aware that the King is currently away with his retinue and that he is handling the main affairs in Accordo. You have your own struggle to deal with right now.** Your heart jumped at this, realizing that Ravus somehow managed to be so perceptive of what you were feeling currently in your heart. **I also feel that I must apologize to you. While we are all more than thrilled to have discovered the stockpile of mythril, I cannot help but feel a little bit guilty. You now have one more burden to carry out at my expense on top of all that currently encumbers you, so it is I wishes I could aid you in any way I can.**

 **Trust me, Ravus, I will be fine** , you typed back, and truth be told, despite how much you were trying to not get suddenly overwhelmed at what would arrive at the plant in the next day or so, you felt firmer in your words than ever. **I can handle this. And besides,** you thought now, thinking about the letter his wife had sent you recently, **I know for a fact you have more than just Nifs on your mind! I received your wife’s letter recently and it made me so happy to hear that she is doing well. Are you excited for the baby to arrive?**

It took Ravus a couple moments to respond, but as you read his rejoinder you squealed with joy and fully sat upright on the couch:

**I would say that ‘excited’ would be an understatement, more so ecstatic. The child grows healthily each and every passing day, and despite how restless my wife has become, I think it is I who equally shares her sentiment, if not even more than she. Seeing my wife become even more beautiful and radiant makes my heart swell with joy and I only wish to ensure that the business with Niflheim ceases soon as possible so that we can guarantee the child’s safety once it is born. It makes me feel…rather helpless knowing that I can only do so much for her right now.**

You found yourself melting, thinking about the fearsome and imposing King of Tenebrae feeling overwrought over his future child, the poor man deserving so much happiness after the tragedy that befell his sister. But before you could type a response Ravus sent you one more message:

**I do hate to sever our conversation, Y/N, but it is now that I must join my wife and court for dinner. I do hope to hear from you soon and that your visit to Tenebrae will be sooner than later. Good night, and do take care. Give my regards to Ignis upon his return.**

You sighed deeply, sitting your phone down and smiling as you reclined on the couch in the silence of your own thoughts, feeling a little more hopeful after talking to Ravus. _To think that Tenebrae will have its heir_ , you pondered happily as your eyes once again began to flutter shut slightly. _Ravus, you deserve all the peace in the world. Let’s hope these Niflheim matters can indeed be resolved sooner than later._

But before your body gave way to want of slumber your phone pealed and shrilled, the sound of the all-too familiar ringtone that you were more than desperate to hear piercing the quiet air. Grasping your phone almost too hastily, you fumbled with your cellular in hand as you swiped your screen and answered your call.

“I-Iggy, hello,” you said breathlessly, your body now alert. “H-How are you?”

“I-I’m alright, darling,” he said, almost caught off guard at how promptly you answered his call. “Y/N, are you alright? You sound a bit worse for wear…”

The concern in his voice tugged at your heartstrings as you replied. “Y-Yeah, I’m ok, Ignis. I was just dozing off as I was waiting for you to call! But everything here is ok!” You had yet to admit to him after these last few days just how awful you actually felt, but you feared doing so would further distract him from his obligations.

“I am most pleased to hear that,” he said lovingly. “Has work treated you well today since we last spoke? I’m…I’m so sorry to have made you wait for my call. I have done nothing but think of you since I last spoke with you earlier today…”

“It’s...It’s ok, Ignis. Please don’t worry about that.” Sitting here, hearing his distress only seemed to tear at your heart and so you combated the tightening of your throat to continue. “But yes, everything for the most part went fine today,” and quickly the visage of Ferox popped into your mind, sending an eerie chill down your spine. “E-Everything went just fine. Super busy and exhausting, but I can’t complain. The next few days though look like they are going to be a little bit more chaotic matter…”

“Ah yes, I was hoping to discuss with you,” Ignis said in response, and you could almost picture the way he was likely pushing his glasses up upon the bridge of his nose in such an analytical manner at this very moment. “I received word from Cor only just an hour ago that Ravus was successful in locating another stash of mythril. I am grateful for your sake that the plants received the new apparatuses to aid in the refinement process. I am only wishing that I could be there by your side to aid you in whatever assistance you would need…”

“I wish you were too, Ignis,” you admitted, swallowing hard. “But I’m sure I’ll handle everting just fine. I promise things will work out…But enough about me. I want to hear about your day! Did everything go ok with whatever you had to do?” Although at this point in your relationship Ignis shared with you almost every bit of information about his undertakings with you, in matters such as dealing with foreign nations, he could only tell you so much.

Ignis sighed deeply as if he was relieved that his day had come to an end too. “Ah yes. Yes it did indeed. While our agenda for today was rather demanding and required full-fledged immersion, blessedly the first phase of our plan here has been achieved and the results are quite impressive thus far.”

“Oh?” You began, your fatigue dissipating slightly and your curiosity piqued. “And what exactly did that all involve?”

“To put it succinctly and simply,” Ignis began with a deep breath, and you had to refrain from laughing, knowing how he had the tendency to deliver long-winded explanations, “Noctis was able to call forth the presence of the Tidemother and the Archaen themselves to manipulate the waters and ruins around the outlying districts along the coast of Altissia. While Leviathan retracted the tides away from the shorelines the Archaen lifted the debris that was too cumbrous and parturient for the LC-X models to transfer; thus the Astrals then erected a blockade around the shorelines as a dam of sorts. In conjunction, thus the LC-Xs were able to survey the land and began innovating the main frameworks for the structures that would replace what was lost.”

“You should have seen it! It was freakin’ badass!” Said the voice of Prompto somewhere in the background, and his sudden intrusion into your conversation with Ignis made you giggle to yourself.

“Quiet, Prompto! Iggy’s trying to talk!” Gladio scolded in response.

You sat there now trying to envision the fearsome power of the Astrals at hand, never having the chance to witness such a spectacle first hand for yourself. “That’s…that’s incredible, Ignis. I really do wish I could have been there to see it with you…”

Ignis huffed sharply on the other line and immediately you regretted sounding so hopeless. “I…I wish you were able to as well, my love. I truly wish you were…”

Silence impregnated the air for a second as you felt yourself choking from holding back tears. “So…” you began, regretting the question you were about to ask. “Do you…do you have any ideas what the duration of your time will look like in Altissia? Do have any idea long you are needed there before you can come home?”

“I…” Ignis began, but your questions only seemed to cause him strain. “I do not know, Y/N. The Astrals will once more be assisting us in our matters and so that will most surely help the process remain due diligent. But I truly cannot say when we all shall arrive back home. I should be able to tell more once our future itinerary is provided to us tomorrow, although even then I perhaps may not receive a firm riposte. I also must warn you in advance too that due to the nature of tomorrow’s itinerary, my…my contact with you may be limited. I’m…I’m most sorry, Y/N.”

_Breathe, Y/N. Be brave…_

“It’s ok, Ignis,” you replied almost too quickly. “I just…I figured I would ask you, just to see if you knew.” You forced a smiled now, doing your best to remain levelheaded.

“I will think of nothing else but you during the duration of all of it, my loveliest,” he said softly, his syllables cracking with pressure.

“Iggy…”

“Y/N…”

“I…” you said slowly, biting your lip so harshly that you caused yourself to bleed, the taste of your blood now fresh in your mouth. “I…I hate having to hang up on you, Ignis. Gods, I want to stay with you on the phone all night but I know I can’t do that. But I…I need to make sure I get some rest in case the shipment arrives tomorrow and…”

“I understand, Y/N. You need all the rest your body will give you.”

“Ignis?”

“Yes my love?”

“I love you. Oh gods, I really do love you.”

“And I love you with all my heart, my love…Sweetest of dreams, and do take care of yourself.”

“You too, Iggy…”

Silence.

And now you sat there with your phone in your palms, the ‘call ended’ screen lit and casting an ghostly effulgence upon your stomach as the stillness of the room engulfed you. Darkness now entered your quarters, the sun having set outside, and shivering slightly you bit your lip again, the taste of iron and salt causing your stomach to churn.

_Oh Ignis…gods, why am I so weak? What the hell is wrong with me?_

Four days. Only four days had transpired since Ignis had left and yet here you were within your desolation and vulnerability, and in this solitary and deafeningly silent moment you knew one thing was for certain.

You truthfully and devotedly loved Ignis with every fiber of your being, and gods only knew how you would have lived the rest of your life having never known him at all.

So as wearied and pitiful tears began to course down your cheeks, your face contorted and warped in your anguish and misery, you collapsed upon the couch, clutched a throw pillow and sobbed, hoping that at least this one night would pass for you in solace.

**Thursday – Day Five**

**Thursday – 7:01:23 a.m. From Ignis Scientia:**

**Dearest, let this message find you in good favor today as I hope that your dreams have given you nothing but peace of mind. Let you begin this day with a smile upon your beauteous face. Thoughts of you shall bring me much joy. I love you, Y/N…**

These words were all you could ask for to help you get through another tiresome day…

_One day closer, Iggy. One more day…Gods help me do this._

**Friday - Day Six**

While it would be extremely naïve to say that every single day during the duration of your EXINERIS career went smoothly and according to plan, nothing would have prepared you for the nightmarish calamities that would await you the next day. Having arrived early at the Insomnia office, you, Jeanne, and your fellow ladies were more than astounded to see that several Tenebraen aircraft carriers were waiting patiently for you to begin unloading the ginormous shipment of mythril that finally managed to arrive.

“H-Holly, you wouldn’t believe it,” you said shakily on your cellphone as your mind began to scramble over what you were looking. You watched as one by one the newer employees, Libertus, Jeanne, as well as a plethora of Tenebraen workers began to slowly but surely unload the precious cargo, and you could only gawk in utter awe as each crate was placed within the storage unit. “I-It’s going to take us MONTHS to get through all of this, even with the new refinery installed!”

“Y/N, you think that’s a lot? What you have is just HALF of what was found. We’ve got the other half.”

“What?” You shrieked as you began pacing about. “Are you serious? Just…Just how the hell did Ravus’s men manage to pack all of this up and send it here in such a short time? It must have taken a miracle!”

“Miracles have certainly been happening a lot in this world as of late,” she said with a smile in her voice. “But seriously, I don’t need you stressing over all of this. We are going to take it a day at a time. Remember, it’s not like all of the mythril has to be refined overnight all at once. We can work on it as it is needed. Just don’t be stressing over this, ok?”

“B-But Holly! We’ve also have the Cavaugh region that we have to keep our eye on too!” You stammered, suddenly recalling that excavating would need to be done there to retrieve another stash of the material.

“Calm down, kiddo! Jeesh! We’re going to take this all one day at a time!” Holly repeated. “The mythril isn’t going anywhere and no one is crackin’ the whip at you! Just relax! This isn’t all on you.”

Regardless, something in your heart felt desperate to be prompt with the task, feeling like somewhere deep inside you would need to be using this precious resource sooner than you thought. But sensing defeat, you sighed deeply, knowing that Holly was absolutely right.

 _One day at a time, Y/N_ , you thought to yourself. _Just like you’ve been doing already…_

Needless to say, despite your initial stress now alleviated after Holly talked sense into you, it was your remainder of the day that transformed into an absolute calamity and would send you reeling over the edge beyond what your mental and physical fortitude could withstand. An emergency call had arrived from the southern part of the city where for whatever reason unknown to you, a power line in a district that you and the girls had yet to inspect had caught fire and spread several blocks. Thanking the Astrals this district was still vacant, regardless, the fire’s wrath triggered major damage to the power grid and caused several other circuits to spark and short-circuit to other areas of the city. This catastrophe would set you and the ladies back a whole week, further backlogging your list of tasks that needed completing.

A call from Ignis during an unexpected hour of your work day helped alleviate your angst and disgruntlement over the predicament, but nothing could have prevented your deluge of tears as you explained to Ignis what happened, you feeling like the disaster was somehow your fault, even though you had no way of predicting the occurrence of the upheaval. Ignis did all he could do to assuage you on the phone as you sobbed, you feeling suddenly overly embarrassed over knowing that Ignis needed all of his energy diverted to his own errands.

“I-I’m so sorry,” you cried, wiping the tears away from your ruddy cheeks and sniffling as snot dripped from your nose. “Gods, I’m sorry Ignis. I shouldn’t be acting like this. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing to me, my love?” Ignis said, his vocal cords crackling and his words strained in his throat and he attempted to console you. “You are only human, love. You are allowed to be upset over such things. I cannot blame you for how you feel right now. Such devastation causes me equal distress and I know for a fact that Noctis as well will be most displeased over knowing that his has happened…”

This only made you cry more, Ignis now pleading with you on the other line and uttering apologies to you.

“Darling, please don’t cry. Please. Forgive me. Please don’t fret. It is alright. I assure you. Please, no more tears…”

You eventually calmed down and resumed your work, but needless to say, your setback in trying to mend the disaster left you sour and feeling like a failure for the rest of the day. And so thus, as your shift had ended and you made your way home, entirely drained beyond belief and your muscles burning from the strength exerted from lifting and adjusting heavy wires and lines all day, it was as you pulled into your development and neared home that you were more than beholden that the longest week of your life had met its end.

_Friday…thank the gods its Friday. How much more of this can I take right now?_

You turned onto your street, and nearing the driveway to your apartment it was with wide eyes that you felt yourself begin to curse yourself, realizint that someone very dear to you was sitting upon the steps leading up to your front door.

_Oh shit…Iris…I completely forgot….Iris was coming over tonight!_

You hastily turned off the ignition to your convertible as you pulled into the driveway and stumbled out of the car, Iris smiling and standing up with her bag by her side as you approached her.

“Well there you are! You had me worried that something bad happened to you!” She said with a surprising cheeriness that you had no idea how she managed to uphold after all these years. For a moment she studied your face, her brows now knitting together as she looked in your eyes. “Jeesh, you look like hell, Y/N. What in Eos happened to you today?”

Breathless as you reached her, instantly you wrapped your arms around her to give her a hug, a surprise ‘oof’ escaping her mouth as you collided with her tiny frame.

“Gods Iris, I-I’m so terribly sorry! I completely forgot that we made plans for tonight! I-It was chaos today and I got caught up in trying to tie loose ends before I left today and I just feel so awful for making you wait!”

“Woah woah woah, it’s ok, Y/N!” Iris said reassuringly as you held her within a vice grip. “I was only maybe waiting fifteen minutes aways! Besides, it’s a nice night and so I got to sit out here and relax! Don’t feel bad!” She pulled back to look at you and her usual cheery air was now serious. “What happened today though? I haven’t seen you this whipped up in years…”

The two of you headed inside, Iris settling in and starting to help you prep food and snacks she brought as you vented to her about work, her listening intently, and immediately she insisted you take a scalding hot shower to help ease your aching body. Taking her advice, finding the bath to be of great help, you dressed yourself in the most comfortable lounge clothes imaginable afterwards and headed back downstairs, your mind finally clear of work thoughts. You and her bringing your trays of food out to the living room where you began to chat idly, your bones and muscles suddenly felt like fluid as all strength left you and pure enervation took hold, and it was at this moment you realized that since you woke this morning, this was the first time you sat down all day.

“Man, it’s been such a long time since the two of us had a girls’ night,” Iris said blissfully as she popped some fresh fruit into her mouth while you started up your movie of choice for tonight. “Really, how long has it been? Way back when you were still in Lestallum? But then again, I’d like to say that both of us have been exceptionally busy since you’ve moved to Insomnia with me helping prep for Gladdy’s wedding and you with well…you know….”

You instantly started blushing a deep shade of crimson at her implication, a smirk now plastered on her face. You almost choked on a piece of fruit, feeling as though you were being inspected and you swallowed hard as you fought with your throat muscles for more than one reason.

“Wh-What is that look for?” You said bashfully, and the mere thought of Ignis was enough to make you want to sob.

_No…no…keep it together, Y/N. Don’t do this to Iris. Not tonight._

Iris’s eyes shimmered and she smiled so widely that you could see every single one of her pearly whites. “Oh don’t play innocent with me. C’mon now. You and Ignis? Astrals, is it the sweetest thing ever. To think back how during all those years you were so anxious to meet him and you thought that he’d never give you the time of day. And then? Poof! You became an official thing! And then bam! You took it even further.” She paused, grinning at her unintentional double meaning. “I just…man, Y/N, you have no idea how freakin’ happy I am for you. I feel like it’s been such a long time since I’ve said it out loud to you, but ever since you’ve moved here to Insomnia and I get to see more so from a first-hand account of how you and Ignis interact with one another? I don’t think my heart can handle just how adorable it is. It’s just…ugh. You two are goals. You really are. And me getting to see the way he looks at you and how much he loves you? Of course I have my moments of jealously in knowing that I don’t get to hang out with you as much, but for the sake of you and Iggy being happy? Jeese, I’d be willing to give that up. I….Y/N? Are you ok?”

You hadn’t realized you were now staring at the tv, your lungs constricted and your mouth hanging open as you watched on the screen two lovers embracing one another and kissing passionately, and whatever it was you were holding in your hand had fallen from your grasp and rolled to the floor. Your knees shaking and your lip quivering, you felt your skin turn hot and your spine prickle as your eyes started to burn and swell.

“Iris…Oh gods Iris…”

Your companion quickly reached to the coffee table in front of you and grabbed for the remote, pausing the movie and placing her hands upon your shoulders. “Y/N? Y/N, what’s the matter? You’re all pale. Are you sick? What’s the matter?”

Unable to withstand the dam that was ready to perforate from within you and shielding your face, an upsurge of tears started spilling forth from the floodgates of your eyes.

“Oh Iris…Oh gods…I miss him. I miss Ignis so much. I know it’s only been a few days since he’s left and yet it feels like years! I miss him so much!”

Iris gently pulled your hands away from your face to look at your bloodshot eyes, her own countenance drawn with concern.

“Y/N…oh Y/N…it’s ok. It’s ok! Calm down! Just relax…please don’t cry!”

You hiccupped and sputtered as you tried to wipe away the tears, now feeling utterly embarrassed that you as a grown woman were crying like an infant in front of your slightly younger best friend who seemed to be in the moment much more mature.

“Oh Iris, I’m s-so sorry! I don’t mean to cry like this but I’ve just had an awful week and I haven’t slept a wink because I’ve been having my nightmares again. And then not being able to talk to Ignis and let him know what’s going on because I don’t want to distract him has just been killing me. I feel so terrible though because I know you c-came over here to spend time with me and now I’m just ruining the whole evening for the both of us!”

“Oh hey, c’mon now,” Iris said, pulling you into her arms in a sisterly embrace. “Don’t beat yourself up over this! You’re ok! Besides, I’d rather you get this out of your system because I know what it’s like to bottle your feelings up for years upon end and just have it destroy you. I’m glad that you’re talking to me right now about this. I don’t want to see you suffering…” She reached up and wiped away a tear from your face, and you sniffled as you looked her deeply in the eyes.

“I know, I just…I just didn’t think that this would be so hard for me,” you explained. “I just feel so stupid now. I just…I don’t know, Iris…” You swallowed hard as your voice got “Iris, how…how did you do it? All those years that Noctis was gone…you were so young back then…Just how on earth did you manage to handle what you were feeling?”

Iris inhaled abruptly and you immediately regretted your words as you saw a pang of pain dart across her features, but nevertheless she took both of your teary hands and held them in hers, a maternal-like smile upon her face.

“It was hope, Y/N,” she said softly. “When it really came down to it, it was hope. What else could I and everyone do but to be hopeful? Gods, did I miss Noctis like hell each and every passing darkened day and night that went by, but with you and everyone else by my side and that last little tinge of hope that I held in my heart, I was able to be strong. What other choice did I have? And with hope in my heart I wanted to help give that to others. And so I kept moving forward. I became a fighter and a hunter. I fought the darkness knowing that others needed me. That gave me strength as we tried to find the answers to save Noctis. And look what happened? It all worked out for us in the end. And even still yet, I hold on to my hope, knowing that all will be ok in the end.” She paused for a moment, squeezing your hand, and somehow you had finally managed to placate your deluge of tears. Smiling once again, she continued to speak. “But you? You have to give yourself credit, Y/N. I’ve known you for a little over ten years now. Since the day I first met you and I learned about what happened to your family in Altissia, I couldn’t help but feel more than sorry for you because I knew what it was like to lose family because the same had happened to me when Gladdy and I lost our dad. But for you? This seemed different because I was at least surrounded and supported by friends and companions from the Citadel my whole life. I didn’t feel alone ever really. But you? Watching you all those years while we fought the darkness, I saw how alone you were, despite you becoming friends with me and Gladdy and Prompto. I saw how much your heart ached like you were missing something. And guess what?” She smiled at you now, her lips turning upwards into a cheeky grin, and you brushed back a solitary tear that managed to find its way down your face.

“W-What?” You asked breathlessly, not knowing where she was going with this.

“You were missing something and then out of nowhere, it came along. You were no longer lonely. You finally had met that special someone who was worth fighting for and filled that empty hole within your heart. You found Ignis and he found you. You had spent so much time hunting and working to bring back the light and yet you never got the chance to take care of yourself truly and let yourself find what you needed in life. Ignis came along and gave you that. He gave you companionship and hope and safety, all those things that you had hoped for in your life. But you know what he gave you the most? Love. He’s given you love and you have become the family to him that he too no longer has, and so for you to miss him and for him to miss you this much? Astrals, is that more than understandable. If I was you, Y/N? Gods, at this very moment I’d be feeling the exact same way as you…”

Feeling utterly speechless your heart was pounding heavily in your chest and your skin was flushed as she smiled at you. You had always felt in your heart that your friends were your new family to you, but it really wasn’t until this very second that you realized the implication of Iris’s words.

_Ignis…Ignis is like my family…oh Astrals…Iggy…_

Family feels like home. Home is where the heart is.

_Oh Iggy, be home soon._

**Saturday - Day Seven**

While you still awoke the next morning feeling slightly uneasy and restless, nevertheless Iris’s companionship had done much good for you to help placate your anxiety. Your dreams this time only foggy visages that attempted to strike fear in your heart, you managed to feel slightly more refreshed this morning as you and your best friend readied yourselves for the day.

Treating yourselves to a delectable breakfast at one of the local cafes, shortly after Iris decided to treat you to some much deserved pampering at a spa where you received a nice hair trim and massage. Your body feeling relieved of much of its tension, afterwards you both hit up some shops to treat yourselves to new attire. Ever so the stylist that she was, Iris exhibited her expertise in fashion by picking out various outfits for you to try on, her excitement apparent as you stepped out of the dressing room to showcase what she picked out.

“Oooooohhh boy, Iggy will go nuts when he sees you wearing that,” she said with a devilish grin, and instantly you were blushing deeply as you twirled around in front of the mirror, you donning a silky blouse and mini skater skirt with a blazer and moderately high heels.

“R-Really? You think so?” You asked bashfully as you admired just how toned and fit your legs look in the slightly suggestive but nevertheless classy outfit. While you were always one to love fashion, you typically didn’t show _this_ much skin for reason of how shy you tended to be at times.

“You better believe it,” Iris chirped as she admired you up and down. “But then again, who knows how long he’ll actually spend taking the time to admire it because I’m pretty sure that he’s going to want to take it off as-“

“IRIS OH MY GODS WE’RE IN PUBLIC!”

As much as you were flushing profusely as other shoppers now stared at you two, Iris laughing hysterically at your mortification, nonetheless, the idea of taking Ignis’s breath away was more than appealing.

“Let’s…let’s see what else we can find that’ll look good for him,” you said now, grinning at your thoughts.

It was later in the day now as you and Iris parted ways, Iris almost forgetting herself that she had offered to help Gladio’s fiancé with further wedding preparations.

“You now, I feel like the absolute shittiest bridesmaid in the entire world,” you said as you gave Iris the biggest hug imaginable. “I feel like I haven’t done a damn thing to help you out in all of this.”

Iris laughed. “Oh stop it. You realize that you technically don’t have to, right? I think you’re thinking of the bridal shower. Besides, considering that Gladio is basically my only blood family left I feel more than compelled to make sure that everything goes perfectly for him. And I know just how terribly busy he and you both are and so I’m more than happy to help with all of this.” She paused now, her expression now somber. “But seriously, Y/N, are you going to be ok the rest of the day? I feel bad like I’m ditching you or something.”

You smiled softly, and truth be told, while you certainly felt a little bit more elated than you had in the last few days, you quite didn’t know at what moment your mood would falter again. Nevertheless, you decided to keep that little secret to yourself.

“I think I’ll be just fine, Iris. My head is situated a bit more straightly now and so I think I will manage. Besides, I’m feeling a little energized after that massage and I’m thinking of heading down to the Citadel to maybe train a for a bit.”

Iris raised her eyebrow at this. “Really? Train? After all that time we spent today trying to get you to relax?” She said playfully. “Of all things you can do you’re going to beat your body up…” But as her words trailed off, you could see she started to make sense of your idea. “You know what? I take that back. I haven’t picked up a sword in a while but if I was you right now, I think I’d find that to be a pretty good idea too…”

“Thank you, Iris. Thank you for cheering me up.”

“Any time, Y/N. You just take care, you here?”

Parting ways with your best friend, you made your way to the Citadel, you now donned in comfortable workout clothes with your bag in hand. As you were a mere twenty feet away from the doorway to the training room, you stopped in your tracks, hearing the clash of swords and various grunts from behind the door. Suddenly you cursed yourself for your own thoughtlessness. _I’m such an idiot!_ You thought, highly loudly as you approached the room. _You’d think that I’d perhaps call Cor or check with someone first to make sure that this wasn’t being used already for the afternoon…_ But as you reached the door you saw that it was propped opened ever so slightly, and feeling as though this was an open invitation to anyone, you slowly peaked inside to have your eyes widen and a smile spread across your lips.

Training within the room were several of the Glaives you had the pleasure of working with over the course of the many dreadful and darkened years that had transpired during Noctis’s slumber. Currently dueling each other in teams of two were Nelly, Gutsco, Delilah, and Sadda, and you could not help but stare in absolute awe at the way they warped across the room, their arrays of weapons scintillating brightly as they dodged each other’s attacks with swiftness and elegance. There to supervise the spectacle was the Marshall himself, you slightly more than surprised to see that Libertus was nowhere in sight. As you quietly entered, your friends stopped their pursuits of one another for just a moment to focus their attention on you, their faces lighting up as you approached.

“Y/N, what a surprise to see you,” the Marshall said warmly as he crossed his arms and tilted his head to look at you. “What brings you here on this Saturday afternoon? Couldn’t keep away from here for too long, could you?”

You embarrassingly scratched your head as the Glaives took their break, setting down their weapons and getting drinks as they sat down and began their own conversations. “Yeah, I suppose you could say that,” you began, feeling awkward for intruding. “I figured I would try to keep myself busy this afternoon and though a bit of training would do me good. Turns out though that I completely forget to check to see if the room was being used already. I’m sorry for intruding on you guys…”

“You’re never an intrusion,” Delilah said kindly from her seat. “We’re more than happy to have join us today!”

The others nodded in agreement as you smiled at them and turned your attention back to Cor. “Where is Libertus? I’m surprised that he isn’t here right now.”

“He’s out of the city doing some field work with a small train of Glaives,” Cor explained. “They are engaged in a practice simulation to prepare for cases of emergency. I can assure you though that this is normal protocol with the Glaives,” he added quickly, seeing worry spread across your face. “He’ll be back later this evening though if you want to stay around and receive the details of his excursion.”

“Would you like to join us for some sparring?” Chimed in Nelly as she now wiped off the sweat from her brow with a rag and stood up, prepping her weapons in hand. “It’s been a while since we all fought in the same vicinity…”

And thus you did, much to your delight. While you knew that it would take you years to even come close to equating the powers of the Glaives, you were still rather impressed with yourself you were managed to uphold your own as you sparred your comrades in turns. While each of them had always known how volatile of a fighter you actually were, nonetheless, all were overly impressed with how unyielding you remained after all these years. Cor too was more than enthralled with your performance, seeing that your continued hard work with training with him during the last few weeks had seemed to pay off.

After a good hour or so of exhausting yet liberating drills, it was then that your companions decided to call it quits for the day, the sun now almost having completely set in the sky and casting dark shadows within the anteroom as everyone decided to pack up their bags to head on out.

“Most remarkable work,” Cor said with a hand upon your shoulder. “You should be proud of yourself for how much you are improving. I know for a fact that Ignis would have been delighted to see you perform today.”

Your heart clenched and your throat tighented at the mention of his name and you tried your best to remain composed as each of the Glaives said goodbye to you. “T-Thank you, Cor. I’m just trying to keep strong in case I am ever needed…”

Cor looked at you solemnly for a moment, seeing the slight distress upon your face. “Are you alright, Y/N?”

His sudden concern for you to caught you off guard, his gaze paternal, but you quickly nodded, trying to keep yourself distract from any of his further prying. “Y-Yeah, I’m ok. Just a little bit tired is all. It’s been a long day. But I’m going to hang around for a little bit and practice my work with the daggers that Ignis let me borrow. I haven’t really had much of a chance to work with them yet and I figured I’d give them a try on the practice dummy.”

Cor contemplated you in silence for a moment, him seeming very uncharacteristically conflicted at your behavior. “Very well then,” he said slowly. “Please do know that you can reach out to me if needed. Libertus should be arriving back home within the hour as well.”

“I’ll…I’ll be ok, Cor. I promise…”

And so with Cor giving you one last solemn look, he exited the training room, him leaving you in complete and utter solitary silence as you stared ahead at the training dummy across the room. Breathing in deeply, you fought back a sudden tear that threatened to make its way out of your eye, and you sniffled as you headed over towards your bag to take out your phone and check it.

_Oh Iggy…where are you? I hope you are ok right now…_

While Ignis had texted you briefly during your excursions with Iris earlier in the day, he had not specified at what time he would call you later in the evening. Knowing just how assiduous his schedule for this day would be, you tried to not let yourself get discouraged with his lack of contact. Nonetheless, as you stretched your weary body and flexed your arms, preparing yourself to start practicing your dagger work, you pulled from your bag the weapons and now focused on the target before you. As you blankly stared ahead, you found your mental fortitude slowly starting to crumble after having built up your walls of gallantry throughout the day, and you brawled with every ounce of your strength to not let a sob escape you.

After many moments had passed, you transitioning from throwing the blades to now slashing and hacking at the dummy, it was with a loud clang of the metal door to the training room that you felt your focus stolen away, sighing heavily as you opened your mouth to speak.

“I’m ok, Cor, I promise,” you said aloud now as you slashed at the dummy one more time. “You don’t have to worry about me at all. I’m just-“

But as you fully turned around now, your daggers slipped away from your grasp and hit the tile floor with a loud clatter as you gaped at the presence of the person before you, the blood draining from your face and your knees starting to tremble.

There, standing before you and approaching you slowly with a sports bag over his shoulder and his body donned in a tank top and sweats that showed off the toned and bulging muscles of his arms and torso was Ferox, and just by the way he was grinning widely could you tell that he was more than happy to see that the training room was already preoccupied.

“Well well well,” he began as he sat down his bag next to yours and crossed his arms. “Astrals, would I never have imagined to see you here on a Saturday night. No plans? Whatever brings you here?”

You swallowed hard as you feebly picked up your daggers and began to fidget with them in your hands. “T-This _is_ what I call a plan,” you said slowly, your face reddening as he approached you with another step. “I just wanted to get some quick practice in before I went home to make dinner. Although I could perhaps say the same for you…”

Ferox chuckled as he came to stand by you and summoned forth his own daggers and began to inspect them. “You could say that,” he said rather huskily. “Typically the training room is quiet at this time of night, other than having the occasional fellow Glaive pop in here. This is usually my time to shine though. I have to keep strong after all. You never know when you’re going to need to be ready to protect someone...” You swallowed roughly as he slowly started to circle you, and he looked to the dummy ahead. Within a flash of white he flung the blades forth within, both hitting the target head on, one piercing directly between the eyes and the other striking the heart. “Not too bad, huh? Think that’s good enough for me to jump in and help take out the bad guys?” He asked as he turned back to look at you with heat in his stare.

“Y-Yeah, impressive,” you stammered, and instantly you cursed yourself for the flattery.

Ferox smiled as he tilted his head to look at you, and slowly his fingers began to dance over the hilt of his daggers that magically reappeared in his hands again. “You know, I’m going to sound like a hypocrite for saying this, but as much as I enjoy the peace and quiet of getting to focus on my skills by myself, training is much more… ‘effective’ when you do it with someone else , that is if you catch my drift.”

You took a step closer towards your bag, trying to make it seem like you suddenly had other plans, but Ferox strode forward to shorten the gap between you two.

“N-No, I’m sorry, but I’m not quite sure what you mean by more ‘effective.’”

“Oh come on now, I think you know what I’m asking…” And thus, as if trying to show off, warping himself to the dummy as slicing at it through its gut, the daggers remained implanted in the corpse of the lifeless mannequin as he magically phased into your personal space and towered over you with a flirtatious look in his eyes. “That dummy right there? That sure as hell ain’t gonna fight me back. What I’m saying is that I’d like someone to test me. I want to show off what I can do. What are you doing tomorrow morning?”

His sudden question completely caught you off guard as you could only gape up at him, and damning yourself to hell a flush creeped over your skin, your body’s reaction to his closeness surely sending him the wrong message.

“I-I’m sorry, but what?” You asked stupidly, feeling like you were backed into a corner by a Jabberwock.

Ferox laughed, seeming to be charmed by your obliviousness. “What I asked you is what are you up to when you wake up tomorrow? Or in other words: would you like to train with me in the morning? I could use the partner for once and I’m sure you could use one too…”

 _Shit shit shit shit shit…_ you thought as your heart walloped in your chest, and your mouth went dry and your hands became clammy as you watched his hands rest upon his hips while you waited for his answer. _How the hell do I get myself out of this?_

“I…I…I’m sorry, but tomorrow I can’t. I…I need to head to the plant to work on the shipment of m-mythril. I have an awful lot to do with helping the girls learn the refinery process.”

Ferox smirked, his hips shifting as he titled his head to look at you, and you could have sworn he was seeing directly through your lie. “Right…and they’re making the manager do the dirty work on a weekend? I don’t see that being very fair…”

 _Oh Astrals help me_ , you cried in your head as his simper widened even more, and your knees felt locked in place as you tried to move. _What the hell? Oh gods, what do I say now?_

Just as he was about close the gap between you completely, the shrill and piercing ring of your cellphone shattered the sudden silence that impregnated the room, and quickly shoving your daggers into your bag and yanking your phone out, with wide dear-in-the-headlight eyes you looked to Ferox.

“Emergency call from work,” you said hoarsely, very much knowing who it was who calling you at this very moment that you were so happily desperate to hear. “I-I’m sorry…”

Grabbing your belongings and rushing out through the heavy doorway into hall without looking back, you withheld a sob as you hastily answered your phone, your voice cracking as you opened your mouth to speak breathlessly to the soul on the other line.

“Ignis, oh Ignis. How are you?” You asked, your body trembling and now caked in sweat.

“Darling? Are you alright?” He replied to you, instantly seeming panic-stricken at the timorous tone in your voice.

“Y-Yes, I’m fine. Just finished training with the Glaives. Just a bit breathless. Oh gods, how happy I am to hear you…I missed you…T-Tell me, how was your day…”

Listening to Ignis’s soothing voice as best as you could, you began to feel like a destitute prey being stalked by the most dangerous Coeurl, and you could only begin to wonder just how much longer you could survive before you were hunted down.

_Ignis, please get home soon…_

**Sunday - Day Eight**

Your brief emotional reprieve met its end when you were once again beleaguered by night dreads of the worst miens imaginable. The daemonic-like beast with its many tentacles that had struck terror in your heart many weeks ago made its appearance once more, its razor-blade teeth shredding and tearing at your flesh as you screamed in agony and slowly bled to your death. The abstruse and equivocal passageway which you so desprately sought to reach its mysterious light at the end set you ablaze and boiled you for another consecutive night. But much to your added revulsion, the visage of a towering shadowy figure that you presumed was a man had stalked you as you tried to run away, and being backed into a corner by his advances with nowhere to run, he approached your naked form fast, pressed you up against a wall, grabbed for the hair at the back of your head and-

And thus waking up, your body drenched in sweat and your skin crawling like the prickled of Arachne’s touch, you sobbed as you buried your face in your quivering hands, your body shaking and trembling with fatigue as sleep failed you for another night.

 _Oh gods, how am I going to get through today?_ You thought as you bit your lip and wiped away your tears, and the thought making it through the entirety of your Sunday instantly became a huge burden to you. _How can I just sit here in my thoughts like this?_ Your mind flashing back to yesterday’s encounter with Ferox, you recalled your fib in saying that you would in fact be spending your day at EXINERIS. _That….that’s how I’ll do it. That’s what I’ll do to get away…_

Jeanne and her squardon were more than shocked as strolled into EXINERIS, fully dressed in your typical jumpsuit and your face drawn in an exhausted and overenthusiastic smile.

“Y/N, what in all of Eos are you doing here?” She asked you as you approached her while the other girls who were on staff continued to work. “You do realize it’s Sunday, right?” But as you stood in front of her she carefully studied your face, her eyes suddenly broadening with concern. “Shiva, you look like hell! Seriously, Y/N, why are you here? Go back home and get your rest! You already had a chaotic week last week as it is!”

Being the stubborn Garula you were, you shook your head vehemently, doing your best to repress a yawn. “N-No, it’s ok, Jeanne. I’m feeling a bit restless today and I wanted to keep myself preoccupied. I figured I would come in and get everything ready to head back out to the district that suffered through that fire. That and I want to start looking at the guidelines for the refinery. I don’t want all of us to fall behind on all this work we have to do.”

Jeanne shook her head and sighed as she realized you were not about to back down on your offer. “You are in fact one of the bosses after all. I guess I really can’t tell you no,” she began. “But that district? You don’t have to worry about that at all. We had one of our teams get a start on it yesterday when you were off and believe it or not, the Citadel sent out an LC-X model to help out. We should be in good shape with that today so you won’t even have to worry about that at all next week. If anything,” she said, turning around and motioning with her head towards the back of the plant. “We were actually about to get started on adjusting the pressure levels of the refinery so we could test out of a batch of mythril and get an idea on how effectively the thing actually runs. Do you perhaps want to strap on a thermal suit and head into the generator room? When I checked just moments right before you got here I saw from our outside mainframe that the power levels were slightly off. I want to make sure that everything is stable internally before we start exerting all of that energy before we test the refinery. We don’t need this place blowing up because we weren’t careful. Mind checking for us?”

“N-Not a problem, Jeanne,” you said with a hazy smile as you stifled a yawn, and at this moment you suddenly realized just how truly tired you were. “I’ll get right on it.”

Jeanne gave you a quizzical look for a moment and appeared as though she was about to change her mind when you darted away before she could say anything. Heading to the supply room where you suited up in your protective gear, you grabbed your technician’s pack and proceeded to enter the generator room. Instantly you were assaulted by the blazing and scorching heat of the chamber where the resonances of metallic pistons slammed up and down and gears and cogs grinded and shifted in their laborious work. Entering the elevator shaft you rode up to the third floor and made your way to the center mainframe, the glowing orange and yellow lights of the machinery almost soothing your wearied mind and reminding you of a sunset on a summer afternoon at Galdin Quay.

 _Warm...it’s so nice and warm...is it always this warm in here?_ You stupidly thought to yourself as you crossed the precarious metal walkways, holding onto the rails to steady yourself as you approached gears, valves, and the mainframe that kept the plant running. Your breathing was somehow labored and suddenly it felt as though a heavy weight lay upon your chest, crushing your delicate lungs. Sweat instantly began to pool over your forehead, breasts and stomach as the already too uncomfortable thermal suit sweltered you like a sauna, and now standing in front of the mainframe panel and leaning over to analyze the readings on the console, you took a deep breath as your head began to whirl under the sudden pressure of heat and humidity.

 _Ok…ok…_ you said to yourself as you inhaled sharply, squinting as you read the modules. _The pressure levels are slightly off so it’s a good thing Jeanne had me come in here in check._ You smiled to yourself as you took a deep breath, yet no air seemed to suck itself up into your lungs as you bent down and opened your pack to grab a wrench.

But as you bent over, your vision flashed before you and hurriedly you steadied yourself on the panel in front of you, your chest rising and falling heavily as you straightened yourself and began to tighten some valves with questionably shaky hands.

_Calm down, Y/N. You’ve got this. You’ve done this a billion times before. Just calm down. Maybe I should have eaten before I came in here. Ignis would be so upset with me if he knew that I skipped breakfast…_

And obviously the lack of sleep wasn’t helping.

Maybe Jeanne was right. Maybe this wasn’t the smartest thing to be doing after barely having slept in a week, your nerves on end and your body quaking from dehydration as you finished tightening a valve and adjusting the wires on the control panel’s mainframe. The numbers slowly leveled out across the board, you sighing with relief at seeing that you had completed your job successfully and could leave the inferno before you passed out.

Turning slightly, you felt your vision distort and whirl, your stomach shifting uncomfortably in your belly as you felt yourself stop dead in your tracks, and your eyes widened in sudden terror at what you stood before you.

_No…no…oh Astrals no…please…_

Whether it was the fogginess of the protector shielding your face or the haziness of the atmosphere shrouded by steam exuded from the pistons and engines that clamored in the room, you would never know, but as you leaned against the railing to steady yourself on the shaky walkway, a sob of panic escaped your mouth.

There, standing menacingly on the opposite end of the walk and obstructing your way you was a ginormous visage of a beast shrouded in fog, its tentacles lashing from side to side as it sluggishly lumbered towards you, and out of hunter’s instinct you reached for your katana by your side.

And yet to no avail, it was not there to protect you.

 _Gods...oh gods no…what is that thing?! What is it doing here!_ You screamed in your head, your eyes quickly darting from side to side for any means of diversion. Your eyes falling to a crowbar that lay discarded about ten feet away, you reached for it with shaky hands, steadying yourself as the snarling and grumbling beast screeched and lashed its teeth out at you. Raising your crowbar to defend yourself, you readied yourself on your feet to lunge, knowing that all was lost no matter what you tried to do to protect yourself.

But before you could open your mouth to emit your battle cry, the creature slowly evaporated in a large puff of smoke and miasma, and now slowly sauntering towards you was an intimidating creature of a different kind, one that made you flush deeply within your heavy suit and bite your lip with pure apprehension.

“Looks like you kept up on your word,” said Ferox as he sauntered his way towards you with a sway in his hips and his chest held high. He wore nothing but a simple black tank top and dark washed jeans, the sweat of his body slowly rolling down his chest and biceps in the most provocative of ways. He smirked as he took one more step closer to you, the glint in his eyes suggesting his motives. “Here, let me help you with that there. No need to put your body under such pressure like that. That’s what I’m here for though. To give you a little assistance, if you catch my drift…”

You took another step back as you blushed deeply, your feet glued in place as you were more than grateful he could not properly see your face behind your mask. “F-Ferox! You’re not supposed to be in here like that!” You stammered as the heat of the room was now getting the absolute best of you. “The r-radiation could kill you! Why are you here anyways?”

Ferox smirked as he now stopped in his steps, he tilting his head to get a better look at you while he flexed his hands. “Well look at that. You do care about me after all...”

It was as reached out to touch you that you shut your eyes tightly, your scream frozen in your throat. And yet, nothing happened. As you slowly opened your eyes in befuddlement, you found your scream dislodging from your throat as new terror beheld your sight, the most horrifying visage of all that you wished to have never seen in your entire life.

_No…no…oh gods no….Ignis…IGNIS!!!!_

Up ahead upon the steel walkway, his body crumpled and unmoving with clothing torn and ragged lay Ignis, and rushing forward towards him you fell to his side to quickly inspect his face. His lips were drawn into a peaceful smile, his scarred eyes shut delicately as if lost in the world of slumber. You began to touch his face and inspect his body, his shirt torn open and a large laceration across his chest, his warm blood slowly gushing from the maw.

“I-Ignis! Ignis! Oh please wake up!” You cried as you quickly ripped of your helmet and pressed your lips to his, trying to get him to awaken. But to no avail, not matter how loudly you shrieked his name or shook his body, he simply would not stir. “Ignis! Oh gods, please wake up! What happened to you?” You sobbed, your tears now gushing down your cheeks as you held his broken body against yours, the blood of his chest now seeping into your jump suit.

“Ah uh uh…” drawled a looming voice from behind you, and you whipped around quickly to stare in repugnance and abhorrence as you gazed upon the shrouded figure that nonchalantly approached you. “I would say the game’s now up, my _dear_ …” And with a burst of dark purple miasma now sauntered a new figure, causing your eyes to broaden in terror and a blood-curdling scream to escape your lips.

_No…what the hell is going on…Ardyn…it can’t be….Ardyn!_

“No!” You screamed back, your body weakened as you protectively held onto Ignis. “G-Get away from us! Go back to the hell that you belong to!”

Ardyn chuckled menacingly as he took the fedora off of his head and tossed it unceremoniously over the edge of the railing, and every hair on your body stood on end as the inhumanness of his chuckle terrified every bone in your body. His eyes glowed ominously as his gaze shifted back and forth from yours to Ignis, and looking down at his hands as if bored, he slowly spoke to you. “I’m afraid that I can’t do that, child. You after all brought me here yourself. Now why don’t you follow your liege’s lead and stop resisting? You are only making this worse off for yourself…”

Your lungs were ready to burst from lack of air as Ardyn took one more step closer to you, the tears streaming down your face clouding your vision.

“J-Just what the hell are you talking about!” You cried as you felt your grip slacken around your lover. “What do you mean I brought you here? Please, just leave us alone and let us be in peace!”

Ardyn chuckled again as he finally reached you, him grabbing the fabric of your suit and yanking you away from Ignis. Holding you in his grasp with his forcible hand around your throat, the smirk upon his lips sent chills down your spine and made all color drain from your pallid face.

“How did you do this to yourself?” Ardyn asked inquisitively as he hand gripped your throat more forcefully, his fingers digging tightly into your flesh and cutting off your airways. “Why _dearest_ … _darling_ …this is what happens when you let your fear consume you! This what happens when you succumb to all that threatens your very sanity! Oh why would you ever let yourself become something so utterly weak and pathetic and allow yourself to reach this point, _dearest_?”

“S-Stop c-calling m-me that!” You croaked, your words barely audible and your vision whirling further as air was gripped from your lungs. “I-I’m not w-weak!”

“Why yes you are, child!” Ardyn said as he now lifted you higher into the air with immeasurable strength like you were a rag dog, both of your hands now desperately trying to pull at his tight grip around your neck. “And what a shame you are indeed, Y/N. What would your dearest love ever think of you right now to see you falter like this? You’re supposed to protect the weak and innocent. You are supposed to lead by example, and yet here you are, utterly worthless and barely able to stand upon your own without the hand of the king. Weak. Utterly paltry and piteous and pathetic. You should be ever so _ashamed_ of yourself…”

Your eyesight slowly began to blacken as you glared down at Ardyn, your legs dangling helplessly underneath you as he maneuvered you closer to the railing.

“I. Will. F-Fight. Back. I-I won’t…give…up!”

Your body convulsed as Ardyn raised his eyebrow, studying you with faint amusement, and it appeared that the cogs in his head had finally stopped turning. “No? You shall not give up?” The chancellor alleged, studying your face. Slowly, a grotesque and ghastly grin spread across his lips, his skin now blackening and melting away like the daemon he would become. “Then permit me to make a suggestion…”

And so holding you up high, your legs dangling lifelessly beneath you, he lifted your corpse up over the metal railing, gave you once last damnable and diabolical grin, and let his death vice around your throat falter, and the last thing you felt was your body plummeting into the darkness below…

***********************

Beep. Beep. Beep Beep…

_…Huh? W-Where am I…._

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Your eyes slowly fluttered open to the sights of soft warm light permeating the room, the white walls around you cast in shadows from slotted shades. A warmth covered you and your head was propped up slightly by the softness of a pillow supporting your neck, and for once in the last week your body felt at complete peace, despite the soreness in your muscles.

Finally finding yourself able to breathe, you moved your arm and winced slightly with surprise as you tilted your head to see that a needle and tubing was inserted into your arm, a clear liquid apparently pumping its way through your blood stream.

_Oh…oh gods…am I…am I in…_

“Oh good! You’re finally awake!”

Your eyes focusing, you slanted your head to the side towards the voice that spoke to see that seated right next to you by your bed was none other than Iris, her expression bright and cheery and yet drawn with an equal amount of concern.

“I-Iris…” you began, your voice slightly hoarse as you shifted yourself upwards more comfortably, and wincing slightly again, you now noticed that the Marshall too was seated in the corner of the room, his arms crossed and his expression grim, but nevertheless he too looked more troubled than ever. Finding the right words, you continued to speak again. “I-Iris…how did I get here? Why am I in a hospital?”

Iris frowned, Cor shifting uncomfortably in his chair as Iris took your hand carefully. “You…you really don’t remember what happened to you?”

_Huh? What is she talking about?_

“N-No, Iris, I don’t. I was at the plant and now I’m here…just…just what happened to me?”

Iris looked at you for a second, and from out in the hallway you could hear voices. Listening in carefully you recognized Jeanne and Libertus conversing over something, but what exactly it was you couldn’t tell. Iris squeezed your hand to bring your attention back to her “Well, we were told according to Jeanne you had gone into the generator room to check the pressure levels for the plant before testing some mythril. Jeanne had noticed that you had been gone an awful amount of time, and knowing how quick you are to handle your tasks at the plant, she began to get worried. But she and a few of the girls thought they heard strange noises and so they headed inside the generator room, only to find your body on the base floor, just mere feet away from the inner gears and pistons of one of the energy regenerators. And what Jeanne saw caused her even more fright. Y/N,” Iris said with a pause, her holding your hand tightly now as if pained to say it. “She saw that your helmet had been discarded on the floor a good twenty feet away and that your forehead and mouth were bleeding. She quickly managed to carry you out before any radiation could get to you and sent the girls up to the control panel to see that all of your gear was still up there. Quickly everyone was able to put two and two together...Y/N…you fell. You fell long and hard and thank the gods you are alive...”

“And gods only knew how you survived that fall without getting hurt,” Cor said with strain in his voice.

_I…I fell? Oh gods…just how long have I been here? How long-_

“Thank goodness you’re alive and well indeed,” said the young bubbly nurse who just walked into your room, her voice soothing and the countenance upon her face quite friendly. She looked you over for a moment, her expression serious but nevertheless relieved. “Seriously, when you were brought to us and your coworker out there told us how far you fell, I could never in a million years imagine how on earth you managed to come out unscathed like you did. No radiation in your blood stream either. Your friends must have found you fast enough. And those cuts on your lip and eyebrow? That’s the only real damage you sustained and thankfully we were able to seal those up without you having to worry about major scaring on your pretty face. But the rest of you? No broken bones, no bruising on your skin. Nothing, except for that strange little mark on your throat there, but that looks like an injury that’s been healing…”

Your mind whirling with all that she just presented to you, inadvertently you brought your one hand up to touch your mouth and eyebrow, wincing slightly at the dull pain; truly, how did you manage to not suffer worse than this? Moving your hand down to your neck, your fingertips brushing the pendant of your necklace, suddenly you blushed deeply at the thought of what precisely it was that had caused this particular mark in the first place. Your eyes making brief contact with Iris and Cor, both too suddenly turned red at the notion of what caused such.

Hiding your sudden embarrassment, you wracked your brain, still not believing you were here. “Just…how long have I been here? You asked softly as the nurse checked your levels.

The nurse now turned to look to you, jotting down some information on your chart. “About four hours. We’re glad you were able to get some rest though while we ran some blood tests to see what really was going on with you. We found from your blood samples that your blood sugar and iron levels are low. Tell me, Y/N, have you been experiencing cases of extreme fatigue?”

“Y-Yeah, you could say that,” you admitted meekly.

“How many hours of sleep per night would you say you’ve been getting?”

Feeling yourself blush now, you sighed. “Maybe…maybe one or two?”

“Yikes! That’s what your friends here told us too,” the nurse threw in. Out of the corner of your eyes you saw Iris and Cor staring at you like worried parents, Iris seeming guilty over her knowing how you hadn’t slept properly and Cor now ashamed that he didn’t speak more firmly about the suspicions of your behavior. “And one more thing: have you been eating at least three meals a day or maintaining at least a balanced diet?”

Once again, you felt yourself turning beet red and you shook your head. “Um…M-Maybe I’ve been a little neglectful on that too admittedly. I’ve been preoccupied in my head and trying to keep busy this week that maybe I haven’t been eating as much as I should...”

 _Goodness, Ignis would be so disappointed in me if he knew about this right,_ you thought to yourself, and the very thought of him at this moment made you want to sob.

_Ignis._

_Oh. Oh gods. Ignis._

And suddenly it all came back to you.

_Those visions…oh Astrals…did my exhaustion and stress make me start seeing things? Was I…was I sleep walking? No…but why…why would I see those terrible things?_

Ardyn.

 _“This is what happens when you let your fear consume you! This what happens when you allow yourself to succumb to all that threatens your very sanity! Oh why would you ever let yourself become something so utterly weak and pathetic, dearest?”_ He had said to you. By gods, as much as his embodiment had petrified and disgusted you, he was _right_. Had you not let your fears and anxieties overwhelm you, you would not be in this situation to cause concern for the people that cared so deeply about you.

_How could I be such a disappointment?_

Thankfully the nurse did not catch on to your suddenly terrified expression and thus continued her diagnosis of you. “Well there you have it,” she said. “Sleep deprivation is a major cause of accidents at work. Insomnia can also lead to the impairing of concentration as well as alertness and attention. You blacked out clearly just from not getting the rest your body needs. And when we checked your blood pressure? Goodness, was that through the roof too. I was told by your friends you’ve been stressing out majorly this week. Combine that with low blood sugar and low iron from not eating enough essential iron rich food sources such as red meat and you got yourself situated comfortably here. Again, you’re very fortunate you had your friends looking out for you.”

You looked to Iris and Cor fully this time, and despite how utterly mortified you were feeling over the fact that you as a grown woman was admitting to your lack of self-care, it was the look on each of their faces that made you feel more than grateful you had a circle of those who cared about you so much.

“Excuse me for a moment while I go speak to the doctor,” the nurse said, sensing a light air of tension in the room, and briskly she walked out.

The hospital monitors continued to beep in a steady and somehow soothing rhythm. From outside, you once again heard the voices of Jeanne and Libertus in heavy conversation with one another, and slowly you felt your heart begin to stutter in shame.

“Cor…Iris…I’m…I’m so sorry…” you mummured quietly, feeling a tear stream down your face.

Both Iris and Cor looked at each other with perplexity, but it was Iris who spoke first. “Sorry? Why in all of Eos are you sorry?” She asked you, reaching out to take your hand again.

“I just…” you began, fighting back your sob. “Gods, I’ve been such a child this past week. This is not how a grown woman should act, and yet here I am getting myself stuck in a hospital because I can’t take care of myself. Driving myself to exhaustion so that I passed out on the job? How reckless.” You paused as you looked at them, taking note of the voices out in the hallway. “I don’t need to be causing worry to everyone else because I’m hiding how I’m feeling and just letting it build up inside. You all are already so busy taking care of everything else. You don’t need to be worrying about me. I’m…I’m so sorry…”

And then a thought popped into your head.

_Ignis. Oh gods. Ignis._

You sat up almost too quickly in bed, Iris slowly jolting upwards to steady you. “Ignis!” You began with panic in your voice. “The nurse said I’ve been here for hours! Oh gods, Ignis! Does he know? Does he know what happened to me? Has he tried calling at all?”

Iris sighed deeply as she helped situate yourself upright. As you looked across the room at Cor though, you could see that he looked rather aggravated at your inquiries, and Iris couldn’t help but smile at this.

“Don’t worry,” she began. “For once it was me that had to talk Cor out of doing the proper thing for the sake of reason. Once we all knew that you were ok, I had to stop Cor from calling Ignis and the boys right away, at least until you were ready to call him yourself. Thank goodness Iggy and everyone must be so busy today because no one tried to call in the last few hours. If Ignis knew what happened to you? Gods only knows how that would affect the rest of the operation in Altissia…”

“And if you are suggesting what I think you are suggesting,” Cor began with a frown, and for once you could not believe that Cor was not complying to proper etiquette.

“Why yes Cor, a little white lie never hurt anyone,” Iris replied.

The more you thought about it, the more Iris’s point made sense. From the very start you were paranoid about doing or saying anything to Ignis on the phone that would cause him to be distracted from his onuses, and so perhaps that even at this moment that would continue to be best.

 _No…I can’t lie to him…I_ have _to tell him the truth. I promised Ignis that I would always tell him what was on my mind…_

And as if timing could not had been more perfect, your phone that had somehow been retrieved from your accident was now ringing loudly on the bedside table, causing you to startle. Iris and Cor both looking to each other now, they gave you one last look at they exited the room and shut the door behind them, leaving you to handle your predicament. And so with quaky hands, you picked up your phone and spoke to the man you so depravedly longed to hear from.

“H-Hi, Ignis,” you said softly, feeling anxious over what you were going to say to him.

“Darling…my dearest,” he replied rather breathlessly, and something in the tone of his voice caused your heart to clench. “M-My apologies for taking this long to get back to you this evening. We have just concluded a series of rather convoluted and tiresome convocations, and it was while in the midst of them that I had the most overwhelming urge to speak to you. Yet given the interrogations were engaged in, I am finally only able now to speak with you. I do hope that you can forgive me, Y/N.”

You smiled as warmth washed over you. “It’s ok, Ignis,” you replied gently, biting your lip. “Your job comes first. It’s ok. I can be patient. Besides,” you said with a pause, afraid to plunge to the point of no return. “I was a tad bit busy today myself and so I’m equally guilty for not reaching out to you as soon as I could either…”

Ignis sighed with relief. “Nonetheless, my love, you know how much I loathe to keep you waiting for my words. Astrals, let me be home sooner than later so I...darling, what is that noise that I am hearing?”

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The monitors. He can hear the hospital monitors.

_Well shit. Here goes nothing._

You inhaled sharply, mulling your thoughts over in your head before you spoke. Taking a deep breath, you decided to plunge forth.

“Ignis, I don’t want you to be upset. I’m ok, so please know that, alright? But today, well, I…got in a little accident.”

You could almost envision the color drain from his face as his breathing hitched. “I-I beg your pardon?” He responded, almost as if he misheard you. “Darling, you got in an accident? G-Good heavens, what happened to you? Are you alright? How did this-“

“Iggy, it’s ok! I promise you that I’m alright,” you said cutting him off gently. “This morning I decided to head to EXINERIS to work on testing out the mythril with Jeanne. I went into the generator room to check the pressure levels, and well, I kinda passed out and hit my head.” You paused, realizing that this was indeed the truth but you did not want him panicking why this happened to you. “I was brought to the hospital and it turns out that my blood pressure has been kinda low.”

Ignis was silent for a moment and took a moment to speak, his breathing deep and his words slow. “Darling…darling, have you been pushing yourself too hard while I’ve been gone?”

Guilt washed over you, realizing that perhaps this was not the time to be admitting that you were doing so _because_ of him, and the last thing you needed was for _him_ to be feeling at fault. “M-Maybe just a little bit. I’ve wanted to be useful for everyone and so I’ve sorta been putting a lot of pressure on myself to keep busy. I…kinda messed up my sleep as a result, which was the real reason why I passed out in the first place.”

And the visions you passed out to? The daemon, Ferox, Iggy’s corpse, and the visage of Ardyn? Perhaps you could wait to tell him exactly what you saw. This he _definitely_ didn’t need to know right now.

Ignis was silent for a moment, his inhalations labored and his lack of words killing you as you waited for him to respond. But before you could reaffirm your stable condition a tirade of words tumbled out of Ignis’s lips. “Oh Astrals, Y/N, I am so sorry. Gods, I am so sorry that this has happened. Why am I feeling that this is perhaps my fault and I have left you alone to your vexations? Astrals, I…I need to come home this instant. I cannot remain here knowing that you are in this state at my expense. I’ll…I’ll tell Noct that-“

“Iggy, no, you _have_ to stay there,” you choked, fighting back a sob at the desperation in his voice. “Noctis needs you. You’re his advisor. He needs your more than ever to set Altissia right so you all can be done there once and for all. I’m fine. I promise you. I really do. I’ll be ok for a little while longer. I just…I don’t want to mess this up for you and everyone else. Please, you have to do this. I’ll be ok…”

“B-But, Y/N,” he began, begging like a frantic and heartbroken child. “You’re in distress. What kind of man does that make me if-“

“No buts, Iggy. _Please_ ,” you affirmed. “Everyone here is taking good care of me. I just have to step up and take better care of myself.”

Ignis was silent again on the other line. “Are…are you sure?” he said hoarsely. “Are you sure you will be alright?”

And this time you had to be. You absolutely had to be and nothing could get in your way of that.

“I’ll be ok, Iggy. I promise you.” You swallowed hard, and fighting back tears, you realized with sorrow that a week ago you had promised the very thing to be safe while Ignis was gone. Despite feeling better at knowing that you mostly told him the truth, still, deep down you couldn’t help but regret knowing that he was currently in distress because of you. “I’m…I’m sorry to have made you worry. But then again, I figured you would have found out somehow had I not told you anyways.”

A strained laugh escaped his lips. “Sorry? No…No apologies, my love,” he uttered softly as if he was trying to keep his composure. “I just feel utterly debilitated and the notion I’m not there by your side to help ease your warry mind and body. What can I do to help from so far away?”

A knock at the door followed by the entrance of the nurse signified that perhaps it was time to end your call. “I’m already feeling better, Iggy, and I think that I can get some rest having heard your voice and know you are ok as well.” You swallowed hard, fighting back at a tear that made its way down your cheek. “But the nurse just got back in and wants to talk. I will call you afterwards before I fall asleep though, ok?”

Ignis sighed deeply, seeming he was about to protest, but nevertheless, he conceded. “C-Certainly, my love. And I shall remain awake all night if I need to, waiting for your call. Please give me more details about your condition once you know…I…I love you, Y/N. I truly do.”

Your heart clenched again at his words. “I love you too, Iggy. Until later, ok?”

Painfully hanging up and sitting you sat your phone down onto your lap with a sigh, your hands trembling while you tried to keep your composure now. You noticed the entire time the nurse had been lingering in the door way, seeming as if she had tried to assess the situation at hand. But taking a step towards your bed with various instruments and tools in hand, she cast away her inquisitiveness as she began to work her medical magic.

“Alrighty. I’m going to get some additional blood samples to make sure we got ourselves covered and properly diagnosed. As I said, I’m also going to give you a prescription for some melatonin to help you sleep at night. By the sounds of what your friends told me, it seems you have a very restless mind, especially at night. Finally,” and the nurse now smiled, seeming as if she were about to tell you something you didn’t want to hear, “doctor’s orders: we would like to keep you overnight to ensure that everything is running smoothly before we send you out of here. He’d like to come in over night and do some checks on you himself.”

You opened your mouth to protest but immediately changed your mind, and you smiled warmly, realizing just how grateful you were for the care you were receiving. “I-I understand,” you said calmly. “I truly do appreciate everything, especially considering what could have happened to me.”

The nurse chuckled softly, the sound of her voice rather allaying to your ears. “I’m only doing my job and what’s right. But you do need to have to promise me one thing in that you are going to take it easy on yourself. I…I know what it’s like to miss someone and let it drive you crazy. Don’t let that make you get carried away, ok?”

Your eyes widening, you looked the nurse deeply in her eyes to see her eyes shimmering as if holding back her own tears. Both of you now sharing an unspoken conversation of the heart, you let her continue her work as your body finally gave way to the rest it so ever deserved.

**Monday – Day Nine**

Your eyes gradually flitted open as the balminess of daylight streamed into your infirmary stay, and as you stretched your weary limbs, your body awakened from the most peaceful you had in a whole week. As your eyes adjusted to daylight, it was the luscious and bloomy scent of something nearby mingled with the aroma of salt that fully got your attention.

Turning your head to the bedside table next to you, your fell to a large bouquet of white lilies , and feebly reaching up to grab at the card attached to the arrangement, you gently plucked the message away like a petal from a flower, opened the envelope, and began to read:

**_Y/N,_ **

**_Words cannot convey the love that I have for you within my heart and what I would give to be at your side this very moment. Let these lilies be a reminder of what a precious and brilliant bloom you are within this world, the vibrancy and exquisiteness within your heart and soul giving me the strength to carry on forward each and every day._ **

**_May you awaken this morning with accord in your heart and no grief with your heart. I shall speak with you later this day to be graced with your voice the moment I am free from my duties._ **

**_With all of my love, forever and always,_ **

**_Ignis_ **

You bit your lip as tears of joy began to stream down your, his tender words striking a delicate nerve within your heart, and before you could control yourself, a stream of tears slid down your face as you brought the little letter to your heart. Using the back of your hands to brush away the deluge from your face, you began to tremble at the notion once more that somehow, despite how utterly chaotic this man’s life currently was, he still managed to find a way to brighten your day with a gift from Altissia sent overnight.

_Ignis…you never fail to amaze me…And I just can’t wait to return the surprises to you when they are complete._

“Y/N, are you alright?” Said a gentle voice from across the room. Your eyes flitting to the opposite side where sat a chair for guests, there sitting upright and seaming to awaken from his own slumber was Libertus, the burly main brushing sleep from his eyes and yawning as he looked at you with concern.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” you replied with a smile as you gently brushed away your tears. “Just happy tears is all. I promise I’m ok though. But I tend to be making a lot of promises lately that I can’t seem to keep, can I?”

Libertus sat upright as he scooted his chair closer to the edge of his bed, clasping his hands together and leaning forward as he looked at you seriously. “I wouldn’t go that far. We are all human after all and we expect ourselves to do the best we can with our intentions. There is nothing wrong with the fact if we fall short. The most important thing that we can do is try.”

You raised your eyebrow at this sudden wisdom, feeling more than curious as if something in his past had led him to this epiphany of his own, but nevertheless, you couldn’t agree more. “Even so,” you continued, holding the card that Ignis gave you close to your heart, “that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t try harder.” You paused as you studied Libertus’s face, noticing just how tired he looked. “You…did you stay here all night with me?”

Libertus smiled, fighting back another yawn. “Yes. Yes I did. Why? Does that surprise you? Did you really expect that no one would remain with you overnight to make sure that you were ok?”

You blushed deeply, feeling most appreciative of this. Your whole life you had been pretty damn lucky to avoid dealing with hospitals and so you were more than grateful that you had company during your first unfortunate experience. “Libertus, you didn’t have to do that…you already have so many obligations that you need to worry about back at the Citadel!”

Libertus grinned now. “I suppose you’re right, but this is something that I wanted to do. Besides, I promised Ignis that I’d protect you when he couldn’t and I promised that I would keep an eye on you. You remember that, right?” He chuckled now, more so at himself though. “See? It looks like you aren’t the only one with promises to keep…” He paused for a moment, mulling his thoughts over in his head. “You know, I’m just really glad that you are alright. I was worried sick about you yesterday. I felt pretty damn awful over knowing what happened to you, which is all the more reason why I wanted to stay to make sure you weren’t alone. I couldn’t live with myself of suffering through another repeat of losing someone I care about.” Your heart clenched at this, recalling his stories he shared about his two long-lost friends. “I’m just…I just feel pretty damn awful knowing that I couldn’t have been there sooner to save you from that fall.”

You raised your eyebrow. “What do you mean by sooner?” You asked him.

Libertus sighed heavily. “You see, I had offered to help Jeanne first thing in the morning with helping her load the mythril into the refinery for the testing purposes. I had just shown up to the plant as Jeanne and everyone came rushing out with your body, and had I only been there sooner so that I would have known you were going into that room all by yourself…I…I would have been there to stop you from falling. Maybe you wouldn’t’ be here right now if it weren’t for me…”

_Oh…Libertus…_

“Libertus, trust me. You are not at fault for anything. I’m the one who wound myself up in this situation to start! And that is all the more reason why I’m going to start taking it easy each day from here on out, starting today when I get out of here and head back to the plant.”

Libertus scratched his head. “Yeah…about that,” he began with bashful look. “You see, Cor spoke with the King on the phone after you had fallen asleep last night, and given the doctor’s orders of having you stay overnight until you were discharged this morning, they…well…they both are ‘kindly requesting’ of you that you avoid any strenuous shifts at the plant for the next few days until we all know that you are better.”

“W-What!” You said, sitting up fully in bed now, the sudden frustration in your voice very apparent. “But that’s not fair at all! Look, I know that I am fine! And I can’t just sit back and let everyone else do the work that I’m supposed to be doing!” Despite how you were more than grateful once again that your companions were keeping watchful eyes on you, you still were shocked over the notion that even Noctis was in on this.

Libertus smiled. “We kinda knew that you would say that and so the King and the Marshall have ensured for you few jobs around the Citadel that are very low maintenance and stress-free. That way you aren’t just ‘sitting around doing nothing’ for the next few days, but if the gods forbid that something were to happen to you before your body adjusted to your medication, we can keep a better eye on you.”

“But…but…” you tried to say, but Libertus held his hand.

“It’s just for a few days. Then you can get back to resuming your normal routine as always. But even still, we’re going to be keeping an eye on you to make sure you are ok…”

And so despite your frustration at knowing you were not allowed by your friends to venture out on your own as you pleased, you were resorted to do basic inspections of simple light fixtures as well as the power connections to various elevators around the Citadel. While the work was by no means mundane, it was still much more simplistic than you were accustomed to while working out in the fields of Lucis. Nevertheless, as the afternoon came to its end and you were working on your last elevator for the day, it was at this moment you were particularly glad you weren’t out in the scorching sun.

“Ok, so this wire looks just fine here. Let me look at the inside of the panel now. Huh…that doesn’t look right,” you said to yourself as you were bent over with a magnifier in hand to look at a particularly small wire.

“Need a hand there, Y/N?”

_Oh. Oh dear gods._

Standing up slowly and turning around, you felt your face flush instantly at the sight of Ferox looming over you, the glint of his buckles on his Kingsglaive attire almost mesmerizingly distracting to the eye. A smile was upon his face as he took a step closer to you to see what you were doing, and as he approached you felt your knees give way and your limbs go numb at the proximity of his form to yours.

“I…I think I’m ok here,” you replied anxiously as you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. “No offense, but I’m sure if this is your area of expertise or not. Working with these wires is pretty tricky business.”

Ferox chuckled as he motioned for you to hand him the magnifier, and for whatever reason you did. “You have so little faith in me,” he boomed, leaning over and looking at the panel. “I may not have the ‘expertise’ like you EXINERIS girls, but I’m no fool to the trade. My dad used to be an electrician years ago and he so happened to show me a couple of tricks up his sleeve when I was younger.”

_Well shit._

Ferox looked closely at the panel and taking a set of plyers from your kit slightly adjusted a loose wire, handing both sets of tools back to you. “Not to take the steam out of your engine or anything, but I think that just did the trick. Mind testing out the ride with me?”

 _Shit shit shit shit shit,_ you began to think as he motioned his hand towards the elevator, and part of you couldn’t help but notice his double entendre. Of _course_ by unfortunate circumstance testing out the elevator itself was the last task that you had on this particular job, once which apparently you now were not going to be complete alone. Swallowing hard, you slowly stepped onto the elevator, Ferox swiftly following you behind.

With a loud ding, the doorway closed and now you suddenly felt more than ever like a helpless infant Anak trapped in a Coeurl enclosure, just ready to be slaughtered.

“What floor, Y/N?” Ferox asked you ever too softy.

“The s-seventh floor,” you said shakily, not daring to turn around to look at him, you facing the wall as your heart slammed in your chest.

Ding. Second floor.

“I heard about what happened to you yesterday at the plant,” he murmured softly as you felt him lean against the wall behind you. “It’s such a damn blessing that nothing serious happened to you. I’ve seen grown men fall from that height and not make it out ok. You must be something else to have survived that.”

Ding. Third floor.

“Y-Yeah, I was pretty fortunate,” you said breathlessly as the elevator felt like it was closing in around you. “No training that I ever experienced would have prepared me for a fall like that, so I’d say I was p-pretty lucky too. Jeese, word surely flies around here pretty fast if you heard about that so soon.”

Ding. Fourth floor.

“Cor mentioned very briefly in our meeting this morning about how we would have a couple of the EXINERIS girls working directly in the Citadel. We were told to help them out as best as you ladies needed it. You know, Y/N, I’ll be more than happy to help you in any way that you need…”

Ding. Fifth floor.

“T-Thank you Ferox,” you stammered as you heard heavy feet shift behind you,vand suddenly a heat close to your back made your spine burn and your body quiver. “That is really sweet of you. My girls are pretty great at what they do, but I’ll be sure to let you know if they need any help.”

Ding. Sixth floor.

“I was more so asking about you,” said Ferox deeply, and with his hand upon your shoulder, you quickly turned around to his touch to see him staring down upon you with an unreadable and heated gaze. You opened your mouth to speak, he eyes shifting from the cut on your lip to the one over your eyebrow, but yet he continued. “I can help you in a lot of ways. You don’t have to be shy about asking for it. I can give you what you need. I can be pretty patient when it comes to these matters.”

Suddenly you had a feeling that he wasn’t talking about power and elevators anymore.

Ding. Seventh floor.

“F-Ferox, I…I think the elevator is working just fine now.”

“Hmm? Oh it is, isn’t it now?”

“Y-yes…Can you…can you please let me out so I can finish this?”

“Let me help you right here.”

_Shit…oh come on…what to do…._

Suddenly a loud shrilling noise rang from your pocket, startling both you and Ferox but catching him mainly off guard. Holding firmly onto your toolkit, you swept out of the elevator as quickly as possible, slamming the floor level button on the outside of the doorway, the door closing behind you and sealing Ferox inside. Knowing that he could have potentially been trying to follow your intended route, you had stopped the elevator a few floors short of your intended destination, you now answering your phone as you made your way up several flights of stairs.

“I-Ignis! How are you?” You asked quickly, realizing you sounded utterly windless.

“I-I’m fine personally, my dearest, but what about you? Why are you sounding so breathless? You aren’t at the plant now, are you?”

Havign spoken with Ignis once you were discharged from the hospital, you promised him vehemently that you weren’t going to try anything stupid until the doctor’s, Cor’s, and Noctis’s orders were cleared. “N-No, I’m at the Citadel. Just making my way up to your apartment now.” Not wanting to divulge in your encounter with the mischievous Glaive, you thought up a quick fib. “I left my toolkit in the elevator and had to rush back to get it before it got lost in transition. But I’m more than fine. And this time I promise you that.” And despite your sudden anxiety over dealing with Ferox, you were more than truthful of your statement. Your say overnight in the infirmary did your body more than good, the melatonin the doctor prescribed allowing you to sleep more soundly. Now as you made your way up the final flight of stairs and rounded the corner to make your way down the hallway towards Ignis’s apartment, your mind focused in on one word that Ignis had just uttered to you. “You said you are ok ‘personally’ and I am more than happy to hear that, Ignis. But did something happen today to you? You sound a little off.”

Ignis sighed deeply, the frustration in his exhalation quite apparent. “For the majority of my speaking, most of what has transpired today was done with ease. The foreign diplomats have become more than amicable and are quite pleased with Madame Claustra’s and our progress towards restoration. It seems they are more than affable to maintain the trade agreements with Accordo…”

“And so…” You egged on as you reached for the keys Ignis gave you in your pocket and inserted them within the keyhole. “That doesn’t sound like means for you to be frustrated. What happened, Iggy?”

Ignis exhaled again as if what he was about to tell you was the most calamitous news in the world. "For whatever cause today, the Tidemother was most disagreeable to Noct’s request for assistance, which certainly caused us all a great hinderance. The Archaen himself made an advent to talk some sense into his fellow Astral, which thank the gods Leviathan finally abided. We still have no reason as to why the goddess was acting with such anomalous conduct, but nonetheless, her incompliance set us back behind our intended schedule for the day. To make matters even worse, during the progression of leveling out a plot of terrain, one of the LC-X models unexpectedly crashed in the middle of its routine and our technicians did their best to diagnose the cause. This as well pushed back our agenda even further, which for us means that…well…my arrival back home shall be one day later than anticipated.”

You now stood within Ignis’s living room, your belongings dropping to your side and not even bothering to make your way over to the couch. Instead, you plopped onto the floor, laying upon your back with your forearm covering your forehead as you tried to level out your breathing.

_Ok, these things happen. This is to be anticipated. I shouldn’t be surprised by this._

And nevertheless, despite the doctor’s orders at taking it easy, you wanted to scream out in frustration for Ignis’s sake.

_Give me Ferox so I can use him as a punching bag right now. Oh Six, why can’t anything ever be easy?_

“I’m…oh gods, I’m so sorry, Ignis…” You said as you bit your lip, a sense of helplessness washing over you as you tried to find the words to say. “But…everything is going to be ok, right? The machine is fixed and Leviathan is fine and everything will be good, right?”

“W-Why yes, yes. Everything is just fine,” Ignis said breathlessly with warmth in his voice. “I am just more than sorry to be the bearer of such news to you. I…I know that such isn’t helping you feel any better. I’m…gods, I’m sorry Y/N. And I’m the one who is supposed to be worrying about your condition…”

“Iggy…” you murmured as you curled up in a ball on his floor. “It’s ok. Better you tell me now than later, right? Look, you can’t be stressing over these things either, right? What good will that do you too?”

“I…I suppose you are right, my dearest. I just think that perhaps I too am admittedly wearing a little thin as well. Sleep has pervaded me truthfully and I can be truly honest in saying that there is nothing I look forward to more at this moment than lying by your side and holding you close upon my return.”

You couldn’t have agreed with anything more…

**Tuesday - Day Ten**

Bless the Astrals for allowing the following day to transpire for you so smoothly as it did. To accompany you on your inspections throughout the Citadel were two of the younger EXINERIS girls whom you had trained personally, and having their assistance was more welcome than ever. Especially in the case of Ferox who just happened to be patrolling the area in which you worked, you were more than glad that you were not cornered all alone this time as he made his rounds, your two companions giggling at the striking Glaive while you tried to prevent yourself from blushing at the way he stared and smiled at you as he passed.

 _How the hell am I ever going to shake this guy off me?_ You asked yourself as you focused intently upon a lightbulb that clearly at the point didn’t need more screwing.

But after receiving an endearing call from Ignis that gave you much hope, the Leviathan today thankfully being more than agreeable as construction in Altissia continued forth, you had received a voice mail from none other than Dino who informed you that your gift for Ignis was ready to be picked up. Shocked at the jeweler’s precision as well as timely production, you made your way to his store after your shift at the Citadel, and upon arriving at the store and having Dino reveal his work, your mouth opened agape with complete and utter wonder at the handsomely crafted piece of jewelry.

“Dino…oh my gods…this…this is utterly beautiful I still can’t believe that you made this in such a short time!” You said excitedly, and you could not imagine another single moment in your life where you were this excited to give someone a present. “Oh Ignis is going to absolutely love this!”

“I make the best for only the best!” Dino said enthusiastically as he watched you inspect the object with awe, him seeming more than pleased with himself. “After all you two did for me? It was the least that I could do.”

Excitedly you reached into your bag to grab your wallet, but Dino reached over the counter to stop you with his hand, his expression serious as his eyes skimmed over your face, seeing the marks of your recent injuries. “No…No…this time this is on me. You’ve done enough for, Y/N. Consider this my way of sayin’ thank you for all the times you risked your life for me and my cause. It’s time I’ve given you somethin’ back.”

Perhaps it does go to show that suffering isn’t just for nothing.

It was now later around your typical dinner time as you settled in at your own apartment. You headed into the living room with dinner plate in hand as you situated yourself in front of your tv. Turning on the tv, popping in another old favorite movie and readying the film, you were about to take a bite out of your breaded cutlet with tomato (Iggy’s favorite of course) as the opening scene to your film began when your phone rang, your eyebrow raising curiously in response. Sitting down your plate and chewing the last bit of your bite, you reached for your phone, swiped the screen, and brought the cellular up to your ear.

“Noct? Hey there! What’s up? Is everything ok?”

The King’s voice chuckled on the other line, the sound bringing joy to your ears. “Does every call from me have to be about a tragedy? I don’t think so,” he said playfully. “Naw, everything is ok. I just wanted to give you a call personally to see how you were feeling. I feel pretty shitty for not getting a hold of your sooner today, but as I’m sure Specs told you, it’s been pretty chaotic here.”

Your heart warmed at his sentiment. “It’s ok, Noct, you don’t need to feel bad! I really do appreciate your concern. Although I have to say that even though it’s only been two days, I’ve been feeling stir-crazy not working out in the field.”

Noctis chuckled softly, his voice quieter than you expected it to be, and listening carefully you heard him move to another room. “I’m just trying to look out for you, you know? I hope you do know that I think you’re more than capable of anything, right?”

You took a deep breath. “Yes, I do know, Noctis. And thank you for that.” But now your inquisitiveness was truly piqued, feeling like there was more intent behind his call. “Is…is everyone ok? You’re acting a little suspicious now…”

“Oh everything is moooooore than ok!” Prompto chimed in, and his sudden voice startled you beyond belief.

“Prompto! Goodness, I didn’t think you were there! Wait, am I…am I on speaker phone?”

“You bet!” He replied cheerfully, and boy, do I wish you could see what we are seeing right now!”

“Prompto, damn it, you don’t need to be so loud!” Gladio interjected into the conversation.

“Huh? What’s going on, guys?” You asked curiously, not understanding what the clamor was about.

“Here. One second,” Gladio said, and after a couple of moments, you felt your phone buzz against your ear. Pulling your phone away you opened a text sent from Gladio, and immediately your heart swelled at the subject at hand in the image he sent you.

There, with a limp and relaxed body slouched over the common room couch and his hand grazing the floor was Ignis, apparently having fallen asleep while his friends bantered around him for an evening nap. His eyes were drawn closed with tranquility, his lips partially opened and spread into a soft smile. But even more so, Ignis looked rather disheveled for his usual appearance, his hair tousled about and his bangs brushing his face while he catnapped. One leg was also hanging slightly off the couch and you could not but help repress a giggle and how utterly adorable he looked in his current state.

This was the first image you had seen of Ignis in over a week and boy did it suddenly have you aching all over…

_Oh Ignis…you precious, wonderful man…_

“Ignis…” you murmured, bringing the phone back up to your ear. “Wait…is he…is he asleep _now_?”

“Yup,” Noctis said. “We had just gotten back to our suite about less than half an hour ago. We actually have the evening off to ourselves after all our meetings today and so we wanted to head to Maagho’s for dinner to catch up with Weskham on some affairs. The guys and I had to run back downstairs to talk to the receptionist about our stay, and when we came back upstairs, this is what we saw.”

“The poor guy has been workin’ himself to death since he’s been here,” Gladio added, as if you didn’t already know this.

“And what’s even sweeter?” Prompto chimed in, trying to repress his laughter. “He’s been mumbling your name nonstop when he sleeps. Other than meetings, he can talk of nothing else except you, even when he’s in dream. It’s pretty damn cute if you ask me. Sommmmmebody is totally in loooooove.”

You were blushing furiously as you began to pace around the room, your heart fluttering in your chest over the teasing of his friends. But, even more so, nothing warmed your heart more at the notion that Ignis was so openly vocal about his feelings at this point in his relationship with you, him not caring at all about what teasing may ensue.

“Believe me when I say this,” Noctis began, a smile clear in his voice, “I’m pretty damn excited to get home myself because I miss the hell out of all of you at home and sleeping in my own bed. But for Specs’ sake? I’m even more excited for him when he gets to see you again…”

Just one day closer. One more day. You could do this.

**Wednesday - Day Eleven**

One day closer indeed, and this day in particular ended on quite an interesting note. Meeting with Cor at his request before you began your shift doing inspections throughout the Citadel, the news he shared with you was more than enough surprise you. All the while the boys were gone in Altissia, word had been delivered from Sania whom had apparently traveled out to Tenebrae to work with Ravus and Aranea in studying the wildlife in the Ueltham region. Attempting still to uncover any information as to why the wildlife was behaving outside the realms of normalcy, in between their plights throughout the Gralean capital, Ravus, Aranea, and their forces managed to capture various specimens that were running rampant throughout the fallen city and the outer lying areas. Upon Sania’s and her team’s studies, the creatures would be examined thoroughly for abnormal behaviors, and word would be sent to Insomnia the moment she and her team found anything of importance.

“Hopefully she’ll find out something out soon,” you said to yourself after you had finished today’s inspections and made your way through the winding corridors to your intended destination. Thankfully at this point in the week was your last day that the doctor recommended you keep your workload light and that starting tomorrow you could resume your routine as normal. Feeling a sense of relief at having your leash loosened, you found your now mind deviating to the terrible visions of the daemonic being with its myriad tentacles and razorlike teeth that had terrorized your dreams and stalked you on the walkway that had gotten you in this situation in the first place, and you felt your spine shudder at the thought of why on earth you kept envisioning such a terrifying anomaly.

 _It’s nothing, you said to yourself_ , feeling unexpectedly troubled as you pushed your way through the heavy gilded, wooden doorway to the Maestro’s Quarters. _I am told not to worry. Iggy told me not to worry the first time I had that dream. And yet why on earth does it keep popping up in my mind? Does it have anything to do with the research that we will find out from Sania?_ But trying to shake your mind free of such things for now, knowing that you were supposed to keep your stress levels on check, you took a deep breath you walked into the anteroom and situated yourself in front of the piano, lifting the lid to the keys and breathing out heavily.

Stop it, Y/N…relax. We are going to figure all of us this out. There is only so much that we can do right now. Just…focus on you at this very second, you reassured yourself as you started to relish in the peace of absolute reticence around you.

Not even knowing how to play the piano, suddenly very envious of your significant other’s ability to perform with natural ease, nevertheless you tapped your fingers on the keys in attempt to teach yourself by ear one of your favorite songs. Not even caring you were off key, as you pressed your fingertips one by one upon the ebonies and ivories, you found yourself closing your eyes and getting lost in the words of your song:

_“Make my wish come true, let darkness slip aside,_

_Hiding all our hope, mocking what we treasure._

_Battles we can win, if we believe our souls,_

_Hang in for the light, till dawn._

_Fate will not leave you, hate will not heal you._

_Pray and one day, peace shall flow everywhere..."_

_Peace. How nice does that sound right now, laying within Ignis’s arms in compete and utter peace? I wish I could have that more than anything right now. Oh Iggy…Soon…soon you will be back…_

“Never thought I’d get to witness in person an angel singing her song…”

_No...it can’t be...Astrals no…not now…_

Slowly turning around, there in the doorway stood none other that Ferox, his large frame blocking the doorway as he smirked at you, him seeming more than impressed in hearing your voice.

Anxiously you tucked your hair behind your ear as you turned back to the keys, trying to act as normally as possible. “H-Hello, Ferox. What brings you here?” You asked him nonchalantly as you continued to play your song by ear.

“Nothing really,” you heard his deep voice rumble as you winced slightly with each heavy step of his boots. “I was making my rounds before a meeting and just happened to hear a disturbance from here. I never would have imagined that I would have ran into you here. You play often? You sing pretty damn good. You just like to keep throwing those curveballs out at me, don’t you?”

You felt extremely overwhelmed by his bombardment of questions as you fingers shakily shifted over the keys, and you winced slightly at the off pitch. Swallowing hard as you tried to come up with a response, you could sense the Glaive now standing directly behind you. “I…Thank you. No, I don’t play often. In fact I have no idea how to. I just figured I’d come here for some peace and quiet after my shift to practice my song before going home for the night.”

“Well isn’t that cute,” Ferox said as he moved to stand right beside you, the heat emanating from his body almost suffocating your personal space. “But why all alone? Songs are done best with duos, in my opinion...”

Attempting to conceal your blush, not knowing whether or not his words had a double meaning, nevertheless, you continued to pluck at the keys, avoiding all eye contact with him. “Some of the most beautiful songs ever written were done as solos too…” You murmured quietly.

Ferox chuckled. “Look at me,” he demanded softly, and why on earth you complied you had no idea, but nevertheless your eyes slowly shifted upwards, your body freezing in its seat. He stood was right up against you, his knee touching yours as he loomed above you and looked down at your face. “You don’t need to be shy with me, you know that?” He said, reaching out to touch you but stopping in his place. “Let me take you out sometime. You spend all this time alone and it isn’t healthy. No more singing all of these solos on your own.”

_Gods, oh gods…_

“I…I…” you stammered, your body on blazing as he shifted in front of you. “Ferox, I…I can’t…”

“And why is that?” He murmured huskily, his hips shifting towards you and a smile upon his face.

Unless you were giving off the wrong signals, why he couldn’t understand your body language was beyond you. Regardless, as he angled his face down towards you , it was now with desperation that you finally decided to reveal a little bit more about yourself than you had wished.

“I’m…I’m already seeing someone,” you blurted out, your words almost an incoherent blur.

Hoping that would cause Ferox to back off, you began shaking as you realized your admission gave him no reason to move away; in fact, it felt like it only spurred him on even further. “Oh?” He began, shifting his hips and grinning even wider now. “Oh come on, you’re just saying that because you’re being shy.”

“I-I’m serious, Ferox,” you almost squeaked as he placed his hand mere inches from yours upon the piano keys. “I’m sorry, but…I’m already attached.”

“Really? To who then? I’m curious if I know the guy…”

 _Oh gods, no I can’t say. I don’t want to say._ Gods, were you more than honored to be Ignis’s girlfriend, but you had always sworn to yourself that you would keep personal matters private to the public in terms of your relationship.

“I…I can’t say,” you said, almost sobbing in the process.

“Now you’re just fibbing then,” Ferox chuckled, leaning more closely to you. “You shouldn’t be afraid to tell me if you were really dating someone. C’mon. Tell me. Who is it? Or are you just too shy to admit to me that I make you nervous?”

“Ferox, I…I can’t…”

“C’mon, Y/N, don’t be shy…”

“I…I….”

A loud clang of the door behind you startled the both of you, and now you whipped around to see Libertus was striding into the room, his countenance frazzled and disgruntled. His expression softening slightly as he looked to your face, he now turned to Ferox with a grimace on his lips.

“Where the hell have you been, Ferox?” the head of the Kingsglaive asked aggressively, and the harshness of his voice startled you, you never hearing the man sound so upset. “Our meeting was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago. What the hell are you doing in here?”

“Sorry, buddy,” Ferox said, straightening himself up and going all business as if nothing between the two of you transpired. “I heard noises in here and wanted to inspect to make sure that no one without authorization was messing around. That’s where I found Y/N…”

Libertus crossed his arms as he frowned at Ferox. “This isn’t your route of inspection for today,” he said sharply to his comrade. “You should know better by now your routine for this week.”

“My apologizes, boss,” Ferox said, grinning despite being reprimanded. “It won’t happen again.” Then turning to you with a mischievous in his air, he saluted to you it the archetypal Glaive manner. “For hearth and home,” he purred, giving you once last glance as he made his way out of the room.

You could only sit there in complete silence for a moment, wanting to scream more than anything over how that man was able to play two sides to a coin so easily, but nonetheless, it was Libertus’s voice that pulled you back to reality. “Y/N, you alright there?”

You looked up to Libertus to see his brows drawn with perturbation and you had only wished that your pleading and frightened eyes were enough to give away your dilemma. But opening your mouth to speak, you could not find the words to say over what you wished to admit, knowing that perhaps this wasn’t the time and place. “I’m…yeah…I’m fine Libertus. Just tired.” _No…not tired. Terrified. Because how can I tell you about Ferox without it throwing off the dynamic of your entire troupe?_

“You sure?” He asked as he placed his hand upon your shoulder. “We’ve been through this before: I’m here for you if you need me for anything. That’s what I swore to do.”

_No…Not now…I just can’t tell you…_

Smiling up at him weakly, you nodded to him as reassuringly as you could, hoping he couldn’t see through your fib.

At this point, what was worse: dealing with dreams of daemons, or coping with the stalking of a hungry and desirous Glaive?

**Thursday - Day Twelve**

_Fire...Fire everywhere._ _The heat…Where…I’m back here again. Why do I keep coming back to this place?_

Once more you began to agonizingly force your way down the narrow iron passageway, the boiling water below your feet scorching your flesh through your boots and pants. Your hands and arms clutching your body as you bore your pain, step by step, the walls blazed around you as the light at the end of the tunnel called for you.

_I’m so close…I…have to keep going!_

You endured your paroxysms as best as you could, and as you took one step closer to the flashing endpoint up ahead, a blood curdling gurgle pierced the air from behind you. Turning your head, there once again was the ominous beast with its tentacles and teeth lashing out at you as it stalked you.

_No…Not this time. I have to make it! I can’t give up._

And so you trekked forth, the pain in your bones and skin and muscles reaching its limit as you felt yourself slowly being melted away into mass of flesh and blood.

“11292016,” said a loud female robotic voice.

_Huh? Is that…what I think I see?_

Up ahead, the doorway shined with clarity, your eyes widening as you now saw before you that the bright light was not an exit from the tunnel but in fact a large steel door with heavy paneling and handles.

And by that door handle? You spotted something that your expert eye had no trouble in distinguishing.

_A control panel…what…what is this place?_

“11292016,” repeated the robotic voice. “11292016. 11292016.”

Behind you, the creature lashed out at you one of its tentacle wrapped around your ankle.

“11292016. 11292016. 11292016.”

Before you a darkened form materialized from thin air, causing you to grimace with loathing and disgust.

“The game’s up now, my dear,” spoke Ardyn as he tossed his fedora from his head and cracked his knuckles as you approached him. “You are most pathetic and weak, child. Do you truly think you can traverse through this passageway all on your own?”

“11292016.”

“Get the hell out of my way!” You screamed, your pain seizing your body fully as you forced yourself to take another step. _I’m so close…I have to get to that panel…_

“No? You shall continue to resist?” He asked smugly, almost as if he didn’t hear you. “Then permit me to make a suggestion: rather than follow this fiery flotsam and burn away to a watery grave, why not come with me?”

“I said GET OUT OF MY WAY!” You screamed again as the beast from behind gripped your throat with one of its tentacles. Finding what strength you could muster from within, you lashed out with your fist to strike Ardyn in the face, and instantly his form dissipated into a haze of purple miasma, clouding your vision as you inhaled the smog of his remnants.

And all was quiet and all was peaceful.

No fire. No beast. No Ardyn. No unbearable heat and no excruciating pain. Looking down to your hands and legs, your flesh was fully intact, no blood on your body and no scorching of your pallid skin.

“I’m…I’m ok. I did it…I got through this,” you said aloud to yourself, almost in disbelief that you were in one piece.

All because you finally let go of your fears. All because you were brave.

“11292016. 11292016. 11292016,” repeated the feminine robot voice as if reminding you that you had a job to do.

And now, only a mere fifteen feet away from the doorframe, your boots now sloshing through the shallow sickly waters of the tunnel, you came to the stand in front of the door, your eyes locked onto the panel that now gleamed a soft red. With a shaky hand your fingers pried back the lid to the keypad and one by one, you typed in the numbers. “One. One. Two. Nine. Two. Zero. One. Six.”

A loud beep reverberated through the narrow, humid hallway.

“ACCESS PANEL – ONLINE. ACCESS CODE – GRANTED. POWER CONNECTIONS STABALIZED. SYSTEM LOADED. ACCESS GRANTED. ACCESS CODE – SECURED.”

And with one final blip, you heard gears grind within the door frame and a lock dislodge.

_Yes…yes…!_

And grabbing onto the heavy metallic handle, you pushed with all your might, were briefly blinded by a bright flash of light, and –

You gasped for air as your eyes quickly snapped open, your heart fluttering in your chest and your body slightly covered in a sheen of sweat. Sitting up in bed quickly, you began to frantically mess with your hair to help you cope with the nerves that coursed through your body. But no, these were not nerves of fear. But rather…

Excitement.

“Ok…Ok…here we go…” you said aloud breathlessly as you grasped on the sides of your head, wrackin your brain over what you just almost witnessed. “This…this has to mean something. Why on earth would I keep dreaming about this place if it didn’t mean something? Oh Gods, what should I do right now?” Despite your heart pounding in your chest and adrenaline coursing through your veins, your stomach knotted itself at your sudden sense of anxiety. “What should I do?”

And suddenly, the conversation you shared with Ignis weeks ago over your reveal of the horrible tentacled daemon that plagued your thoughts came into your mind.

_Let me ask you something, my dearest,” he had begun, “have these dreams ever steered you wrong before in the past? See, my love? Visions as though they may be, do you truly believe that the Oracle would leave you blindsided? Perhaps this is her way of providing you guidance and courage to remind you of what a brave woman you are. And besides, my dearest, unlike all those years ago where the world was cast asunder by madness and we faced the reign of the Niflheim empire and their evils, the biggest difference now is that we all stand together as one and that we are essentially prepared for everything. And with the Astrals’ protection and blessing of their chosen king who is now standing tall to protect his people, there is nothing that we cannot defend against, whatever we may have to face, if we are all walking tall, side by side.”_

_Oh gods…this was a sign. These dreams these last eleven days have been a sign to me. Lunafreya…are you trying to show me something important?”_

With your heart slamming in your chest, you quickly flicked on the lamp by your nightstand and hastily grabbed your tablet. Opening the job queue to the current EXINERIS jobs that were on request from outside sources, your eyes quickly scanned down the list, and stopping your finger in place, your breathing halted as you saw a newly posted job that seared itself into your brain.

_The Crestholm Channels…_

_Oh gods…that…that has to be it!_

Tunnels? Water and metal pipes? What was it there that you needed to find?

“Shit…holy shit,” you said aloud, your lips curving into a smile as you frantically threw off your covers and began to rummage around your bedroom in search of your attire. “This is it. This is it.” But as you yanked open your drawers and began to pull out your specialized work gear, you felt yourself stop in your tracks.

 _“There is nothing that we cannot defend against, hatever we may have to face, if we are all walking tall, side by side,”_ Ignis’s words repeated in your head.

Dropping your stuff you rushed back to the nightstand to grab your phone, and speedily you dialed numbers. After a moment or so, your intended caller picked up, your words rushing out of your mouth faster than you brain could even process them.

“L-Libertus! I’m going to need your help with something! What? No, no, everything is just fine! Trust me! More than fine! You know that my days of rest are up and I’m going to need your help on a job. What? Oh come on! Don’t give me a hard time! You know I’ll be just fine, especially if you are with me. Can you be ready in forty-five minutes? I can swing by and get you before we head on out. What? No, I’m not answering any questions right now. Just trust me, ok? I’ll see you soon.”

Hanging up before your friend could question you any further, you found yourself smiling and your heart throbbing in your chest as you collected your necessities. Pausing for a moment to send Ignis a quick text message to inform him of your job today, you shoved your essentials into your pack and threw on your gear as you took one last look in the mirror before heading out. Gulping at the sight of yourself you reached up to touch the scabbing of the slice on your lip and eyebrow from your accident, and despite a slight surge of anxiety that rushed over you at the notion that you were in fact a delicate mortal soul, the reminder of your injuries from mere days ago only seemed to inspire you, especially considering there was someone you loved more than anything else in the world who bore similar marks.

_Iggy, I’m going to do this. I don’t know what it is, but I have a good feeling about this…_

************************************

With your little car packed to the brim with your work tool kit, spare supplies, and an array of weapons, potions, and other accessories that you would take with you on hunts, you and Libertus zoomed through the Insomnian streets as you made your way towards the exit of the city and across the bridge to the mainland of Lucis.

“So you mind tellin’ me exactly what job I’m helping you with today?” Libertus asked as he peered into the backseat curiously to see what you had brought with you. “This doesn’t look like a regular job that I usually assisted you with.”

Trying to prevent your foot from bouncing anxiously on the pedal as you drove, your eyes intent on the road ahead of you, you inhaled the crisp scent of morning air that blasted through your open side window and smiled.

“We’re checking out the Crestholm Channels. Apparently the workers there reported some issues with power coming from the inner valves of the sewers. You and I? We are going in there to check it out and make sure that nothing dangerous will happen to the employees.”

Libertus raised his eyebrows at you and sighed, shaking his head. “You know that Cor and the King are not going to be very happy about this,” he said to you slowly, but even with a side glance at him you could see that he had a small smile upon his face. “You were told to take it easy and yet here you are.”

You twisted your mouth into a playful grin. “You do realize that my three days of rest are up, right? So technically you guys can’t tell me what to do. Besides,” you said with a pause, casting him a sideways glance, “you know that I don’t feel comfortable with having my girls go down there. Not to downplay their expertise but I’m the only staff with a hunter skill set.”

“I know,” Libertus responded, “but it’s just that…well, you know how I feel. I’ve come to like you too much and I couldn’t bear having something bad happen to you again. I can’t afford to lose any more friends…”

Your heart clenched at the meaning of his words. Before you had a chance to reply a shrill ring suddenly filled the car, and taking a look at the screen before you answered and smiled, you opened your mouth to speak to the caller.

“Iggy, h-hello,” you said all too cheerfully as you drove, keeping your eyes on the road.

“Darling, my love…good morning,” he said breathlessly. “My apologies for taking so long to answer you. I was attending to an affair with Noctis before we set out for breakfast. Darling, the Crestholm Channels? Are you absolutely certain that this is the wisest decision, considering your most recent condition?”

The harsh concern in his voice made you wince, and for but a moment you felt a sudden overwhelming sense of guilt wash over you. Ignis had once shared with you a story about his perilous adventures through these very same channels many years ago, the boys having gotten lost for hours within the winding and watery tunnels while contending with fearsome daemons and monstrosities. Feeling your skin crawl over the descriptions of his predicament which he had described, it was with a sudden realization that you realized just exactly why he was so concerned.

Before you could respond, Ignis breathed dejectedly on the other line. “My…my apologies my dear. I realized that perhaps my words just came out rather harshly. That was not the intent of what I mean. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“I-It’s ok, Ignis,” you replied gently. “I know you are worried about me right now, and yeah, perhaps you’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t be jumping right back into things so quickly, but honestly? I’m feeling better than I have in days and I have a really good feeling about this job today, like something’s going to come out of it. And besides, you know that I don’t feel good about sending in any of the other girls to do this. I just…I feel that I’s me who has to do it,”

Ignis was silent for a moment as if pondering your words, him seeming to understand the implication of your words. “I…I understand, Y/N,” he said soothingly, knowing that there was no winning over your argument. “I am just most grateful that you will have Libertus by your side while you set out to accomplish what you need to. I know that I can trust him to guide you.”

You raised your eyebrow at this. _But…how did Iggy know_ …And looking to Libertus, you could see that he was blushing, you realizing that Libertus most likely contacted Ignis directly after you had called him this morning. Finding warmth spread through your heart, seeing that Libertus was equally concerned about you, you couldn’t help but smile. “I know, Iggy. I can trust him too. And we are going to be just fine today. I promise.”

_Damn it. Why do I keep making all of these promises when I don’t know what I’m going to get myself into?_

Ignis sighed deeply on the other line, but by the softness of his breath you could tell that he was smiling, almost as if in awe at your persistence. “Please do take care and be on your best guard though, Y/N. Even though the daemons are gone and you shall not be inundated by their attendance as you work, still, as you and I both know from our experiences of employment together, you never know what you may encounter along the way. Keep in mind my own experiences…Will you please keep me updated about your work as the day transpires? I will be sure to keep my cellular close at hand so that I may check it at any time. I will be at meetings but shall be more diligent with keeping in check with you.”

You were glad to hear that he wouldn’t be on such a tight leash. “Of course, Iggy, I’ll let you know the moment I can of how we are doing. I…” And blushing deeply, seeing that Libertus knew what you were about to say, him blushing too, you took a deep breath, “I love you, Ignis.”

“And I love you as well, Y/N. More than anything. Do take care and be safe…”

For whatever reason it was, hanging up on him was harder than usual, but nonetheless, you cleared your throat as you began to make your way across the bridge to the Ostium Gorge. “Yep…we are going to be just fine…” you said to yourself.

Libertus looked at you and cleared his throat, now looking down at your tablet with the map displaying the channels. “You know, Y/N, I would have gladly had a couple of the other Glaives come along with us today. I have never been in the Channels myself, but looking here it seems like the place is quite the mess. We could have killed the time if we had Jenica or Sadda come along. They are good with this analytical stuff. Even though he can get sidetracked sometimes, even Ferox would have loved to help. He’s quite the enthusiastic guy when it comes to these matters.”

The mention of the Glaive’s name made your hands slip from the steering wheel for just a second, causing your car to swerve. Libertus, grasping on the passenger door now stared at you with wide eyes. “Holy Hecteyes, Y/N! What the hell was that for? Are you ok?”

“Y-Yeah,” you said, your hands now clenched on the wheel and your skin suddenly clammy. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just fine.”

Libertus squinted as he looked at you, trying to read your face that was flushed and suddenly coated in sweat. “Gods, Y/N. Ferox. Why did you get all anxious when I just said his name? Did…did something happen with Ferox?”

You bit your lip as you drove forward, trying to keep your focus on the road. “Nothing happened with him, Libertus. He’s just…just…he’s...”

“What? What is it?” Libertus asked, now all too anxious as he leaned to look at you. “What did he say to you? What happened?”

Realizing there was no escape from this conversation, you whined as you let out a sigh, your chest rising and falling unevenly.

“He’s…he’s been flirting with me, Libertus. Gods, the bastard won’t leave me alone. Ever since Ignis left he’s been stalking me like a hungry Havocfang and I just can’t seem to shake him away from me!”

Libertus’s eyes widened. “Are…are you serious? Great Galahd! Ferox? He’s nothing but a good man! Perhaps a bit unruly at times, but I have known Ferox for a great while. He too was from my hometown and I had always thought good things about him. And I-“ but Libertus cut himself off, his eyes broadening further as he studied the distress upon your face. “Dear gods, no wonder you have been acting anxious whenever I have run into you at the palace! And…” And he paused again, his expression suddenly shifting from one of shock to fury and disappointment. “Astrals, all this time, he’s been harassing you. He should know better than this! He knows to focus on his duty at hand no matter the situation! Great gods, Y/N, why didn’t you tell me this sooner? I would have put an end to it!”

You felt the sweat dripping down the side of your temple as you bit your lip. “I wanted to say something, Libertus, but what was I to do? I tried to shake him off but he wouldn’t believe me when I told him that I was dating someone! Had you not come in into the Maestro’s Quarters and interrupted us? Gods only know what he would have tried to pull! But what was I to do? I didn’t want to mention Ignis because I was afraid that he would just laugh it off anyways and I didn’t want to be sharing that private information with just anyone. And the Glaives? I didn’t want to say anything because the last thing I needed was a Glaive to be upset with me and then have something get started with you and everyone else! I’m…” And you paused, trying to keep up a strong front as you drove. “I’m sorry, Libertus. I wish I said something sooner.”

Libertus inhaled harshly. “Why are _you_ apologizing? Now I feel like an ass for not noticing this sooner. But I swear to the gods that the moment we get back to the palace I am putting him in his place and I’m going to make sure that the Crownsguard knows too. I swear by that.”

“L-Libertus, oh _please_ don’t tell Ignis! Not while he’s away, at least!” You begged. “You already know how on edge he is about me going out here today! I don’t need him getting upset over something else that he has no control over. Do you promise me you won’t say anything? Please?”

Libertus sighed deeply, seeming defeated. “You know I’m not ok with this. I’m not ok with this by any means what so ever. But for you? I promise I will abide to my word, at least for now…”

“T-Thank you, Libertus,” you said meekly as pull in to your destination. “Besides, I think right now we’ve got bigger fish to fry right now…”

*************************

Why you had personally never made visit to the Crestholm Channels, only ever having passed it between your travels from Lestallum to Insomnia and everywhere in between, to your understanding the sewers had evolved greatly once the daemons had perished from the world. Once a run-down establishment left to ruin after the Lucian-Accordo and Niflheim wear that had become dangerous beyond compare, with a fully-staff set of employees monitoring the tunnels and inspecting them frequently for the efficiency of water movement, the Crestholm Company now thrived and provided respectable for jobs for several Lucian families. The area also once dirty and decimated from the plagues of war of the past, the surrounding landscape had been cleaned up and was made presentable as much as one could expect, the surrounding river running clearly and free of any debris and trash.

The employees had been more than helpful in providing you and Libertus with the specifics of the situation: one of the connections to the center mainframe modules that controlled the flow of water levels as well as the lighting within the eastern section of the channels had been damaged severely. Them having all the spare supplies needed to replace the damage, your only other major job was to essentially track down what caused such damage so that the workers could assist you in renovating the damage. But by seeing the distress on the workers’ faces you could only imagine how awful the predicament must be if they were too afraid to reenter the sewers themselves.. Giving them a reasssuring look that all would be taken care of, you and Libertus headed into the depths of wet and damp waterways, your bags heavy with equipment and supplies, you both prepared to take on whatever it was you were about to face.

Not to mention your handy katana that was secure at your side.

“Well shit,” you said to Libertus, your arms slackening at your sides as you arrived at the intended location on the map. “This damage…it’s…slightly an understatement to say the least.”

While the main panel and generators were completely unscathed, much to your liking and relief, it was what that was connected to them that caused your eyes to widen and sweat begin to accumulate around your brows. Before you were several sets of pipes and cables that had been completely stripped and chewed through as if like gnawed at like candy licorice and you could only begin to ponder what fiend could have done such a thing. Taking a closer look at the shredded wires, heat and sweat pooling on your skin through your thermal jacket and pants, you began to wrack your brain over the potential culprit.

“Maybe Malboros?” You said aloud, recalling your past adventure with Ignis down into the Balouve Mines. “They do like the wetness and darkness after all…” Your hands held the wires, shviering as you looked at the teeth marks. “It’s likely…there’s no way that this could have been a Hekatontoad…they are too fat and clumsy to climb up here and their mouths couldn’t do such damage…” Your hand touched the thick metal pipping that snaked its way around the area up past a corridor that was out of your vision.

“Could it be a Midgardsormr?” Chimed in Libertus. “They certainly like to hide in dark places…”

“Maybe?” You said, knitting your brows together. “But these teeth marks? There’s so many of them!”

Libertus began to scan your surroundings in the dark, seeming rather uneasy himself. “Y/N, I don’t like this at all. I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”

_And I’ve got a good one. This is good. I just know it._

“Thankfully,” you said as you took out your tool kit and inspected the damage more closely. “The only issue we have to worry about is fixing this cable and the holes to these pipes. But first we have to see how far the damage actually goes.” Taking out your tablet again to inspect the power grid of the area, you saw that farther up in the eastern corner past where you stood, there was flashing icon on your screen, indicating your obstruction. “We’re going to get help fixing this place back up in a bit. But for now? It looks like I see where our problem lies. Let’s take a walk and check out what other damage we can find.”

And so you and Libertus began your trek with your gear in hand as you made your way through the precariously slippery and wet walkways, and thank the gods that despite the humidity of these pathways the stench of the sewer was very minimal. The trail seemingly soundless save for the flow of water and the scuttle of the occasional rat, Libertus lingered very close at your side, his Glaive instincts on high end as he staggered slightly forth before you. You continued forth and examined carefully the pipes and powerlines that stretched along the corridors. With an occasional bite mark here and there that caused some water to leak from their reservoir, no further damage was seen along your survey.

“This is odd…” You said slowly. “Whatever did this has a thing for metal. It’s almost like the damage to that power cable was done unintentionally…Let’s see though what we find at our distress location…”

“These beasts truly have gone made,” Libertus said as he shook his head, and he couldn’t have been more right. Still waiting more patiently than ever for news from Sania and her research team, it was still after all these many months that you found yourself in complete awe over the irrational and unpredictable behaviors of the animals of Eos.

 _And this is all the more reason why I have to be careful right now_...you thought as you and Libertus neared a wide opening in the tunnel, the claustrophobic pathways now leading to a walkway that hovered over a large drop below. _Well that looks just great…_ Looking down at your tablet now, you tapped on Libertus’s shoulder and pointed to the map. “It looks we’ve found the right spot,” you said, spotting down below in the lowlight something that looked rather off . “But it looks like we’ve got to get down there somehow.” Taking a small step out onto the walkway, you peered down into the depths below, your intended location a mere thirty feet from where you stood. “Maybe if we can find-“

Suddenly the room around you began to joggle and you quickly clutched onto the railing to steady yourself, but to no avail. Whatever caused such a disturbance brought forth so much energy and force that much to your terrified shock the bolts to the walkway in which you stood dislodged themselves, the anchors now busting partially and leaning to the side as you held on for dear life.

“Y/N!” Libertus screamed, but it was too late. The weight of your gear almost heaving you down you felt your grip falter on the railing and before you knew it, you were plummeting to the depths below. A ghastly scream departing your throat as you fell, you shut your eyes tightly, dreading the impact of your fall when all of a sudden you felt a pair of strong arms wrap around you as you slammed into shallow waters below you.

Gasping for air and wincing in pain as you tried to keep your head above about two feet of the water level, your eyes fluttered shut painfully to see that Libertus now held onto you tightly, and it took you but a moment to realize he had used his quick thinking and warped to help lessen the damage of your fall to the best of his ability.

“Gods, are you ok, Y/N?” He asked you abruptly, carefully lifting you up to your feet and inspecting you through soaked clothes to ensure nothing was broken.

“Y-Yeah,” you gasped, flinching slightly with pain and trying to gather the oxygen back into your lungs, but even more so, you swished your hands around in the murky water to locate your bags. “I have a thing for falling as of late, don’t I?” You added, attempting to add humor to your situation.

“You scared the living shit out of me,” Libertus said as you leaned on his shoulder for support. “But I’m not liking the thought of what the hell caused that rumbling to make you fall in the first place…”

“I…I don’t know either…” You said slowly as your eyes scanned the large circular room around you, your eyes falling to the massive mess that lay ahead. “I…I think we’ve found our problem though, Libertus, and this doesn’t look like a very fun fix.” Right ahead of you on the opposite side of the room danged a massive mess of metal flexes which sparked precariously right above the water, and instantly you started to fear the worst. _Be brave, Y/N. This is it. You’ve got this. You have to keep going forward…_

The room once again quaked around you as you and Libertus grasped at each other to steady yourselves. A loud shrieking and piercing scream now echoed down from one of the many tunnels that lead to this very room.

“Shit!” Libertus said, and with his warrior instinct kicking in he immediately drew forth his kukris and stood before you protectively. “We’ve got company coming!”

“I know!” You cried back, your heart slamming into your chest as you hastily grabbed for your katana at your side. _Yes, bring it on. Bring it. This is what I’ve been waiting for. Come to me._

The room rumbling around you, another piece of the walkway above you snapping off and crashing down in into the water just mere feet away from you, you and Libertus shielded yourselves as you stood in the direction of the petrifying sound, the noise emitted from whatever beast it was that approached you unlike anything you’ve ever heard. Its notes penetrating your eardrums, you winced in pain and gritted you teeth as you readied yourself, the water in which you stood rippling and splashing from the force of the animal’s movement.

And as it burst through one of the many tunnels and now loomed, no, _towered_ above you like the miniscule speck of life that you were, you opened your mouth in horror at the deadly beauty that now plighted you with its presence.

“By the rivers of Galahd…” Libertus said breathlessly.

“It’s that a…oh Astrals… that’s a…”

Now menacingly circling around you with all one hundred thirty feet plus of its length, its silver and blue scales glistening in the darkened light and its whiskers and fur flowing in an almost invisible ethereal breeze was the seemingly mythical and mystifying Jormungand, a colossal serpentine dragon known for its aggressiveness and magical attacks.

_Just like the one Ignis told me about from all those years ago. Gods, this has to be one of its young…_

Your eyes widening in terror, you thanked your lucky stars that you stuck to your gut and chose to don your thermal attire for today’s adventure.

“Shit! You gotta run, Y/N!” Libertus screamed as without warning the creature lurched forward and snapped at the two of you with its slavering jaws. Glistening teeth slobbered through the air and its massive tail lashed and slapped at the water as you felt yourself being yanked away and tossed by Libertus to the opposite side of the room and up upon a small ledge for safety. “Shit, I never would have imagined that these things still existed!” He cried.

And despite you knowing better, he was right. Sightings of this beast were particularly rare, and recalling all of your studies as well as Ignis’s discourse, Jormungands in particular kept to the retreats of cool areas such as sewers and underground waterways to help control their body temperatures. Their cellular compositions relying heavily upon the functioning of carbonized metal within their bodies, this necessary material was what gave it its fearsome ability to spew forth flame at its prey. Making it even more disturbing, the Jormungand also possessed the ability to fly, as displayed by the beast now spreading its wings and opening its mouth as to spew forth streams of flame.

“Get out of the way!” Libertus shrieked, and once more he grabbed onto your hand and warped with you, causing the two of you to crash back into the center of the room in the shallow waters. “What the hell are we going to take this damn thing out?”

“C-Calm down, Libertus,” you tried to say, attempting to handle the situation. “I know you’ve fought worse things before! You can do this!” But spotting your bag that had fallen to the ground a good twenty feet away from you, you began to devise a plan. “I’m going to need you to listen to me!” You yelled as you both dodged bolts of flame, the heat missing you by feet and now hitting the water, causing the fluid around you to steam. “I’m going to need you to warp up above and distract it. These things are weak to daggers, and that’s what you work with.” Once more, the two of you miraculously dodged several other fireballs as you started to sprint around the room and away from its aggressive tail and lashing teeth.

“What?! And leave you down here by yourself to get boiled alive?” Libertus yelled, and truth be told, very much like in your dream, you started to notice that the heat of the water began to rise, the temperature from the Jormungand’s body and flames doing little to help as you winced in pain. “There is no chance in hell that I’m letting you do that!”

“Just trust me!” You called back, slashing at the creature’s body with your katana as you maneuvered away from its advances. “I just gotta get you one more thing that’s going to save both of our asses!” For the brief moment that the creature’s head was turned, its focus on your companion who now warped around its head and attacked the creature’s throat and spine, you lunged forward on the ground to grab your soaking wet bag from out underneath the water and yanked out two small orbs that glowed a soft blue. “Libertus! Take this!”

Libertus swiftly turned in your direction and dogged the beast’s teeth, and throwing the object with as much strength as you could, Libertus grabbed onto it and looked at it while slashing at the serpent. “This is…this is…”

“Magic!” You cried as you missed another fireball, this time the flame sparking slightly and starting to singe your clothing. “Ice magic! For every strength a creature possesses it has a weakness! Now on my count we’re going to take this thing out together, you hear me? Ok! Three. Two. One!”

In perfect unison, you and Libertus both hurled your orbs as the Jormungand let forth a shower of fire from its snout, the heat of the flame causing you both to shriek in agony as you rolled into he water to put out the singing of your clothes. But just as the orbs contacted the monstrosity’s body, the magic from within burst into a sparkling and luminous light, the room’s temperature plummeting instantly to freezing. Jumping out of the water to grasp upon a ledge before your legs froze in place, the creature screamed out in utter agony as each and every one of its silvery scales was encased in ice. Your heart feeling pity for just a moment at knowing what you were about to do to this exceptional and elegant yet formidable beast, you cast aside your differences knowing that it was killed or be killed and yelled to Libertus from across the room. “Now Libertus! Now while we have the chance!”

With complete and utter awe you watched the solider warp and twirl in mid air as he hacked at the beast with all his might, and the creature screamed in complete agony as slice by slice, you and Libertus assaulted it with all of your capacity, not holding back. Just as the ice began to thaw from around the room, the beast’s last pitiful cries emitting from its throat as it bled to its death, with one last spout of pathetically weak flame that shot forth from its nostrils, the Jormungand collapsed within the room and was no more.

You and Libertus stood there breathing heavily for just a moment, panting and sweating and brushing the ash off your clothing as you tried to process what you had just done. Looking to one another, your victory a shock to you, it was Libertus who spoke first. “Y/N, are…are you alright?”

You stared at him, feeling your heart clench with pride as you straightened yourself up and began to look around the beast’s corpse and down at your hands, your palms scuffed and bleeding slightly. “Y-Yeah, I’m just fine. And you?”

“Never better,” Libertus said as he sat down upon the tail of the Jormungand and touched its scales. “Holy shit, would I have never believed that this was down here in a million years. No wonder those Crestholm employees were so terrified. Can you blame them? But come to think of it we can fetch its hide and whiskers for a pretty high price and that surely can help pay for the damages, right Y/N? Y/N? Did you hear me?”

You almost didn’t as you now stood in absolute desbelief at what you saw on the opposite side of the room, Libertus now getting up to stand next to you.

“Libertus…look…is that…is that…”

Straight ahead, and may the gods have blessed the raucous from the Jormungand for causing such a disturbance, was a panel that had been busted from the wall, revealing a small and hidden secret passageway.

Frantically you located your bag and grabbed your tablet, more than grateful at this moment that no damage had miraculously befallen it. Reviewing the map throughout to this area, you felt your heart slam heavily in your chest at this sudden discovery, and trembling with anticipation, you quickly grabbed your things and yanked Libertus’s hand for you to follow.

“Y/N, what the hell is going on?” He asked you almost stupefied.

But you too excited now to answer pulled him even more harshly by the hand, the blood of your body coursing adrenaline through your veins as you rushed forth.

_This it. Oh Arstals, this is it. My dream. The channels, the fire of a monster…and now this passageway…this has to be it. Oh Lunafreya, what is it that you are about to show me?_

Your vision was all a blur as you now activated the light clipped on your jacket, and Libertus rushed behind you, trying to keep up as you advanced forth through the tight and dark metallic tunnels.

“Y/N, slow down! You have to be careful! You have no idea where this is taking us! You-“

“T-Trust me!” you stammered as the two of you made your way around a corner. “I know what I’m doing! I-“

And rounding one last corner, there it was before you. Cast in the soft glow of one solitary emergency light was the doorway that you had to desperately sought to reach for all of these nights since Ignis had been gone.

“…the hell? Is that a-“

But before Libertus could answer, you rushed to the heavy doorframe, your eyes widening with excitement as you realized that each and every detail was exactly the same as it was in your dream. And so, with trembling hands, you reached out and slowly began to input the code that your mind and memorized.

“One. One. Two. Nine. Two. Zero. One. Six.”

A loud beep began to reverberate through the narrow, humid hallway.

“ACCESS PANEL – ONLINE. ACCESS CODE – GRANTED. PLEASE PROCEED.”

“Y/N, how did you-“

And shoving the door open without hesitation, as you and Libertus stepped through the threshold into the unknown, instantly you dropped your bags at your side, your mouth agape in complete astonishment at what was now before you.”

“Libertus…oh my gods…this…this is…”

“Shit…” Libertus said breathlessly as you both began to circle around the room. “It’s a…”

“A Niflheim base.”

After all this time. After all these years. Here, laying somewhere deep within the underground of the Lucian land of Leide was another Niflheim stronghold that had yet to be discovered. And yet, with the low emergency light casting enough light to provide you sight, you could not help but gape in absolute shock at the various pieces of equipment, weaponry, resources, and other substances of wieght that lay surrounding you within this secret headquarters. As your eyes fell to the opposite wall and spotted the control panel, you at this moment knew just exactly what you needed to do.

“POWER CONNECTIONS STABALIZED. SYSTEM LOADED. ACCESS GRANTED. ACCESS CODE – SECURED.”

Lights flashed on, allowing both you and Libertus to see just how much stuff was withheld in this anteroom, and trembling immensely as if unable to handle what you were feeling, you felt tears of joy stream down your face. Bringing your hands up to cover your eyes, you sobbed with absolute joy,

_The dreams…those awful nightmares and being so afraid because I missed Ignis…oh gods, I just had to believe in myself, and look what it lead to…Oh my gods, I don’t even know where to start. I-_

But snapping you out of your emotional deluge, Libertus wrapped his arms around you for support. “Y/N, why are you crying? It’s ok. It’s ok. Please don’t cry! We’re both ok.” He pulled back to look at you, concern wrought upon the ashen, scuffed, and bleeding features of his face. “But how…just how on earth did you know that this place was here? Just how the hell did you manage this?”

You sniffled as you wiped away the dirt and tears from your face. “I…I don’t even know where to start. But my dreams, Libertus. My dreams! I kept having these dreams and I-“

But before you could conclude your sentence, something in the corner of room instantly caught your attention, and pulling away from Libertus you quickly made your way over towards the subject at hand. Approaching it slowly, almost as if in denial, you immediately covered your mouth to repress an astonished shriek, Libertus joining you at your side as he too gaped in alarm.

“Libertus…oh gods…Libertus…”

Because what you saw before you, you had become all too familiar with the sight of in your years of searching on how to bring back the life and save the one true King.

An elegant stone coffin gilded with gold lay dusted over, and with trembling and delicate fingers you began to skim along its rim. “Libertus, h-help me lift this up.” And so he did, and you two carefully pushed the lid aside, the stone of the coffin grinded against itself. As you two peered inside, you once more brought your hand up to your mouth to repress your shock.

A glistening, gilt, and articulately crafted hammer lay upon the body of a stone man, the hilt of the weapon withstanding the test of time as if newly crafted by a team of blacksmiths just days ago, and while for an instant as you stood there in utter disbelief at what it was you were truly seeing, it was Libertus who spoke first, his voice barely a whisper as he started to tremble.

“Y/N…Do you have any idea what you just found?”

_Lady Lunafreya…oh thank you. Gods, thank you for giving me this courage…and thank you for leading me here…_

*****************************

Upon you and Libertus exiting this secret base that had been hidden for so long, you were more than shocked to see that you had emerged from a hidden doorway that lead to the plaza of the once abandoned Viewbliss Outpost. With the absolute greatest importance without a faltering moment, you and Libertus immediately reported to Cor your astounding discovery and within less than thirty minutes a team of Glaives, the Crownsguard’s finest operatives, and a skilled medical team arrived at the Outpost, ready for action. Upon Cor’s orders and with yours and Libertus’s directions, the warriors began to infiltrate and examine each and every crevice of what the secret Niflheim stronghold had to offer, inspecting the storage sources as well as extracting data from the core’s mainframe. All the while you and Libertus were given care by a doctor and his team of nurses who began to inspect you for any sign of major injuries during your plight. Thank the gods that no bones were broken or muscles sprained, but the flames from the Jormungand’s wrath certainly did a number on several patches of your skin that were unprotected by your thermal gear.

“And to think that I wished to prevent you from partaking in your mission today,” Cor said with guilt in his syllables, a sense of awe now plastered across his handsome and hardened features as his eyes darted across each and every little precious reserve that was before you. “Do you truly realize what you have done today and what this all means? The King…the King will be most thrilled of this news. And proud. And I know Ignis will be more than proud of you for what you have done…”

And Cor was right. After all potential threats of the dormant mechs and MTs were disabled and data began to extract from the mainframe, the Glaives and operatives searched each and every inch of the stronghold and broke open crates that held valuable resources and advanced weaponry. It was now that you and Cor stood on the phone via speaker phone with the King himself and the royal retinue. Noctis himself almost entirely speechless, you could only envision his shock as he tried to formulate his words.

“An armiger…an armiger of one of my ancestors. Holy shit,” he mumbled in the most uncharacteristically kingly of ways. “I can’t believe it. And all this time it was just sitting there. What the hell were the Nifs doing with it and how the hell did they manage to find it?”

“That is what we are hoping to find out once we manage to extract all the files from the mainframe and have it run through by our researchers,” Cor said, equally stupefied as his King.

“Those damn Nifs,” Gladio said gruffly with awe in his voice. “They were so caught up in doing their nasty business all these years that they couldn’t even remember what the hell they had under their own noses this entire time.”

“Y/N, seriously, could you be any more badass?” Prompto said excitedly, and you could picture the rosiness of his freckles and his face beaming. “Just how the hell did you manage to even begin finding that place?”

You blushed deeply as Cor looked at you, and while you didn’t quite get the chance to tell him yet the whole story, by the way he looked at you, he almost knew. But before you could open your mouth to answer, it was Ignis who spoke, each and every word filled with a sense of wonder.

“Dreams…did you…did you have a dream about this, my darling?”

And so your whole story tumbled out of your mouth, the men heeding in silent awe as you described each and every detail of what you envisoned..

“Y/N…” Noctis said with astonishment. “Shit…and Luna….I can’t believe this.”

And even still at this moment, neither you could.

But most of all, it was Ignis who expressed his gratefulness to you as you took the phone and stepped away from the chaos of the scene transpiring around you. “Darling…oh Y/N…You…You are the most incredible woman. Gods, what you have done today. The shame I feel for having just a moment of doubt in my heart. Gods, please forgive me for this. You truly are the bravest, strongest, and most marvelous woman that I will ever have the blessing of knowing, and gods let me get home soon enough to show you just how much I truly do love you for who you are and what you do…”

**Friday - Day Thirteen**

The direness of your discovery had put your job in the Crestholm Channels on hold for another twenty hours, but finally after receiving the continued help of Libertus and a small team of EXINERIS girls who now joined you knowing that the channels were safe once more, you were able to effectively resolve the power line issues and the employees at Crestholm were finally able to resume their duties as normal and fix all the piping damage.

Completing the dirty job and washing up to make yourself presentable, you headed directly to the citadel after your shift to meet with Cor and the Crownsguard researchers and operatives who could only give you the best news that you could have hoped for, despite your impatience.

“The data we obtained?” Cor began as he now directed you to the large screen in the deliberation room. “The data is so heavily encrypted that it’s going to potentially take our team weeks to fully convert and translate all of the information within the files we obtained. As you know from yours, Ravus’s and Noct’s past excursions, the data extraction process has never taken us this long. Which of course,” and now Cor smiled so widely that it almost startled you, “leads us to believe that the Empire was hiding something of great importance.”

You were hardly breathing at this point as you looked up at the screen, your eye catching the mouse hovering over a particular folder.

“Ah, yes,” Cor said, grinning again. “But despite our waiting process with the data encryption, there was _one_ solitary file in particular that did not need to be encoded. Perhaps this was an error on Niflheim’s part. But…” And now Cor clicked on folder, opened a particular file, and instantly your hand went up to cover your mouth, “you just helped us happen discover a new blueprint that is going to change the world for all of our citizens, one intended for the design of cost-effectiveness and efficiency, made to be affordable for all. What a shame that Niflheim has been hiding this from its people. Not to mention that Cid Sophiar and Cindy Aurum will be more than ecstatic over this discovery.”

Displayed now on the monitor was something do distinguishable and so simplistic and yet the implications brought you painful joy to your heart as a laugh escaped your lips: the blue prints to a car model. Niflheim, once the world’s leader in all technology production, was also the manufacturing leader in automobiles, and this blueprint alone could only mean so much.

_People can get back on the road. Literally. People can get back to living out their dreams and exploring this world like it was meant to without fear…_

“We will contact you instantly the moment we find out any more information on the files,” Cor said, noticing the childlike wonder in your eyes at your unearthing. “Again, Y/N, we cannot express our gratitude enough for what you have done for us and the Crown…”

Hearing of your success from Jeanne who was more than impressed with yours and the girls’ work at Crestholm as well as your side adventure with Libertus, Holly had called you on your way out of the Citadel, breathless excitement in her voice as she did nothing but praise you over and over again with compliments, and it was all you could do to hide your blushing as you passed through the Citadel.

“Kiddo, I swear to the Astrals: isn’t there a damn thing you can’t do? And to think that just days ago you were lying in a infirmary. It’s like you’ve got the blessing of the gods on your side. Seriously! Looks like I’m going to have to get my ass going if I’m going to throw together this celebration sooner than I anticipated! Y/N, you’ve got the next few days off of work. I’ll let Jeanne know to change up the schedules. You really deserve it…”

And for you, on the other hand? Blessing the impeccable timing of events, it was now as you stepped through the threshold of your apartment doorway that your work week and all escapades had finally come to an end. Each and every single muscle aching and tender in your fragile form, you reveled in the reprieve of having taken a hot bath, drying off, and plopping onto the plush mattress of your bed.

“I did it. I can’t believe it,” you murmured to yourself as you stared up at the ceiling with your cellphone in hand as you patiently awaited Ignis’s call. With a dreamy and peaceful smile upon your face as you let the tension depart your aching physique, it was in the quiet of your room in this solitary moment when the weight of all the events you survived through finally came to their conclusion, and for a second you could barely take a breath. Your eyes fluttering shut slightly, your arm now gently wrapped around the Moogle plush that Ignis had gifted you during your stay in Altissia those many months ago, the darling little plushie remaining your companion while you had slept alone. _Ignis…I did…I can’t believe I did it…and now if only you could just come home…_

**Saturday – Day Fourteen**

**Saturday – 8:11:45 a.m. From Ignis Scientia:**

**Good morning, my dearest. The thought of knowing that you today you shall find reprieve from your meticulous and arduous work sets my soul at ease. I hope you intend to let your body rest. Please do give me a call when you awake. I am wishing more than anything in the world to hear your voice. I love you, Y/N…**

*******************************

**Saturday – 1:24:56 a.m. From Ignis Scientia:**

**I am most delighted to find that your morning has passed peacefully, my love. I shall hope to find out soon how the rest of my day shall pass here. I will certainly let you know the moment we have concluded with this meeting…**

*******************************

**Saturday – 6:33:12 p.m. From Ignis Scientia:**

**No word at this moment, my love, but I shall promise you that I know before I retire for the evening. Please have patience. Missing your company and wishing I was holding you tightly in my arms is becoming an undertaking that I can barely withstand any longer…**

_Iggy…please…please come home soon…I need you too, more than anything…_

**Sunday – Day Fifteen**

A soft and mollifying wind caressed your skin as your eyes slowly fluttered open, the nightly symphonies of nature dancing across your eardrums as you brought your supine form into a seated position. Inhaling gently, your body tingled at the sudden awareness of soft strands of grass and the velvety texture of flower petals brushing against your bare arms and hands. Ever so peacefully it was with the clearing of the haziness of your mind did you begin to process your surroundings.

Up above, the moon glimmered luminously in the starlit sky, the only light needed to see the glorious and endless fields before you, the aroma of flowers tickling your nose.

 _Where…where am I_? You thought to yourself in your sleepiness, your mind and body clear of all tension, agony, and dread. As your eyes begin to focus on the hue of the flowers around you, it was with a soft breath you suddenly realized exactly where you were as your fingers began to touch the vibrant blue petals of a sylleblossom. _Tenebrae…I’m in Tenebrae…but what am I doing here?_

In your tranquil obscurity of mind, it was now as you looked down to your body did you find yourself blushing, you donning a sheer and gossamer silk gown, the white fabric as thin as spiderwebs and showing the peaked nipples of your breasts and the curves and dips of your hips, waist, and thighs. Feeling slightly vulnerable but somehow safe as if no harm was to come to you, you brought yourself slowly to your feet. A zephyr pirouetted through the silks of your dress, its train cascading behind you and brushing delicately against the earth.

Serenity. All around you was peace and solace as you stood alone, and all was silent, save for the distant sound of water.

A soft and playful bark suddenly pulled you from your quiet contemplations as you turned around in the direction of the sound, and with a warmth coursing through you and a smile upon your face did you now see Umbra standing before you, his tail wagging and canine face drawn into an almost silly smile.

“U-Umbra, what am I doing here?” You asked the canine as you reached down to pet him and run your hands through his soft silky fur. Umbra barked again and wagged his tail faster, licking your face affectionately and suddenly darting a few steps away from you. “You want me to follow you, don’t you, Umbra?” You asked him with a laugh, and with another yip, your companion began to lead you across the field in the direction of the sound of a purling stream. You continued on like this in silence for a while until you reached the edge of a forest, the towers of the Fenestalla Manor coming into view from a distance, and slowly your eyes began to widen at the picturesque sights around you.

A pavilion crafted of marble and silver stood along the edge of a river, its ornate pillars twirling into exquisite spires, and surrounding the structure were gardens of every flower imaginable to the mind. You inhaled deeply as approached the building, but it was now more so the sight of a small waterfall cascading onto slates of pure white stone that drew in your attention.

“Umbra, what is this place? Why did you bring me here?” You asked as you turned to look at your canine companion.

But Umbra was gone.

Feeling disheartened, you once again turned back to the waterfall, and within an instant your lips parted and your own question was to be answered as you noticed you now were no longer alone again. Your heart pulsating sporadically within your breast, it was the sight of whom stood under the rushing waters that brought your hair prickling upwards on your arms with exhilaration and delight, your stomach fluttering with nervous knots, and your once soft nipples now peaked with arousal.

“I-Ignis,” you murmured softly, another breeze frolicking over your flesh and swirling through your hair and garments. With light feet you padded to the stream, your toes curling instantly at the surprising warmth of the gentle purls of the river. Your heart stopped in your chest and loins coiled at the sight of the man you loved standing there before you under the showers, Ignis’s body completely bare of all attire, his wet form and the scarring of his body glistening under the moonlight sky. Ignis’s soaked hair plastered across his head, his head was drawn back and his eyes were shut softly, his lips parted and his features masked with peace. As you stepped closer to him through the shallow warm waters, as if with deft precision of hearing, Ignis slowly opened his eyes and smiled at you.

“Y/N…” He purred as he stepped out from underneath the waterfall, and it was all you could do to stand firm upon two feet as his naked form approached you with graceful steps. Him stopping a mere foot from you, for a moment his brows were drawn with concern. “Darling…you are hurt…” he murmured, reaching out to touch your lip.

 _Oh yes…my injury from the plant…how could I have forgotten?_ You thought as you trembled over the feel of his thumb softly caressing your lower lip, Ignis taking every ounce care not to hurt you. Your eyelids batted themselves to his muted touch, your breathing now labored as his fingers delicately caressed your eyebrow.

“Oh Y/N, gods what a fool I was to leave to allow harm to come to you like this...” He said, his syllables masked in shame. “Shall you ever forgive me for leaving your side?”

You swallowed hard and all breath within you vanished as the wet temperateness of his form enveloped you in his arms, your petite frame melting to his touch as you buried your face into his chest. His breath tickling your skin, you fought with your lungs to take in every ounce of his scent as he wrapped his arms around your lower back.

“Ignis, you don’t need to ask for forgiveness,” you murmured as your own arms snaked around his back and your hands began to play with the scarring along his spine. Tilting your head to look up at him, you trembled and blushed immensely at the very way he looked at you. Your dress left very little to the imagination, the sheer garment now completely soaked through and clinging to your body as Ignis held you tightly. Suddenly you became very aware of the intense heat emanating from his physique, the feel of his softened member pressing gently against your stomach and causing your loins to turn in little knots. And yet despite the intense sensuality of his touches there was nothing but calmness and love in his eyes as if nothing else mattered in the world but you right in front of him. “I’ve missed you so much,” you continued breathlessly as you leaned your head upon his chest. “Gods, how much I’ve missed you. I’m…I’m just happy that I get to have this moment with you right now, even if it is just in a dream.”

Ignis raised his eyebrow and cupped your chin, lifting your face skyward to inspect your delicate features, and slowly his lips curved upward into a lopsided smile.

“Well…who is to say that this is a dream?” He asked coyly. “You of all people should know that, my love.”

But before you could ask what he meant by this, Ignis pulled your face to his and crashed his lips to yours, and it was as you felt your body being gently lowered to the ground did you find your eyes snapping open and your lungs gasping for sudden breath as you quickly assessed your surroundings.

“A-Astrals, I must have dozed off,” you said to yourself as you slowly began to sit up on your couch, your toes curling at the thoughts of the visuals of your dreams and jitters dancing up and down your spine. Even though the afternoon sun poured warmth in through your living room window, but it was the passion of your dream that sent heat pooling down into your loins and causing a deep flush to blemish your skin. Your body still achy and slightly sore from your minor injuries you endured in the Crestholm Channels, you carefully adjusted yourself on the couch while with shaky fingers your reached to the coffee table to grab your cellphone to check the time.

 _12:35, and still no word from Ignis_. Despite his bombardment of texts from the day before, he still could not provide you with a single word as to when he and the boys would be home. With your heart sinking even more, in the most uncharacteristic of ways, his only solitary text from this morning had simply read “Talk soon, my love,” and deep within the pit of your stomach could you not help but feel that the proceedings in Altissia had taken a sudden turn for the worse.

But your dream and the way he reassuringly kissed you as his hands began to slowly draw the strap of your dress off your shoulder and how he cupped the softness of your breast told you to think otherwise….

“Oh Iggy…come on…I’m dying to see you,” you said with a heavy sigh as you bit your lip and blushed again. “And there is so much to tell you and so much from you I want to hear about. Please, tell me what is going on…”

Despite your brief afternoon nap, you had attempted to make the most of what should have been a lazy Sunday by keeping yourself busy with simplistic and ordinary tasks. Having woken up early, you had cleaned your apartment from head to toe so that every nozzle, window, doorknob, rug, and every single piece of soiled laundry was scrubbed, polished, and washed. Removing yourself of your grime from your housework, you had taken the longest shower possible where you then had proceeded to make yourself presentable by doing your hair and make up and dressing yourself in a simple fluttery cotton dress, even though you had no real intent of even leaving your home (perhaps you just wanted to feel good for yourself). Having read a few short stories from a collection Gladio had let you borrow before you had fallen asleep, it was now as you sat on your couch and heard a slight grumble of your stomach that you realized your next task on your to-do list.

“M-Maybe I should make something to eat before I pass out again,” you mumbled as you stood up from the couch and ran your fingers through your hair to fluff the waves back into some semblance. “Then maybe I’ll continue reading and go for a walk. Hopefully, Iggy will get back to me by then…”

But it was as you made your way out of the living room and towards the kitchen did you hear the deafening ring of your cellphone, and hastily you ran back to the coffee table to answer your phone, surprised by this specific ringtone you heard.

“L-Libertus, h-hello,” you said breathlessly. “What’s going on?”

“Y/N, I need you to come to the Citadel ASAP.”

_Huh?_

“Libertus, is everything ok?” You asked quickly, and given your past experiences with this type of tone of voice you immediately felt your heart begin to sink.

“Yes. Everything is fine. But we need you as soon as you can get here.”

The shortness of his phrases threw you off immensely and quite frankly you couldn’t help but panic.

“Libertus, tell me. What is going on?”

“Everything is fine,” he repeated. “Trust me. But this is important. Just please don’t rush driving here. Focus on the road and be safe.”

“B-But do I need my gear or –“

“No, just bring yourself is all. Trust me. Meet me in the main lobby. See you soon.”

And before you could protest or ask any more questions, Libertus ended the call, leaving you standing there in shock.

“W-What…oh gods...” Quickly rushing around to find your shoes and jacket, you grabbed your bag from the doorway and rushed on out, deliberating what the hell was going on.

Despite Libertus’s request of you driving safely, boy did it feel like you had never sped so fast in your entire life.

And so now, with your car parked in the garage at the Citadel, your shoes padding loudly upon the tiled hallway floors as you rushed into the main lobby, it was as you shoved your way through the doorway did you gasp at the sight of the chamber congested with people, all talking excitedly in rapid and hushed voices.

_What…what is going on?_

Hastily your eyes scanned the crowd of people to see Libertus standing on the opposite side of the hallway next to Cor, Iris, and Gladio’s fiancé, the entirety of the Glaive force also in attendance with their posture erect and their heads held high. Anxiously avoiding the heated glance of Ferox whom now stared at you with a smile as you approached your friends, it was with heavy heartbeat and sweat coating your skin did you try your best to comprehend the situation.

“G-Guys, what’s going on?” You asked them as you approached them, but none of them seemed to acknowledge you as smile smiles formed at the corner of their lips. Feeling utterly clueless like you were the target of some inside joke, your eyes began to dart to the faces of the various Citadel employees who also seemed equally as intrigued as you. “Guys?” You repeated, but it was Cor who know looked at you and simply motioned towards the main entrance.

And then, with the heavy ornate doors bursting forth, almost as if time had slowed down and all breath was frozen within your lungs as a stark realization of what was happening now washed over you, sunlight of the Sunday afternoon poured into the hall in beams of light and in stepped King Noctis and his fellow Crownsguard.

A burst of cheers and jubilations erupted as all who were in attendance of the arrival home of the King of Insomnia and his royal retinue clapped now, and it had only become apparent at this moment just how truly missed the four friends were amongst the presence of Insomnians who approached the men and began to shake hands and help them with all they carried with them. But for you? As if all reality decelerated and faded into nothingness, you were blind and deaf to all as your suddenly teary eyes fell upon the man from across the hall who you had desperately missed so much. And he? It was for him as though nothing else in the world existed at this very moment, his shimmering emerald eyes wide and his beautifully scarred lip parted as his eyes longingly bored into yours as if _he_ was in denial over your presence.

“Ignis…Ignis!”

Your words lost within the chorus of voices around you and cracking in your throat like you had forgotten how to utter his beautiful name, with frantic steps you advanced your way forward past the throngs, your face sopping with tears as he now uncharacteristically pushed his way past those that stood in his way and swiftly rushed forward to meet you with trembling grace in each and heavy step of his leather shoes. Step by step, you neared each other, hearts pounding in your chests and the blood coursing through your veins and ears, and as heads slowly turned to watch what transpired in this sacred moment, it was finally now that after your painfully long and insufferable wait of being parted that you clashed into one another’s arms. The strength of his form now incasing you in the warmth that you had longed for each and every night now taking your breath away, you melted against him and relished in the feel of your fragile body enveloped protectively, tears of joy and longing streaming down your face as you looked up into his eyes….

And as sobs of joy left you, his eyes too were incased in crystal tears as his lips parted to speak. “Y/N…oh gods, Y/N. Please tell me that this is not an illusion,” he murmured as his arms trembled around you. But before you could open your mouth to respond, as he began to study your face, his eyes slowly widened as his fingers gently caressed the markings of burns from the sewer and the slice on your lip from your fall in the plant. “Oh gods…Y/N….”

“Ignis…” you murmured, reaching up to touch his own lips. “Oh Ignis, I…”

“No…never again, Y/N,” he hushed. “Never again. Never again am I going to allow this to happen. Never, ever again. I am swearing my word upon that right this very moment...”

And now grasping the sides of your face, not giving one damn about the world watching you in this intimate moment, it was with your eyes flaring and all breath departing your lungs that Ignis’s lips came crashing down to yours, and gods did the world set itself ablaze at his touch as your hands now snaked your way up to the back of head and kissed him back, savoring in the flavor of his lips dancing upon yours. Your legs instantly going weak as you steadied yourself in his embrace, Ignis’s lips kissed you passionately, taking care not to hurt your damaged lip.

“Oh Y/N…Y/N…” he gasped breathlessly as he pulled back to look at you, his skin flushed and his eyes on fire with love as he stared down at you. “Oh gods, how I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you more than anything. Astrals, I love you, Y/N…”

You were now crying as you buried your face into his chest, all your pain, suffering, and loneliness of having been parted with him the agonizingly long two weeks suddenly coming to full fruition. “Oh Ignis, gods do I love you more!” And reaching up to kiss him again, it was now that you ears finally heard the hollers, claps, cheers, calls, and chants or yours and Ignis’s names as all eyes observed you.

As you pulled back to notice just how many people were watching you two, the privacy of your relationship with the strategist had now officially been brought to full light for all to witness (and you now not giving one shit about it). It was as you laid eyes upon Prompto, Gladio, and Libertus did you see that they were shooting daggers at a very particularly frightened Glaive who now stood in complete shock and horror over realizing that perhaps he had on too many occasions unknowingly stepped his boundaries with you.

Perhaps that would be something you would worry about a bit later, because it was now with Ignis scooping down to pick up your bag that you had dropped in the bedlam of the moment did you find yourself being lead hastily from the hall, the tactician’s broad hand tightly grasping yours as you moved past the crowds who smiled at you and cheered as you passed. Gods had you never seen the man move so quickly in his life as before you knew it, as if time had instantly jumped forward that you were now standing within his apartment, the two of you finally within the solace of each other’s company, all alone after all this time.

“Ignis…” you murmured as you felt yourself trembling, but with your breath catching in your lungs did you see that it was he who was now shaking in his shoes, his mouth parted and his face flushed as he once more pulled you tightly against his chest and breathed in the scent of your hair. Feeling a wetness touch your head, you looked up to see that he was crying, now unable to hold within all that had encumbered him while you were parted.

“Oh Six, Y/N, never allow me to do that to you again. What kind of man am I to know what you have suffered through and what all had transpired for you during the duration of my absence and I hadn’t done a damn thing about it. How can I ever forgive myself for what I’ve caused? You cherished, magnificent woman. Y/N, please forgive me, I-“

You silenced him with your lips, kissing him sweetly with all the love in the world in your motions as you held onto the sides of his face. “And you precious, wonderful man who has nothing to apologize for,” you said breathlessly as he held you tightly, your own tears now soaking your face. It was now that you noticed his hands digging harshly into your sides as if he was unable to steady himself, his grasp upon you suddenly extremely possessive. “I-If anything it should be _me_ apologizing for breaking my promise to you…”

“Promise?” He said quizzically, his lips now hovering over yours and his feet planted far apart as if bracing himself, his warm breath fluttering down to your face and sending shivers down your spine. He pressed his forehead to yours, his body utterly shaking as if still unable to process that you were truly standing before him in this moment.

“To take care of myself and be safe,” you whispered as you swallowed hard, the heat emanating from his body suddenly beginning to suffocate you. “I promised I would be safe, and well, I kind of didn’t do that, did I?”

Ignis inhaled abruptly as if the mention of your pain caused him great agony. “Never again, Y/N. Never again will you hurt like that. Not as long as I live, my darling...”

At this very moment his tear-soaked eyes darkened and his pupils dilated, his lips once again hovering over yours, and without any warning his mouth crashed into yours again. Oh gods did you melt as your lips danced together, hot and heavy breaths escaping your parted lips between kisses. But this? There was something in these kisses that had never been felt before. Here, standing before you with his arms bound tightly around your lower back was not just a man in love; here before you was a frightened and despairing man, panicked over the thought of having potentially lost the one thing that meant the most to him in the entire world, and here now as he hastily pulled back for one moment to remove his glasses and yank off his leather Crownsguard jacket to discard it to the floor did he want to ensure more than anything else that he would never have cause to fear for you again.

Gasping from shortness of breath as he kissed you with fervor and passion, by the quivering grip of his hands upon your hips did you feel your eyes widen as an electricity surged through the air, a prevailing and overwhelming energy that was all too unforgettable in your mind.

The strength of his grasp on the valve in Lestallum that had given you all too much trouble. Him prying open the rusty doorway to the inner sanctum of Pepetouss Keep where you had obtained Niflheim’s secret data. And here that energy now coursed through his fingertips that pressed harshly into the soft flesh your hips as if he had to fight back at every ounce of his own sanity to not lose himself to his primal, protective, and base needs like a wild beast. Oh, but gods, what kind of monster would _you_ be for letting him hold himself back any longer?

“I-Iggy. Iggy,” you gasped as he allowed you for just a second to move your face back from his, and you grasped the sides of his face to steady the man. He was tremoring and his pupils were fully blown as he now rested his forehead upon yours. As he attempted breath, Astrals did you swear that he was going to shatter like glass at any moment. “It’s ok, Ignis. It’s ok. I’m ok. That I can promise you now.” And as if your face couldn’t flush any a deeper shade of red, you swallowed hard and fluttered your lashes as you articulated your next words carefully for him to hear. “But please…for now? Please, just let yourself go. I need you. Don’t hold back on me any longer…”

With his nostrils flaring and a primal groan escaping his mouth, Ignis scooped you up underneath your knees so that your legs were wrapped around him as he brought you over to the couch and sat down hastily, you now straddling his waist as he once again began to assault you with kisses. His teeth now clashing against yours, with shaky and fumbling fingers did he slowly lift your dress up to grab your behind firmly, his fingertips pressing harshly into your curves as he pushed you down against his groin. Whimpering at the sudden feel of a rock-hard protuberance through leather pants grinding against your panty-clad loin, you snaked your hands to the back of his head and began to run your hands through the sandy-blond and soft tresses of hair. Ignis nipping your lip ever so gently as to not further hurt your scar, he removed his lips from yours and used his nose to lift your chin to expose your throat. Instantly you began to gasp and whimper loudly at the feel of his lips kissing and nibbling the delicate flesh of your throat, his teeth sinking in ever so slightly as to not hurt you, despite his own need for placation. Ignis thrust his hips upward against your loins, causing you to grind against him, and moaning loudly as you relished in the feel of being in his arms once against, it was through the smell of your arousal permeating the air did you find yourself already more than ready and prepared for what he had to offer you.

“Y/N…Y/N…” he began to mumble, his words tumbling out of his mouth incoherently as he continued to grind against you, his throat emanating rumbling and purring sounds like a kitten as he held onto you possessively. His hands pressing deeper into your sides and causing you to cry out with sharp pleasure and pain, the friction of your rubbing loins already seemed like it was going to send you over the edge beyond the point of no return.

“Ignis…Ignis…” you whimpered as you held onto his face, and in response he nuzzled your nose. “Let me…Let me…” Doing your best to keep yourself balanced while he sensually swayed his groin against yours, you managed to maneuver your jacket off your shoulders and toss it to the floor, your body sweltering and already sheened in sweat from the heat of his contact. Ignis’s pupils dilated more at the sight of the curvature of where neck and collarbone joined your shoulders and he inhaled sharply as his eyes fell upon the base of your throat, for apparently he could now see the remnants of a bruise from where he last marked you weeks ago. Yanking the strap of your dress and bra down off your shoulder, he moved his mouth forward to sink his teeth into the flesh, his tongue lapping and kissing and sucking upon the skin and him relishing in your scent and the softness of your flesh. Crying out harshly at the sensation, with one of your shoes having already fallen off your foot, you reached back to remove the other, your toes freely curling with anticipation of his aggression as you placed your hands upon Ignis’s chest’s and began to hastily unbutton his shirt in response. But you now seeking respite in needing to see his beautiful body more than ever, with nervous and anxious fingers you curled your fingertips under the fabric of the opening of his shirt and yanked. The clinking and clacking of buttons bouncing off walls and furniture chorused through the air, and in response Ignis growled deeply and grabbed upon your face, kissing you harshly. Your moans muffled by his lips, your hands began to trail down the sharply defined dips of his muscles, your fingertips tingling with delight at the feel of his pectorals and abdominal muscles flexing to your touch, and with your heart slamming heavily in your chest, you somehow managed to miraculously undo his belt and unbutton his pants without even looking.

And so now, with Ignis letting go of your face for a moment to breathe and you lifting your hips slightly, with both hands you pulled down the zipper of his pants, reached inside with quaking fingertips, and pulled out the glory of his which had been so desperate to seek its freedom.

_Oh Astrals…_

And gods, was the heated sigh that left Ignis’ mouth the most beautiful sound you had ever heard in your whole entire life as you laid eyes upon his beautifully thick and swollen girth that begged for your touch.

Unable to withstand his desires any longer, Ignis snaked his hands down underneath your dress and found the rim of your panties. Him pulling aside the drenched fabric, you lifted yourself up as Ignis grasped ground the base of his shaft, lined up the head with the threshold of your entrance, and with his other hand upon your waist, helped ease you down onto the length in one painfully slow motion. A mangled cry left you as you buried your face into his shoulder, and for but a moment did his tender side reemerge as he wrapped one arm around your lower back, the other placed on the back of your head and caressing your wavy locks.

“A-Are you alright?” he gasped as if it was taking every ounce of his fiber and sanity to restrain himself for but a moment longer to ensure he wasn’t hurting you.

“Y-Yeah,” you whimpered as you felt yourself shaking uncontrollably, his already throbbing girth stretching you to beyond compare despite how prepared for him you were. Lifting your head to look him in his eyes, you placed your palms upon the sides of his face, your fingertips caressing the scars that you missed admiring so much, and with your thumb trailing over his lower lip, you kissed him softly, despite the heat of the moment that was about to befall you. “I-Iggy, I missed you. Gods, how I missed you and how you feel inside of me. P-Please…remind me once more of what that’s like. Please don’t make me ever forget this feeling ever again…”

With his nostrils flaring, his thighs tensing against yours, and the muslces of his core flexing against you, his hand on the back of your head grabbed at your hair and his hips shifted slightly, causing you to whimper.

“Gods, how I love you too, Y/N, and I shall remind you of that and more.”

All humanity in him was gone as with one swift thrust upward of his hips, Ignis finally allowed himself to lose himself to the passion of his desires that had tortuously toyed with him for two weeks. His shaft pounding mercilessly inside of your walls as you grabbed onto his shirt for dear life, you rode him on his lap, your body jolting upward with each pronounced thrust as he once again resumed his assault of biting your exposed shoulders. Shutting your eyes tightly and crying out at the delightful pain of each nip of his teeth, you threw your head back to the ceiling as you lost yourself to his gesticulations, your body at his mercy and worshipping every moment as you both gave into your needs and joined together as one.

“L-Look at me,” he growled deeply with as much affection he could muster in his voice, and with your eyes snapping open, you only felt your loins tighten further at the way he looked at you, his green eyes almost black and his lips parted as his shaft slid in and out of you with ease. And yet, despite the beast within him that ravaged you and sent you begging for release, you had never felt safer and more loved at the affection of his gaze as if he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

Grabbing on to the back of your head for just a second more to draw your face forth to kiss you, it was now that Ignis placed both of his large hands upon your buttocks. Gasping with the sudden feeling of being lifted weightlessly into the air, Ignis carried you over to the nearest wall of the living room, your body slamming against the flat surface as he pounded into you against the wall. With your body folded slightly and his hands grasping your behind firmly, you wrapped your legs tightly around his taut waist as he proceeded to thrust deeply into you, your head smacking against the wall which each of his powerful thrusts.

“Y/N…Y/N,” he groaned almost incoherently as he rested his forehead against yours, his eyes boring into yours as his manhood slipped in and out of you at a frenetic pace. The sound of smacking wet flesh filled the air as you looked each other deeply in the eyes, and it was for just a moment that the tenderness of this man you loved so much phased in and out of his frenzied and powerful prods.

“I-Iggy…” you whimpered, your hands grabbed at his hair and kissing him strongly with passion. “P-Please…harder…” His breathing hitching at your request, your words spurred him on even further as he now slammed into you harder, the sudden force causing your tailbone to smack almost painfully against the flat surface behind you and the wall to shake like one of the Archaen’s earthquakes.

“H-Harder…harder…p-please…”

_Oh gods yes…yes…_

Wherever the sound came from you couldn’t tell, but the resonance of something shattering filled the air, most likely a picture frame having fallen off its hook on the wall. But nevertheless, the tactician could care less as he now parted lips with you, his nose burying itself into your neck and inhaling deeply. The sudden tenderness only made your walls tighten and tug around his length, and moaning loudly Ignis pushed your chin up with his nose and sunk his teeth into the flesh right under your chin.

That was surely bound to leave another mark.

Crying out loudly as his teeth pierced you, his tongue now lapping at the damaged skin, it was with tears of pleasure streaming down the sides of your face that you felt the immense tightening of your loins, your peak mere moments away as Ignis’s length hit the deepest depths of your passage.

“Ignis…Ignis…I’m…I’m gonna…”

And with his amazing strength, he removed one hand from underneath you and continued his rhythm, his free hand now going up to touch the side of your face and press your forehead to his, and him kissing you with surprise tenderness with all the love in the world, you crested over your peak as your walls began to flutter uncontrollably around his shaft, wave after wave of white hot pleasure prickling down your spine as he pummeled into you while you rode out your climax. His name tumbling out of your mouth over and over while your hands grabbed desperately at his shirt, with your carnality riding itself out, your head exhaustedly fell to his shoulder as he stopped his motions for but a moment, allowing you to catch your breath.

“D-Darling…” he murmured as he nuzzled the side of your face with his own, and something about the way the tactician phased in and out of the mind of man and beast simply made you swoon. Lifting your head to look him in the eyes, your heart sputtered at the sight of his once styled pompadour now completely disheveled and sweaty in the manner that always drove you senseless. Yet, despite the tenderness in his voice, his eyes were still ablaze with lust and you of course knew that at this moment the night had only began.

_Gods, please never let this end…_

“Ignis…” you whispered back as you nestled against him. “Ignis…please…please…”

And how he managed to carry you to the bedroom with his pants half down you would never know, but as he now playfully slammed you down onto his mattress, you quickly sat up on the bed to watch up him begin to fully undress, and you could not have named a single other spectacle that you would rather have witnessed. With the warm sunlight beaming into the room, his shaft glistening and soaked from your essence, he pulled the sleeves of his shirt off and cast the garment to the floor. Not even bothering to take his time to tease you, Ignis hastily removed his shoes and pulled down his pants and briefs, the royal advisor now fully exposed and more beautiful than ever within the warmth of daylight. You lost your breath at the sight of his lithe and toned body that was coated in a layer of sweat, and your mouth watered and your throat tightened at the way his shaft twitched in your direction.

“Come closer, my love,” Ignis commanded, and the tone of his voice caused your own loins to throb at his wish as his gentle side was gone was once again. Crawling ever so slowly to the edge of the bed, with your hands pressed firmly into the mattress Ignis stalked over to you and presented you with his shaft, grabbing the back of your head with just enough pressure to not hurt you. Taking his other hand and grasping the base of his manhood, he began to tease you with his glory as he rubbed the tip of the length over your lips. “Darling…”

“Oh Iggy…” you managed say, barely unable to breathe as you opened your mouth to allow entrance for his shaft, and instantly your nostrils flared at the taste of yourself in your mouth as well as his musky sent. Your eye lids fluttered shut as he began to pump his length into your mouth, the sensation of his swollen and pulsing length hitting the back of your throat and causing you to gag slightly. And yet, you couldn’t think of a single other feeling you’d rather be experiencing as you relished in the sounds of his chorused moans and panted breaths.

“Y/N…oh _gods_ , Y/N,” he breathed as he quickened his pace, and the resonance of the syllables of your name rolling off his tongue only further made you more aroused.

“Mrrmmn hrrmm…” You attempted to say his name but your words were stifled, and the sound of a husky chuckle escaping Ignis’s lips only enchanted you further.

“Yes, darling?” He teased back. “Is there something that you wish from me?”

_Oh gods. Is he going to allow himself a moment of indulgence for himself? Please Ignis, please. Let me have you this way._

Your nostrils flared as you tried to control your breathing and relax your throat muscles, preparing yourself for his climax. “Mmmmn hmmm…” You tried to say once more as you looked up pleadingly into his eyes, and his gaze blackened at your compliance. Gripping onto the bedsheets you took a deep breath through your nose as you steadied your stance on all fours, your eyes locked to Ignis’s as he parted his legs to ready himself. With his abdominals flexing and his hips thrusting forward, it was with him clutching the sides of your face and his breathing hitching loudly that he hit his climax. With his hips shuddering as his hot seed shot to the back of your throat, you desperately swallowed each and every bitter and delectable drop that ribboned forth from his length. His moans of ecstasy echoing around the bedroom, his threw his head back to let his pleasure be heard, and the sight of him allowing himself to succumb to his own needs only spurred on your own desires.

_Yes, Iggy, let me hear you…_

With his hips sputtering one last time, his head fell forward and his eyes shut gently, his lips parted as his climax finally waned. As he slowly came back down from the heavens, with his eyes fluttering open his gaze locked on to yours again, hunger and longing and affection apparent. Pulling his softening shaft out of your mouth, you gasped with surprise as Ignis quickly moved to the bed where his body now blanketed yours, his hands trembling as they skimmed up under your dress. Grabbing at the cotton fabric his hands grasped the hem and pulled upwards, you lifting your body to allow him to undress you. However, as you raised your arms above your head it was with wide eyes that you suddenly felt your wrists bound above you, your dress now apparently bunched up and wrapped around your hands so they couldn’t move. For a moment Ignis could only stare at you like his most prized possession, and with his eyes darting around your exposed body it was as if this was the first time he had ever seen you in such a way. But with one hand holding your arms in place, Ignis proceeded to bury his face between your breasts while he straddled you, his other free hand yanking the fabric of your bra downwards to expose your nipple. Instantly you yelped at the feel of his teeth his skimming over the pert and sensitive nipple, his tongue now expertly swirling around the tiny mound as you squirmed beneath him.

“I-Ignis, oh gods,” you whined, your back arching as he steadied himself above you, and with his large hand cupping your breast with just the right amount of pressure, he began to suck harshly on the pinked skin, causing you to cry out his name and your loins to grind against his shaft that was now already hard again, your own heat completely soaked as you felt your essence drip from between your legs.

But it was Ignis’s next course of plan that caught you completely off guard. Sliding his length against the folds of your entrance for just a teaser, it was in one swift motion upon the bed that he was kneeling on one knee with his other foot steadied flat upon the mattress. Lifting your underside upwards by wrapping his arms around your upper thighs and hips, you were now completely upside down with your body folded over slightly, your shoulders supported on the mattress and your hands still bound by your dress.

And Ignis? With your legs now wrapped around the back of his head, pulling aside your panties once again, it was his face that was buried between your thighs, and nothing but cries of your ecstasy were heard as his tongue began to lap and swirl around your bud and plunge into the depth of your heat.

“Ignis! Oh Ignis!” You screamed, the blood rushing to your head as his mouth made love to your entrance, the feel of his breath from his nostrils sending shivers down your spine as you trembled upside down. And yet as you called out his name over and over and over again he simply could not be heard as his tongue began to flick faster over your bud and suck at the tender folds of your heat as if he had never tasted anything so delicious in his entire life. With your thighs almost squeezing the sides of his head, your moans and whimpers only seemed to rile him even further as he growled savagely and dug his hands more harshly into your upper thighs.

Your body completely numb and tingling, with the coiling of your loins and his teeth nipping at your bud, you once more peaked another climax, mangled moans and whimpers of Ignis’s name tumbling out of your mouth and piercing the air. Your toes curled from behind his head as wave and wave of painfully wonderful sensations rushed through your blood and sent you reeling.

Another climax ridden out, and yet more to be had.

Lowering you back onto the mattress, Ignis lifted you slightly to reach around your back to undo your bra. Finally yanking away your dress from your wrists that had bound you like his prisoner, he lifted you upwards for just a moment to pull your bra away and kiss you hungrily, and once again you felt yourself aroused by the taste of your own nectar upon your lips. Ignis lightly biting your lip, his mouth moved to kiss the sides of your face and nip at your ear. With trembling hands his fingertips traced down the sides of your neck and shoulders and met at the juncture of your collarbones, his hand now wrapping around your throat gently as if he was ready to snap at any moment. For just a second you lost yourself in the beauty of his heavy breathing through parted lips and his matted hair tangled around his forehead. With his nostrils flaring and his eyes darkening again, he smirked devilishly, and his look alone was enough to send you over another peak.

“On your hands and knees.”

_Yes my love._

It was as his hands grabbed at your waist and his throbbing shaft pressed to your behind that a frustrated snarl left his lips, puzzling you within this moment. But before you could turn your head around to see what the problem was, your eyes widened and you yelped harshly with pain at the sensation of your panties tearing, the ripping of the garment stinging your already sensitive hips as the fabric floated to the floor like a banner of war, signifying surrender and defeat.

And gods were you willing to surrender to him and more.

Without warning Ignis shoved his massive girth into your depths and began to pump furiously into your core, all gentleness in him gone as he gripped at you with fumbling hands and moaned out your name like it was the only word he knew. His nails scraping your hips as he reached depths that sent you jolting forward with bouncing breasts, you could barely think straight or even see ahead of you as tears of pleasure streamed down your face. Screaming his name and grabbing onto the bedsheets for support, Ignis pushed you down onto the bed so that your belly was pressed to the mattress. Instinctually he situated himself over you upon your buttocks as he continued to ride you while he reached forward and grasped you around the base of your throat. You turning your head to look at him, instantly his lips fell to yours with a heated and feverish kiss.

“Y/N…Y/N…” he choked, barely unable to say your name as he tugged at your lower lip with his teeth, trying so hard to not to cause you pain. And yet, seated above you he pounded into your heat mercilessly, the sound of your slickened passage sloshing as his girth slid in and out of you with grace. Angling yourself as best as you could to grab at his bicep for support, it was with eyes broadening that you felt his shaft begin to swell even more, the sudden extra stretching of your walls causing you to wince and nevertheless whine with delight, his body once more responding to his need to be one with you and never let you go.

_And nothing could ever compare to that…_

Ignis’s panted breaths hitched more in response to your depraved cries. With a carnal growl, he pushed away your hair that cascaded down your back, and with the need to claim you again as his, just like last time he sank his teeth into the back of your neck, causing you to scream out his name in elation and bliss.

Like the beautiful symphony ever heard, your chorus of cries and moans sang through the air as your climaxes were shared as one, Ignis’s seed spurting into your depths and filling you completely while your walls tugged around his length, never wanting to let him go.

“Darling…darling…” he whimpered as he lost himself inside of you.

“I know, Iggy, I know…”

And you were at it again and again and again as if the Astrals had graced you both with all the strength you needed to prove your love worthy of one another.

It was now as you lay upon your back with your spine arched that Ignis pressed his face to the curve of your throat, his breathing frantic and heavy as if he were to pass out at any moment. And yet he pursued forth as with each and every thrust inside of you did you call his name, proving you’d never leave his side. Your head thrown back and your eyes fluttering shut at the way he lips graced your throat and chin while your legs wrapped around him, it was his spoken words through his growls and pants that would cause your eyes to stir and lock to his, and your heart tightened at the way his eyes shimmered as he worshipped you.

“L-Look at me, Y/N.”

And so you did, all breath within your long lost as you attempted to speak while his girth surged into your depths.

“Y-Yes…I-Ignis?”

“Gods, how I love you. I love you, Y/N.”

“Oh Iggy…”

As you both came again, your hands trembled as you pulled his face closer to yours, your foreheads pressing together. It was _he_ who now whimpered and cried out your name as his muscular and lithe form trembled above you, his tears of joy streaming down his face and falling to your own. With his biceps and abdominals flexing, one last time he gushed forth within you the last drop of seed he had and your body accepted graciously every last warm drop within your walls. With your final utterings of each other’s name and the quavering of sweaty and exhausted bodies, Ignis fell upon you and enveloped you in his arms, and now your bodies were one solitary mass of mingled limbs, never wanting to be parted ever again.

The room was silent for a moment, save for the gentle leveling out of your heavy panting and unified breathing, and as the beast within this man was finally squandered and tamed, Ignis pulled away to look at you with wide eyes. Shakily clasping your face again, his legs intertwined with yours as he trembled against you.

“Dearest…Y/N…are you alright?” He choked, his words panic-stricken and afraid and his hands quivering upon your cheeks. “Gods, did I…did I get too out of hand? Did I hurt you? Did I-“

You placed your finger to his lips to silence him as a soft laugh escaped your own, and for a moment you had to find the strength to speak and formulate your words. “No Iggy, I am quite fine,” you said gently, your skin flushed and glowing as you now touched each and every one of his beautiful facial features. Your fingertips dancing over each scar and beauty mark, you felt your heart tighten and palpitate at the way his emerald orbs looked at you. No matter how many times, now matter how long it had been, still to this very day as the sun slowly was beginning to dissipate from the sky and the last remnants of daylights cast their warmth into the bedroom, nothing could ever help you adjust to the way that this beautiful man beheld you, as if each of his glances was like the very first time he had ever seen you.

And those very eyes were now filled with tears.

“Iggy?” You said softly with your brows drawn together and heart suddenly aching. “Why are you crying? What’s the matter?”

But with a smile forming in the corners of his lips, his kissed you softly as he slowly rolled off you and pulled you tightly into his arms, his legs wrapped around you to keep you close. “I-I’m just…oh gods, Y/N, overwhelmed, quite frankly,” he murmured, his voice crackling as he cupped your chin in his hand to study your face. “P-Please do tell me that this is merely not a dream right now…”

You smiled as you now softly kissed him, your lips melting against his. “N-No, Iggy, this isn’t a dream. Again, I might not be good at making promises, but this? This I promise you is all very real.”

Another tear trickled down his face as he grasped at you more tightly, and lifting your hands you brushed away that very tear. “I just…oh gods, Y/N. After all of that…after all that you had suffered through, never again…never again will this ever have to be,” he repeated from earlier. He paused his words as he cupped your chin once more, his lips parted and his cheeks flushed. “I swear to the Astrals themselves to you: from this day forth, we shall never be parted like that again. I vow to always be at your side through thick and thin. I love you, Y/N, and I shall always will…”

_“Make my wish come true, let darkness slip aside,_

_Hiding all our hope, mocking what we treasure._

_Battles we can win, if we believe our souls,_

_Hang in for the light, till dawn._

_Fate will not leave you, hate will not heal you._

_Pray and one day, peace shall flow everywhere...”_

For this the Astral’s made their promise, and as Ignis’s prayer was heard, nevermore would you ever have to face the dawn alone again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I do promise that this will be the last time in this story that the Reader and Iggy are separated like this. Having them parted for so long was torture for me to write and I actually got super depressed seeing how much they missed each other :(
> 
> *How badass is our Reader indeed? Finding a hidden base and an armiger? As we learn from Ignis in the actual game, "there have been as many arms as there have been kings," and so one could logically assume that if Noctis only has 13 arms and the others have been lost, chances are SOME other armigers need to be floating around somewhere!
> 
> *11292016? Fun Easter Egg here folks: That's the release date to FFXV in case you didn't recognize that! :D


	22. Hunger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all....GODS am I so sorry that it took me over a MONTH to make my latest update. I have no idea what the hell happened to my life but once again exhaustion from a lack of a proper night's sleep as well as stress and anxiety from work and random life things made it almost impossible for me to sit down and write anything coherent. Even more frustrating was my lack of focus in terms of figuring out how the hell I wanted to take the next step forward with my story. I knew WHAT I wanted to say but actually writing down the words was a final boss fight in itself. Needless to say, I pressed forward and managed to fight those daemons that held me back. 
> 
> And yet, somehow a miracle happened, and here we are. While I had a different idea in mind when it came to the next chapter, thanks to Florence releasing the beautiful single "Hunger" off her album set to be released this summer, this amazing tune gave me the exact inspiration that I needed to continue the saga from where we last left off. Not gonna lie, but deep in my heart I think that this is one of my favorite chapters yet; it's got the romance and the smut (several tastes of it, to be more specific), plot and lore building and connecting of the FFXV universe, as well as the wholesome interactions between the characters that we love so much. I too hope that you enjoy this as much as I do and that the wait at least was well worth it.
> 
> On a side note....I AM SO SORRY for once again producing another long chapter! "It will be short this time!" she said! "It will be a quick write!" she said! NOPE! But thankfully this chapter is also divided up into several distinct sections so that if you get tired of reading you can always pause at certain points. While I could have easily broken this up into two parts, doing so would have made the important theme of "hunger" less apparent and meaningful.
> 
> And so, without further ado, I present to you Chapter Twenty-Two:Hunger. As always, your feedback and commentary is always loved and much appreciated!
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie! :)

_Tell me what you need, oh, you look so free_

_The way you use your body, baby, come on and work it for me_

_Don't let it get you down, you're the best thing I've seen_

_We never found the answer but we knew one thing_

_We all have a hunger_

_We all have a hunger_

_We all have a hunger…_

_And it's Friday night and it's kicking in_

_And I can't dress, they're gonna crucify me_

_Oh, you and all your vibrant youth_

_How could anything bad ever happen to you?_

_You make a fool of death with your beauty, and for a moment I forget to worry_

_\- Florence and the Machine – “Hunger”_

  _June, 756 M.E…_

_How did I get here? Why am I here…Astrals, this isn’t real, no. This is all just a horrible, horrible dream…_

“THREE HOURS HAVE PASSED AS REPORTS FROM ACCORDO CONTINUE TO DECLARE A STATE OF ARREST AS ALTISSIAN OFFICIALS ATTEMPT TO REESTABLISH ORDER AGAINST THE NIFFLEHIM INFANTRY.”

_No…it’s a lie…this isn’t real. I’m just dreaming. This is all just a bad dream. Gods, Y/N, just please wake up._

“CURRENTLY WE HAVE NO NEW NEWS ON WHETHER OR NOT THESE ARBITRATIONS ARE A SUCCESS. WE HAVE YET TO RECEIVE WORD FROM THE FIRST SECRETARY CAMELIA CLAUSTRA ON HER NEGOTIAIONS WITH THE NIFLHEIM FORCES.”

_Why did I get on that boat? Why did I get in that car and how the hell did it bring me here? I…I should have just stayed. I shouldn’t have let that guy pull me away from Mom and Dad. And yet…here I am…how…how is this all happening?_

“I can’t believe it,” vocalized a young woman nearby as she and her friends huddled around the blaring radio. “How on earth could Niflheim do such a thing? I thought that Lady Lunafreya’s ceremony was supposed to be one that would bring about peace! How could this happen?”

“It’s awful! Truly awful in every sense of the word!” Exclaimed her friend who began to sniffle as though she herself witnessed the atrocity betide in person. “And she and the prince…Prince Noctis…he was supposed to get married today! What on earth happened with that?”

“NO WORD HAS BEEN RECEIVED ON THE WHEREABOUTS OF PRINCE NOCTIS LUCIS CAELUM OF LUCIS AND HIS FIANCÉ LUNAFREYA NOX FLEURET, THE ORACLE OF TENEBRAE. WE WILL CONINUE TO UPDATE THIS BROADCAST AS WE RECEIVE FURTHER INFORMATION.”

“Shit, are they serious? How the hell can the future king and his bride go missing?”

“Just what the hell kind of place is Camelia Claustra running in Accordo for letting this happen?”

_Lunafreya…Prince Noctis…what happened…what the hell is going on? This truly isn’t real…_

“All those people,” a man muttered to his companions. “All those men and women uprooted from their homes because of those Nif bastards! So many of these people have already shown up here and just think that there are more to come.”

“I know, right?” Replied his buddy who shook his head with discomposure. “It’s terrible. Seeing them in such distress as it is? I can hardly stomach it. Reminds me of when the Empire showed up here weeks ago and killed that poor old man...I wonder where all these refugees are going to stay now...”

“Maybe the Leville?” Refuted another friend. “Although I’m sure the vacancy is going to get filled up pretty quick. What are they going to do with all the stragglers with no place to go?”

“It beats me, but it has me feeling pretty helpless,” answered the first. “I know that my wife would be more than willing to have a stranger stay in our house, but with her working long hours at the plant and then me watching over the kids? Jeesh, our house is already pretty crammed as it is…”

“PLEASE REMAIN PATIENT WITH OUR BROADCASTS. WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH THE STATUS OF THE CAPITAL OF ACCORDO. IN THE MEANTIME, PLEASE ANTICIPATE THE ARRIVAL OF REFUGEES INTO YOUR TOWNS AND PROVIDE WHAT AID YOU CAN IN THIS DECLARED STATE OF EMERGENCY.”

“Gods…how bad it must be there. All those people and their homes? I suppose we won’t be making our annual trip to the Calluna Cascades this year, will we?”

_Home….my home…oh gods…what happened to it? What happened to everything?_

And so now you stood standing destitute within the square of this all too unfamiliar and blistering town, sweat dribbling down your temple and your face and arms caked with the remnants of dusty debris. All around you with the radios blaring their discordant newscasts and the locals scrambling about and fearing the worst for their brethren across the seas, it was all you could do to stand upon two quavering feet as your brain failed to process the new life that now fell feebly into your hands.

_Mom…Dad…oh gods…_

“Oh….oh goodness! Miss, are you ok? Are you from Accordo? Can we help you?”

Your attention to your surroundings having faltered for what seemed like eons, your eyes snapped into focus as you observed a group of young women hastily approaching you with brows drawn together and lips downturned with sorrow. Shuddering at their stares, you realized you most likely appeared far the worse for wear and completely out of place within this foreign township.

“I’m…I’m fine…” You said all too lifelessly. “I’m fine. Just a little shaken. Just please let me be though.”

Before you knew what you were doing you darted off before they reached you, your teeth sinking into your bottom lip as you rushed towards one of the back side streets away from the frenetic clamor. “Wait, we are just trying to help!” You heard the young woman say, and while you all the more acknowledged her sentiment, perhaps right now her congeniality and assistance were not what you needed most. Perhaps it wasn’t even words of complacency or reassuring. You didn’t need their sympathies or their tears. Gods, you could even care less about a clean rag to wash away the blood and dirt that was on your face.

What you needed now was solace. Solace in your own tears of all that was gone and all that was left behind.

Where you were now, you had no idea as you suddenly found the deluge of tears washing away the dirt that was conglomerated there. Finding a stone wall within a crepuscular alley your body sank to the ground, you now in a seated position as you curled up into a ball and weeped like you had never before in your life.

Today was meant to be a day of exultation and celebration, one where you would be graced with the presence of the idol you had so long ever admired since your childhood. A day you had looked forward to more than anything. A day where _you_ had specifically dragged your parents out of the safety of their homes and into the streets that would soon be their graves.

_It’s my fault…it’s all my fault…if only we weren’t where we were, maybe we could have escaped together, all of us alive. If only didn’t make them go with me…Oh gods, please tell me that I’m dreaming. Please tell me this all isn’t real!_

And so you wept, your face buried into your hands and knees as the anguish that you had withheld in these last few hours finally set itself forth. Choking on your tears, your wails pierced the air as your stomach turned into nauseated knots and your chest heaved. In your own nihilsm your hands grasped at your breast and dirtied shirt for support. And as you sobbed, as you grabbed at your chest and realized that the necklace your parents had given you on your eighteenth birthday this year was not presently within your possession, it was with this stark realization that you came to realize that no greater truth existed for you now.

Alone. The truth was that you were all alone within this world now without a single person to love and love you in return.

“M-Mom! D-Dad!” You wailed as you found the strength to clamber to your feet and scrape your hands upon the brick wall that bolstered you as you stood. “What am I going to do? How could I have just left you like that! What kind of daughter am I to leave you guys behind?”

 _It’s ok, honey. You do not need to be sorry_ …pronounced the voice of your father within your head.

You continued to gag on your tears as you pressed your palms into your eyes, and whether it was your own delirium or some mythical force that allowed you to hear your father’s voice personified you would never know.

“B-But Dad! This is my fault! You were just trying to protect Mom and me! I forced you to be the hero you didn’t have to be!”

_Anything for you and your mother…I would do it over a thousand times if I had to…_

“But who will take me fishing? And those times you promised me that we’d go hiking in Lucis one day? You said we might camp out near Ravatough like you once did when you were a teen!”

_There will be someone, someday, honey, who will share those moments with you. I promise._

“A-And M-Mom!” You sobbed as you bit down so hard that your lower lip began to bleed. “Who am I going to talk about boys with like we always used to do together? A-And all our family photos! W-Who is going to look at them with me, if I ever get to go back home? All those memories we’ve made…they’re gone forever! Who is going to stand by me in the kitchen and teach me how to cook for the people I care about, just like you always used to do for me?”

 _There will be someone, sweetie_ , the voice of your mother murmured softly in your ear, and as her words hit your ears it was all you could do to not vomit from the dysphoria that lurched up through your stomach. _There will be someone someday who will stand by your side and give you all these things you hunger for and more. Someone who will guide you and love you through each step. You just have to be strong and believe…._

“B-But how? How am I supposed to do this without you two? What do you want me to do now?”

 _Survive, honey_ , you father whispered. _That is all you can do. You have to survive. You have no other choice. Your whole life is ahead of you. You just have to believe in yourself._

“But Dad….how-“

 _Remember the song you always used to sing to us, sweetie_? Your mother asked you tenderly. _You always sang it ever so beautifully to us..._

_“Battles we can win, if we believe our souls,_

_Hang in for the light, till dawn.”_

“Astrals…” you muttered, your voice crackling and barely audible. “B-But Mom…how…just how-“

_Believe in yourself, Y/N. Don’t give up. Promise your dad and I that much. Keep that song in your heart as you fight through this darkness. You have to. You have no other choice. And your father and I promise that we will watch over you each step of the way as you embark on your battle. Be the fighter that we always knew you to be…_

“M-Mom! Dad! But-“

But before the words could escape your mouth, their voices were gone, and there you stood once more, all alone within this world.

_Survive...but…but how…_

You’ll find a way. Just keep fighting. Don’t lose hope.

Wiping the snot from your nose and brushing away the tears that sodden your cheeks, you instinctually reached down to pat the pockets of your pants. How miraculously it managed to stay secure during the onslaught that you endeavored through you had no idea, but reaching in with one hand you pulled out your slim cut wallet that you for whatever reason chose not to place in your purse that was now long gone. Seeing that what little cash you had as well as your credit card remained inside, you swallowed hard as you stumbled forth through the backstreets, encountering only a stray citizen who stared at you appallingly as you walked by. Gods, wherever your steps were taking you, you were not sure, but biting your lip as your tears continued to cascade down your cheeks, you felt a sudden surge of heat rush over you as you ambled your way up a series of stone steps. What was this warmth that drew you closer, as if the heat of this quaint little municipal already didn’t burn through your flesh?

As you made your way up one final set of pebbled stairs and around a corner, it was there standing before you, blazing blue and effulgent with the mystique of the Astrals themselves a giant meteor lodged deep into the depths of the earth’s crust, encased and wrapped in metal and wires and cables of a rather peculiar facility.

_What…what is this place?_

Rejoining your own inquiry as you took a few steps closer, your eyes fell to the rusty sign that was emblazoned upon the building and its surrounding offices.

EXINERIS.

_This place…I’ve heard of this place. I’ve seen it advertised in Altissia too. And that meteor…could that…could that be the Meteor of the Six? Is that what I’m being so drawn to?_

You stood there in utter stupefaction as the warmth of the Meteor enveloped you, and as you shuddered and held back your tears, for one lonesome second did you find peace in this travesty of a day.

Survive.

“Hey, are you ok there, kid?”

It was the gruff voice of a female that yanked you away from your musings, and as you had been staring blankly ahead of you, you took note that once more tears were streaming down your face and your hands were hanging limply in defeat at your sides. Failing to find breath but nevertheless expanding your lungs to take in what oxygen you could, you turned around to see a woman with light-brown, shoulder length hair and a tired face staring at you, her body completely covered in a glossy, metallic-like suit. Taking note of the sheen of sweat and the slight grime on her face, you could only assume that she perhaps was one of the fellow women that worked for this power company.

“Kid? Did you hear me? Are you alright?”

You opened your mouth to speak and yet couldn’t place your words. No, you were the farthest thing from alright. But what else were you to say?

But as this woman approached you to see your face congealed in grit, your clothes scuffed and tattered, and you staring at her with extensive and tear-brimmed eyes, she brought her hand up to her mouth to hide her consternation.

“Astrals above, y-you’re a refugee!” She gasped, but no sooner had she stated the truth did she realize the insensitivity to her words. “Oh gods, I’m so sorry. You poor, poor thing. Are you ok? Do you need help? Do you-“

“I-I’m fine,” you murmured almost lifelessly and breathlessly as another tear trickled down your cheek. “Really, I am. But thank you.”

The woman fully approached you now and grabbed from her jumpsuit pocket a rag. “H-Here, wipe your face off with this. You look like you’ve been through hell.”

Looking down at her extended hand, you reached out and took the rag. It was clean enough, and simply out of instinct as well as a sign of thanks you took it from her grasp. “T-Thank you,” you whispered inaudibly, unsure of what to say next. But nevertheless, you reached up and began to dab at your face, feeling slightly better over the grime being wiped away from your complexion.

This woman before you opened her mouth to say something but refrained, her brows drawing together as she stared at your face. But after giving you a moment to wash your face of its grit and anguish, she managed to speak.

“Here. Come over here and sit with me.”

Gesturing to a nearby bench, you followed her over, your steps heavy like wet cement as you treaded after her. Siting down on the bench though, you felt the strength in your body leave you as you now looked down at your hands to see them shaking.

“What’s your name, kid?” The woman asked you gently.

“My…my name?” You replied. “My name…my name is Y/N…”

“Y/N,” the woman repeated, looking down at her own hands for just a second as she tried to find her next works. “Y/N, I’m Holly Tuelle. I’m in the one in charge of EXINERIS here. I’m…” And she paused, seeming to find her own words a challenge to formulate as she looked into your eyes. “I just happened to be getting back from a late lunch break here. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing as I walked through the streets and heard the broadcasts and what everyone was rumoring about. Gods, am I so sorry.” She started to play with her hands before she continued. “I didn’t think it could possibly be true of what happened. This town here of Lestallum certainly had its own fair share of dealings with the Empire not too long ago and I am in utter disbelief to hear that your hometown had fallen to the same fate. Gods, am I so sorry.”

You could only stare at this Holly as your lower lip began to quiver, and as snot and tears began to stream down your face once more, you hampered a sob. What could you possibly say? What could you possibly do at this moment to that would give you any sense of peace?

Nothing, you felt, and so you sobbed. You sobbed harder than before as once more the realization of what you lost washed over you. With your hands on your face and every nerve in your body aching with mourning, you clutched onto what little sanity you had as the horrid vision of your parents being felled by the Empire clouded your thoughts once again.

“Please, let me help you.”

Survive.

Your breath caught in your throat, and after giving yourself a moment to process what she said to you, you lowered your hands from your face to see Holly starting at you with hope in her eyes and her hand upon your shoulder.

“Help…me?” You choked.

It was Holly now who looked as though she were fighting back tears, but taking a deep breath, she forced a smile upon her face. “Let me help you. I-I don’t know why, but I feel that I just can’t walk away from you and let you deal with your pain on your own. Please let me help you.”

But how? How could this woman ever fill that hunger for hope and love that now void within your heart and soul?

“I…I don’t know what you truly just went through, but I will be willing to listen. And I am sure that just by seeing that look in your eyes that you really don’t need anyone talking to you right now and telling you that everything will be alright. I’m not going to fill your head with false hope or anything of the sort. But, I want to help and I think, that if you are willing to accept my help, even for just a little while, maybe we can at least give you something that can help set your mind at ease…”

“I...” You began as you combated another wave of tears, and as you examined Holly’s face you felt your heart clench at the almost maternal way she was looking at you. Perhaps that in this maddened and misery-ridden world of chaos, there maybe was a glimmer of hope and kindness left after all.

“Let me give you a job,” she blurted out. “We have no idea what the state of Accordo is going to be like for a while and if and when you’ll even get a chance to head back there any time soon. Let me give you a job here, at least until you can go back home. I…I know that this sounds so random and so sudden and that work is the last thing that you are probably even thinking about, but Astrals, something is telling me that I need to help you. You d-don’t have to say yes or anything, but I’m always looking for some hardworking girls and I know that for me I always find peace in the distraction of my work and-“

Survive.

“I-I’ll take it,” you replied hastily as if some greater force triggered your lips to move. “I’ll take it. I’ll take whatever it is you give me and I’ll do whatever it is that you ask me.” Because what else at this point did you have to lose?

Holly was almost taken aback by your abrupt response, but nevertheless her face lit up. “Oh…oh Astrals. Yes. Yes, of course. Jeese, I didn’t think you’d actually say yes, Y/N…are…are you sure though? I know I’m offering you but still, you are grieving and-“

“Please have me start as soon as you can. Please. I’ll start as soon as you need me. Even right now if I have to.”

Holly could only gape at you. “Why…yes, but of course. Of course we can do that,” she began as stood up and motioned you towards the plant. “We can do that right now, if you really wish it that much. If you follow me to the plant we can at least get you washed up and a change of clothes so that way you are feeling better and then we can discuss a contract and other information about what we do…I know it will seem like a lot but…”

But as her voice trailed off and you began to follow her towards the facility, you stopped in your tracks and once again looked down at your grimy and scuffed hands. Feeling yourself start to tremble, you bit your lip again and watched a single tear plummet to the ground and splatter on the stone pavement.

“Y/N?”

You’d be fine for the next few hours. You’d be fine in the presence of this stranger who was going above and beyond to help you find some semblance in this now darkened world of yours. But when the night would finally arrive tonight and you parted ways with her, it would be another daunting fear that would plague your mind.

“But…where am I to go?” You uttered with hushed words as you stared blankly ahead. Where were you to stay? Where would you now find home, now that you were all alone?

It took Holly a few moments to understand what you were saying, but surely her eyes broadened once she realized your implication. “Oh…oh gods,” she spoke as she ran her hands through her hair. Pacing for a moment or so, she was lost in desperate thought, but sooner than her own state of perplexity left her questioning, her eyes lit up again. “I…I think I have a solution for you,” she said rather excitedly. “Here, follow me to the plant. We will get you washed up and I’ll make a phone call in the meanwhile. We’ll then get some paperwork ready for you as well. Don’t you worry, Y/N. You’re going to be fine.”

By gods, how right she would one day be.

********************************

_A few hours later…_

“I…I know that this isn’t much, but I think it will suffice for you. At least I hope it will,” Holly said reassuringly to you with her warm hand upon your shoulder.

But finding your throat constricting with gratitude, you wish you only had the words to convey that what you were seeing before you would be more than enough to suffice. As you stood in your place, now newly employed for EXINERIS and freshly washed away of the reminders of your toils from hours ago, your eyes began to skim around the small and quaint apartment that now was to be all yours. Directly to your left was a little kitchen and small dining table for two. Directly in front was a living area furnished with a couch, a coffee table, and various smaller pieces of furniture. Directly to the opposite wall was a solitary window that provided just the right amount of natural light to your liking, and past the kitchen to your left you presumed was where your bathroom and bedroom were located. But most of all, despite the apartment being furbished to the bare minimum, you could not help but find a slight glimmer of joy in your heart as you spotted a vintage radio sitting on a table, one that you were bound to listen for peace of mind during your solitary moments.

“But…But Holly...how…”

“Luck, I would say,” your now starting-tomorrow boss answered, she herself almost in disbelief. “Definitely luck. I know the landlord who owns this apartment complex and he just happened to have this place open up today right before you showed up. Can’t believe I happened to call him with such great timing.” Holly paused as she sighed deeply, and once again she forced a smile upon her face, taking note of your suprise. “But I told him about your situation and he was more than willing to not only give you the apartment right away but also is going to cut you a huge deal on it. He’s completely devastated over what happened in Altissia because he’s got some good friends that live there and so he’s more than sympathetic to what you are feeling. The poor guy himself is going to be having some house guests of his own for a while. And so, at least for these next three months, he’s charging you to live here rent-free, and thereafter he’ll only charge you half of what he does for his regular tenants.”

You were utterly speechless and once again battled with your tears. “I…I can’t accept that. I can’t take such kindness and just not give back. I can scrounge what money I have and-“

Survive.

Holly held her hand up to halt your words. “Please. He insists. The last thing you need to be thinking about right now is rent. You have much greater worries on your mind. This is the least we can do for you in your time of need.”

You bit your lip as your hands slackened at your sides once again. “But…why? Why are you helping me like this?” You asked her, your words tearing up through your throat as you fought back a sob. “There are hundreds of others just like me. So many others have showed up here. Why though? Why me? Why is it that you are helping me out like this?”

Holly could only look at you for a moment as she scanned your face, the woman suddenly seeming to reminisce about her past, and with a gentle smile spreading across her lips, a soft sigh escaped her mouth. “My best friend lost her parents to the daemons when she was just a little girl. No child should ever have to deal with such pain, and yet there she was, now without her family to love her. But despite her heartache and suffering, she remained strong. Even to this day I have never met someone who keeps such high spirits and uses her line of work to help others and keep them on the road. And so looking at you? I feel like you’re going to do the same, and I sure as hell am not going to let you go through your pain on your own.” Holly paused as she once again placed her hand upon your shoulder. “But I guess there is more to it than that. There…there’s something about you, kid. I know I’m just a stranger to you, but there something about you I can’t quite put my finger on. But whatever it is, I’m feeling deep down inside that you are going to do incredible things. I just don’t want you to fall on your way up there.”

What was anyone to say to something so benevolent? Tottering upon your feet, you reached up and put your hand upon hers on your shoulder, and somehow finding the miraculous strength within you, after hours and hours of supressing your grief, a fragile yet heartfelt smile graced your lips.

“T-Thank you,” you choked, and that was all the strength you had to speak.

A few moments passed in taciturnity as Holly looked down at her watch and sighed deeply. “I am going to get a hold of the girls and see if any of them have some spare clothes to offer you so you can at least have a little bit of a wardrobe. I’m also going to reach out to some of the locals and see if they are getting rid of any other household goods and necessities they don’t need so you can have them. The landlord purchased enough food that should last you a few days, but I’m pretty sure some of the local restaurants and bakeries are going to have left overs that they will be rationing out to the other refugees. I have some more work to get done before I head home myself tonight and I’m going to prep some of your documentation so that once you arrive at the plant tomorrow, you’ll be ready to go.” She paused, her brows drawing together. “Are you…are you really sure about this? Are you sure that you want to start so quickly?”

“Y-Yes,’” you breathed quietly, and while as you stood here in your new residence of refuge, knowing in your heart and soul that you truly weren’t, the hunger to survive outweighed all else. “I promise you I am. What other choice do I have?”

Holly exhaled. “You’ve got that determination. I’ll give you that much. Will you at least be ok the moment I walk out of here?”

But to this you said nothing, and Holly understood your silence. The woman now grasped for the door handle and your heard her turn it and open the door. “At least don’t hesitate to call me on one of the company’s cellphones I’m lending you in case you need to. We will get you one of your own as soon as we can.”

Again, with your back turned to her, you could only nod and say nothing.

“Goodnight then, Y/N. I will see you first thing tomorrow. Just…take it easy, and take care.”

And as the door shut behind her and the room was cast in a deafening silence, soon enough the façade that you had spent sustaining for the last few hours finally crumbled. Throwing yourself onto the couch and clutching at your chest with your hands, the deluge of sorrow within your heart burst forth from its dam once again.

_Mom…Dad….Gods please help me through this hell. Give me the strength to find hope for tomorrow._

And all alone you were, but as you fell victim to the exhaustion of your tears and sleep overcame you, by the gods would you soon find that strength that you needed and that hope would greet you with open arms and feed the hunger of loneliness in your soul…

********************

_We all have a hunger…_

It’s funny how a hopeless past evolves into a promising future ever so unexpectedly, time the true metamorphosis of the larva to the butterfly that spreads its wings and takes flight into the afternoon light. What was once trepidation and desolation had all but gone and the tears that were spent on the behalf of your lonesomeness all were but a mere blemish upon your heart.

_Warmth…I’m so warm, like I’m in heaven…and like all those years ago on that day when all I thought was but a nightmare, I know that what I’m feeling in this moment isn’t just a dream. This is all I could ever wish for. All I could ever want in my life._

_There will be someone, someday, honey, who will share those moments with you. I promise,_ that vision of your father had said to you, and with your eyes softly closed you could almost envision the tenderness in his eyes as he reassured you.

 _There will be someone someday who will stand by your side and give you all these things you hunger for and more_ , your mother promised you, and for but a moment you got lost in your reminiscing of the way she would braid your hair while she assured you that all would be alright _. Someone who will guide you and love you through each step. You just have to be strong and believe…._

Your parents were right. All you had to do was keep fighting and believing.

_Mom…Dad…thank you for everything…_

And so it was now as you felt a warm frame shift against you and a pair of soft but scarred lips pressed themselves to your cheek, you could not but help feel a blissful smile grace your lips as you opened your eyes.

Turning your head slightly as your vision slowly focused, instantly your cheeks flushed and your stomach fluttered with delightful knots at the way Ignis Scientia looked upon you with all the adulation in the world within his stunning eyes. He was smiling lopsidedly and his hair was a disheveled mess in the manner that always left you breathless, and gods would you swear that you would never in your whole life ever get tired of such a sight.

_Ignis…Oh Iggy…_

“What were you dreaming of, my love?” He inquired of you as his hand soon began to caress your stomach.

You nibbled your lower lip and smiled as you shifted more to face him, suddenly finding yourself distracted at his caresses . “Hmm? Dreaming?” You replied, trying to focus your words as he touched you. “What makes you think I was dreaming?”

Ignis chuckled softly as he placed his hand upon your hip to draw you closer to him and up against his chest.

“You were smiling, my darling. The most blissful of expressions was painted across your lips. I thought it was safe to assume that a dream of sorts adorned you with its attendance in your slumber.” But now his grin widened, his hand trailing down from your stomach to brush along your inner thigh. “Or perhaps you had…other ‘musings’ of sorts on your mind?”

Blushing profusely at his wandering hands, you laughed as you playfully swatted at him. “I can assure you, that believe it or not my thoughts for once are rather chaste this morning, if you’d like to know,” you said giggling, and given the proceedings of your evening before, you could all but understand Ignis’s course of reasoning. “But if we remain on this subject any longer, I think I might end up changing my mind…”

Ignis laughed more heartily now, and the very sound of his joy was enough to have your heart engorge with happiness tenfold. “I only jest, my dearest, although I too would have no qualms about remaining upon the said matter…” Ignis propped himself more upright on one elbow, and in him doing so, the blanket in which covered your bodies now shifted downwards to expose your breasts. With his pupils darkening only slightly, Ignis’s hand began to trail from your hip and waist and from out and under the covers to touch every inch of your exposed skin. The gentle touches of his fingertips prickling your skin like hot needles, you shuddered with delight as he explored your body. His digits skimmed over your clavicle that had surely been bruised by his love bites, and as his fingers touched the shoulder he had perhaps marked a little too harshly yesterday, it was all you could do to refrain from moaning from such cossetting. But as his hand now cupped your chin and his thumb began to skim over your lower lip, him taking extra care to not exert too much pressure upon the scab there that was attempting to heal, he inhaled sharply and trembled against you as he softly placed a kiss upon your forehead.

He was silent for a moment as his lips never left you, and with his breath fluttering down upon the top of your head you shut your eyes as you relished in the feel of his warmth.

“How…how are you feeling this morning, Y/N?” He implored ever so quietly, and as you opened your eyes to look up at him, you felt all breath leave you as you got lost in those beautiful emerald orbs that you loved so much. While his desire for you this morning was more apparent than ever as you felt the pressure of his slowly hardening length begin to press against your belly, even more so, the tenderness in his gaze told you that all he could truly care about at this moment was your wellbeing.

And understandably so, considering the raging and violent fires that ran rampant in this bedroom the night before.

You reached up to touch the scar on his nose, his body shuddering to your frangible caress. “I’m perfectly fine, Ignis. Never better. Perhaps…a bit sore,” you added with a sheepish smile, and as you stretched out your leg, surely enough you could feel the aftermath of last evening’s rendezvous within each of fiber of your muscles, “but I don’t think I would rather have it any other way. And you, my love?”

“Nor would I, my dearest. Nor would I,” he murmured as he pressed another kiss to your forehead. “As for myself? Perhaps I am feeling a tad bit bedraggled and languorous, for I didn’t sleep a wink last evening.”

You raised your eyebrow at this. While after all this time you had come to know that the tactician somehow required less rest to function than the norm of the human species, nevertheless it surprised you to hear such a confession.

“Iggy, why didn’t you sleep at all? Is…is everything ok ?” You asked him concernedly as you sat up to his level.

Ignis pulled you closer to him. “Why yes, dear. More than fine, to reiterate your words. But I must confess that I didn’t repose, for the moment I laid my eyes to rest, I awoke myself with the fearful notion that you were gone by my side. I…” And he paused, blushing deeply. “I missed you terribly and painfully so, more than words could ever convey and so perhaps I was feeling timorous that the moment I allowed myself to find rest, you would be gone from my side. Rather silly, I know…”

Your heart tightened as you felt yourself lost for words at such a sweet confession. Shifting yourself closer to Ignis, you now placed your head upon his chest to hear his heart beating sporadically and unevenly like a man in love, and nibbling your lip and wiggling your toes, gods could you never feel more appreciated than you did at this moment.

“Oh Iggy…Iggy…Gods, I missed you so much too and even more. But you don’t have to worry. I’m not going anywhere at all, as long as you’ll have me by your side.”

Ignis inhaled sharply to this, and finding your free hand, he laced his long fingers between yours and squeezed gently, “Then I must ask you to prepare yourself to wait for an eternity, as I never wish to have us part like that ever again…”

“Never in a million years, ever like that again Iggy,”

“That is what I wish to hear…”

“Iggy?”

“Yes, my dearest?”

“I love you. Ever so much.”

“And I love you and more.”

_And for a moment I forget to worry…_

The bedroom was now cast in a contented silence, your head resting gently upon Ignis’s chest and his chin reposing upon your head. Squeezing each other’s hands with fingers laced together like two interlocked pieces of a puzzle, you slowly began to doze off once more to the soothing rhythm of his heart beat that quelled every worry you ever possessed. You smiled, breathing in deeply to realize that the rise and fall of his chest matched your own, and with a squish of his hand Ignis placed a chaste kiss upon the top of your head.

_Iggy…words can never convey how you truly make me feel. Heaven. Just like heaven. You are just like my own personal heaven…_

Out of nowhere a loud rumble like the groan of a Catoblepas reverberated throughout the room, and snapping your eyes open you slowly lifted your head and looked up to Ignis to see that he was blushing copiously. But nevertheless he was smiling sheepishly and with your eyes wide you attempted your best to suppress a laugh.

“Was…Was that YOU?” You asked him, very much knowing the answer as you stifled a giggle.

“Hmm, indeed it was,” Ignis remarked with a chuckle and grasping onto your hand more tightly. “It appears as though my sudden case of peristalsis has it reasons; I am only realizing just this moment that since my return since yester noon, I have yet to provide any nutritional nourishment for myself. No wonder for such an obstreperous sounds from my stomach.”

You were laughing heartily as you fully seated yourself upwards and began to trail your free hand over his stomach, your finger tips tingling with delight as you touched each dip of his defined abdominals. “Then perhaps, mister, this is something we should take care of.”

“Why certainly, Y/N,” the advisor replied with a grin. Kissing you on the cheek and reluctantly letting go of your hand, Ignis unceremoniously threw back the bedsheets and swung his legs over the edge. Immediately you felt yourself flush intensely and every muscle and nerve within your body set on fire as you watched the starkly naked tactician pad across the bedroom and towards his closet. You throat tightened at the way in which his hips shifted with each graceful step and your toes curled and your loins clenched at the sight of his leans muscles shifting beneath his scarred flesh, and gods you believed that you we would never in your entire life ever see a more beautifully erotic sight. With Ignis reaching into his closet, he opened the door and rummaged around on one of the shelves. Grabbing a pair of sweatpants, Ignis slinked the garment up over his long legs (much to your reluctance of your own viewing pleasure), turned to look at you to give you a wink, and opened up and exited the bedroom without another word.

Speechless. You were utterly speechless. How was this man able to leave you recurrently and unceasingly breathless doing the most mundane and simplistic of everyday tasks? Even more so, you sat under the covers grinning like an idiot in love, feeling yourself entirely caught off guard at the man’s sudden sense of overt playfulness and childlikeness.

_He’s so happy today. So different than how he was these last two weeks, so distraught and completely spent over his job. Could anything make me happier than seeing him like this?_

You were blushing as you got lost in your thoughts, realizing in this instant that you were gently fingering the pendant around your neck. With your heart fluttering and halting in your chest, you suddenly began to quake with expectancy.

_Goodness! Iggy’s gift. I can finally give it to him!_

And what better time to do so than the present?

Realizing you were sitting upright and panting for far too long after Ignis left the room, you too now quickly pushed back the covers and clumsily rushed over to his closet. Reaching for his plush bathroom that was far too large for you but comfy nevertheless, you hastily threw the robe on over your naked frame, rushed out of the bedroom, padded down the hallway, and now stood within the living area to find yourself breathless once again.

Instantly the aroma of toasted breads and seared Gighee ham permeated your nostrils, and wiggling your toes into the carpet you took utter delight in the sound of Garula bacon sizzling, expectorating, and spattering upon a griddle. To your greatest pleasure of all though was the very sight of Ignis slaving away within the kitchen like he always infamously did, the muscles in his back shifting as he chopped various ingredients. As you passed the dinning room table and neared the counters to the bar area of his kitchen, you watched with utter fascination at the way his hands elegantly cracked Birdbeast eggs into a bowl. With your nostrils flaring as you watched his knife dice at wild onions and Leiden peppers, your throat tightened at the mere veneration of the way this man took an exorbitant amount of care to prepare nothing but the best for those that he held closest to his heart.

The guys surely have been lucky to have him at camp during all those years…

Nipping your lip you slowly maneuvered yourself behind him and carefully wrapped your arms around his bare torso, burying your face into his back and pressing soft lips upon the curve of his spine. You could almost see Ignis smile as a chuckle escaped his lips, and despite the sudden distraction of you touching him while he labored, but not for one second did he lose focus in his preparation.

“Rapacious now, are we my dearest?” He teased, and the sound of a viscous concoction sliding into a pan and the sudden spitting that followed indicated to you that he was about ready to cook the eggs.

You laughed softly from behind him, placing another kiss upon his spine. “Quite a bit, now that I think of it,” you answered. “Although I didn’t realize it until now with how amazing this all smells.” But you paused, feeling yourself blush. “You’re…you’re amazing, you know that, Ignis?”

Ignis removed his hands from the stove and slowly manipulated himself around to face you, taking care to keep an eye on the stove all the while as he beheld you. You felt yourself catching breath at sight of the slight sheen of sweat that was on his face and chest, the steam from the sizzling pans apparently causing him to perspire. He tilted his head as he inspected you, a wry smile now stretching across his lips.

“Why, whatever do you say that for?” He mused as he took your hand to hold it.

You swallowed, blushing more than ever now. “You…you just are, Ignis. I don’t even have the words for it. You just are. Little things like this prove it,” you explained as you gestured back to the stove.

“T-This?” Ignis responded as if caught off guard by your compliment. “But this dear…this is just breakfast no more than out of the ordinary. The usual dietary prerequisites for a healthy –“

But standing upon your tippy toes and positioning your hands upon his bare chest, you placed the most temperate of kisses upon his lips to silence him. Ignis’s breathing hitched and his lashes fluttered at your sudden gesture, and slowly removing your lips from his you beamed up at him. “No ‘buts’, you. Now let me go set the table for us so we’ll be ready to eat, ok?”

It was your turn this time to leave him speechless.

And so you dined, and by gods was it ever an illustrious and divine meal, each and every bite of Ignis’s buffet tasting like the ambrosia of the Astrals themselves. Both of you having not realized how utterly depraved and famished you were, with bare feet playing with one another’s underneath the table as you indulged, you as companions and lovers scarfed down samplings of fresh-cut fruit, various helpings of Garula meat, as well relished in the savoriness of the most delectable omelet you ever had the blessing of consuming. And as you feasted, the two of you jumped back and forth between sharing the accounts of your independent undertakings from your time apart, and with each passing of your days that you described, you could not help but watch the way Ignis’s breathing caught in his throat as you delved into the details of your plights. Much to his reluctance as well as his overwhelming concern for you, it took you much reassuring to placate the tactician’s fears to allow him to finally unwind. Feeling you were hogging too much of the conversation and only wanting to hear more about what he had to share with you, Ignis found himself shaking his head at your amusement and curiosity over what transpired in Altissia.

“I do not wish to be a spoil-sport of sorts and so I shall allow Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio to retell much of what we have done while we were away. Like myself though, they very much missed you and were overly concerned for your safety while we were away. I received a message from Noctis this morning declaring that they are all in fact rather much looking forward to the prospect of seeing you this afternoon once we are mobilized. That is of course, if you so wish and are feeling the strength to do so,” he said with a soft smile. But as he looked into your eyes, his brows knit together, and lifting his hand he reached for yours upon the table and engulfed it within his own. “Darling, I’m just…astounded. Perhaps at this point in our relationship I should not ever have room to question or doubt your capabilities. Even so, looking at you now and seeing that mark upon your lip as proof of your suffering, I find myself undoubtedly in awe of who you are and what you can do. I….” And he paused, squeezing your hand gently. “I just want to ensure that you are alright and that you are well taken care of after all you endured…”

Your eyes began to shimmer at his words, and smiling broadly at him you squished his hand back. “I’m more than fine, Ignis. I’m feeling perfectly healthy. Believe me. And I would love to see the boys because I really missed you all like hell when you were gone. You have no idea. But, and if this of course is ok with you,” and your lips upturned rather crookedly, “perhaps only after we let all this food settle in our bellies because now I’m stuffed. Oh, and maybe another quick nap and a good shower. We’re both kinda looking a little worse for wear right now…”

Ignis chuckled softly and brought your hand to his lips. “Why but of course, my love. That is a most amiable idea. Let us clean up our muddle here now and get to that, shall we?”

And so you did, the two of you standing within the kitchen side by side as you put away leftovers and washed and dried dishes. Resting your head upon Ignis’s shoulder as you labored, more than ever did you appreciate every second that you had with this man, even it meant partaking in a household chore. As you reached into the sink to scrub away at another pan, a dawning realization washed over you at the notion of how much you truly _loved_ the domestic moments you shared, and nibbling at your lower lip, you had to fight back a smile at the thought of this situation becoming a tad more permanent than it already presented itself.

With a blip of one of your fantasies popping into your mind, the same that as of late repeatedly visited you at work and on random excursions, your spine tingled at the thought of Ignis reaching out to warmly touch your soft belly. With your loins coiling ever so slightly, you began to ponder once again what it would be like if perhaps the domesticity of your moments coursed past more than just instances of washing dishes….

Heat blazed through you as your throat constricted, and suddenly you struggled to hold onto the slippery and sudsy dish you were grasping. _Oh gosh, I keep thinking of that…am….am I ready for something like that? But even more so….is Ignis? Is that something that he would want too?_ And come to think of it, even after all this time together, never once had such a topic ever crossed your conversations.

_Oh goodness…_

“You’re looking a tad but flushed now, my love. Everything alright?”

You snapped out of your thoughts to look up at Ignis who was grinning at you as if he knew some hidden secret of yours. He brushed his hips against yours in a rather suggestive manner as he gently took the dish from your hands that you had already way-past cleaned.

_Astrals help me…_

Nipping your lip and bumping into him purposely in response, you cleared your throat and tried to ignore his playful quip in fear of admitting your little fantasy. “I’m quite alright, my love. Just happy to be by your side this very moment,” you replied with a sparkle in your eyes.

With the domiciliary errands complete (and only after you both humorously managed to gather the buttons from Ignis’s shirt that had been scattered about the room from your yesterday romp) you finally assumed your position on the couch in the living room to allow your stomachs to settle from your banquet. With your eyes shut softly and your arm draped over his stomach, you once again used Ignis’s chest as a pillow as you allowed your bodies to appease themselves. All the while Ignis stroked your hair, soft breaths leaving his lips like a hushed chorus of divine messengers.

Opening your eyes and angling your head upwards, your heart swelled at the very sight of the royal advisor laying supine in complete bliss, his lips parted slightly yet drawn in the sweetest of smiles. Biting your own lip, you could not help but grin at his contented mien, and there was something ever so endearing over the thought of seeing this man finally allow himself to repose his weary mind and body, especially in regards to the return from his harrowing trip over the last two weeks.

 _Iggy, you look so free right now. You truly are the best thing I've seen in this life. And right now?_ _For moments like this I forget to worry about all that exists outside these four walls._

Your eyes skimmed over each and every one of his attributes, and as your eyes trailed downwards your gaze fell to the skull pendant that rested over his clavicle. Bringing your hand up to your own, your heart sputtered in your breast as you reminded yourself of what was currently hidden away in one of the less-accessed drawers of the tv stand directly across the living room.

_I hate to disturbe his peace of mind, but I feel this is the right moment to give it him. Well…here it goes…_

“Iggy?” You murmured softly, taking care to speak his name as to not alarm him.

“Hmm? Yes dear?” He answered almost immediately, and part of you felt silly for thinking that the advisor actually fully fell asleep. But slowly, Ignis’s eyes fluttered open and his gaze fell to yours, his eyes cast with intrigue and beguilement.

“I…I…” You began as you slowly lifted yourself from his body and sat upright. Adjusting the robe that was on your frame, you began to play with your hands and squirm your toes, feeling suddenly embarrassed and anxious.

“Y/N? What is it, love?” Ignis mused as he too fully sat up beside you.

“I…I have something that I would like to give you.” Ignis raised an eyebrow as he watched you stand up and cross the living room to begin to rummage around in one of the many drawers of his tv stand. With quavering hands you located the hidden object at hand, and turning to face Ignis, you saw his eyes dart to the small object which you now held. You cleared your throat and made your way back over to him, sitting beside him and biting your lip. “There is really no occasion for this at all,” you explained before he could seemingly open his mouth to protest why he was receiving anything at all. “However, I know that even though I tell you a million times over and over again how much I really truly appreciate you being in my life, sometimes I feel like my words can never really convey what I feel.” Your toes wriggled again as you felt yourself blush deeper. “There is never a day that goes by where I don’t think about what this necklace that you gave me means,” you continued, touching the pendant at your throat, “and while you were gone it served as the reminder of how much I think about you all the time. And so, well, I felt that at this point I was long overdue for giving you something in return.”

Ignis was utterly speechless for a moment and he soon rested his hand upon your lap as he tried to verbalize his words, “But darling, you already give me so much every day. You don’t have to-“

“I knew you would say that,” you said as you placed your finger to his lips to silence him and gave him a wry smile while shaking your head, “but nevertheless, each and every day I feel indebted to you for all that you do for me. Not a lot of people can say they have someone that fills that lonely, hungry gap deep within their souls. And so, just like this necklace that you gave me so long ago as a reminder of all the wonderful things you do for me, well, maybe I just wanted you to have a little reminder of me for you to have close…”

And so you shyly placed his present in his palms, the silvery paper which enveloped it shimmering in the sunlight that strewn into the room. Blushing as you pursed your lip and looked away from him for but a moment, Ignis took a deep breath as with trembling fingers he began to undo the gift from its papery prison. A black velvety box was thus revealed, and opening its lid with careful precision, Ignis now gasped harshly at what lay enveloped within purple velvet.

There within the box lay the leather cuff, and instantly you took note of the way Ignis breathed in, him too seeming to take note of its sumptuous, leathery smell. Grasping gently at the cuff, Ignis began to examine the piece like the rarest treasure, his eyes wide like an infant Arba’s and his lips parted as his fingers caressed the soft leather and danced over the small platinum skull that was centered as its focal point.

“F-Funny thing about that cuff,” you began, swallowing hard and tucking your hair anxiously behind your ear. “You would probably never believe it just like I didn’t, but I was more than thrilled when Dino told me that the leather that he would use to make that cuff actually came from the very same Behemoth Gladio, Prompto and I took down all those many weeks ago. I…I would have never believed it.” And you paused, nervous as to what Ignis would say. “Dino. He told me about the amethysts in this necklace you gave me. I couldn’t believe what you had done to obtain them. It made me feel so undeserving of the attention that you had given me at the time you gave this to me. So to find out that I’d be giving you a little bit of my labor to you in return? Well, it made me feel pretty special and-“

“Y/N…”

Ignis uttering your name caught you off guard, and flinching ever so slightly, you slowly cast your eyes upward to look into his, only to find your heartbeat sputter immediately. His eyes were shimmering with tears and he was uncharacteristically biting at his lower lip, his hands trembling upon the cuff as he held it ever so carefully in his broad hands.

“I-Ignis?” You whispered, your voice cracking as you articulated his name.

He was silent for a moment more, but him taking a deep breath, he turned to look at you, a smile strewing across his lips and a tear coursing down his scarred cheek. “T-Thank you, Y/N,” he murmured softly. “Astrals, thank you. I don’t even know what to say other than that words cannot express how much I love and already cherish this exquisite piece. No one…no one has done something as gracious and solicitous as such, and perhaps it is me who is now at a loss for words. No sentiment to what you’ve bestowed upon me could ever compare.” And with his eyes lighting up and his cheeks flushing, he flashed his brilliant smile at you, “I shall never take it off.”

You could have died a happy woman as a tear of your own streamed down your cheek, but before you could even open your mouth to respond, your words seeming to choke in the back of your throat, Ignis caught you by surprise as he gently took your hand and placed the cuff delicately into your palms. “Will you…will do me the honors and put it on for me?”

And ever so reminiscent of the very same words you uttered to him as he had adorned you with the proof of his affections, you in favor returned the sentiment. With Ignis shifting his hand upon your lap, with trembling fingers you unbuckled the cuff and carefully wrapped it around his beautiful wrist. With the snap of its buckle you became breathless at the way it enveloped his joint, and biting your lower lip again to ground yourself, you suddenly became more than overwhelmed at the sight of how well he wore it.

He too appeared to feel the same, for as he flexed his fingers the broadest of smiles spread across his lips, him seeming to enjoy very much that he now bore proof of your ardor to carry with him throughout his days whenever he looked down at his hand.

Before you could open your mouth to comment on how lovely the cuff looked on him, Ignis carefully grasped ahold of your body to situate you directly on his lap, your legs now straddling his hips and hugging his body closely. Instantly you shivered at the delightful feel of Ignis’s hands that managed to snake their way up slightly underneath your robe and onto your thighs, and your spine burned with the sensation of how the soft leather of your gift brushed over your skin. “I love and cherish this,” Ignis repeated as he nuzzled his nose against yours, “just as I love and cherish you. I truly mean that with all of my being…” Ignis inhaling softly he placed the sweetest of kisses upon your lips, and gods did all become good within this world once more. “Thank you my dearest…”

“Iggy…” You breathed as you placed your hands upon his chest to steady yourself. “I love you too. I truly do…”

_And for a moment I forget to worry…_

And so you showered him with kisses, your lips peppering every inch of his striking face and taking heed to give attention to each of the scars that adorned his countenance. Carefree sighs tumbled out of his mouth as Ignis kissed you back, his eyes shut softly in utter bliss as his hands gripped at your thighs carefully and tenderly. With his lips brushing softly against your own, his tongue deliberately grazed along the seam of your mouth. Much to your greatest pleasure his hands brushed away the folds of the fabric of the robe in which you wore, his palms now pressed to the bare flesh around your hip bones. Nudging your chin upwards with his nose, Ignis angled your face towards the ceiling as to press his mouth gently to your throat, the feel of his lips upon the already sensitive and bruised flesh causing painfully delightful shivers to course down your spine.

“Iggy,” you breathed softly. Moving your hands from the planes of his chest you gently grasped upon the sides of his head and began to massage this temples with your thumbs, your fingertips brushing away the soft tresses of hair near his face.

“Y-Yes, Y/N?” Ignis murmured breathlessly as he moved his lips away from you. He was smiling at you now, his cheeks flushed and his eyes ablaze with the upmost affection, and him removing his hands from your hips for only a second, Ignis too grasped upon the sides of your face and pulled your face closer to his.

You giggled, the sight of the man before you triggering your heart to tumble tenfold. Feeling no words would justify the feelings that burned within your chest at this moment, you kissed him once again as you carefully shifted upon his lap. For but a moment, your breathing hitched and you began to tremble, for the unmistakable pressure that was now pressing against your naked and saturated loins was much too hard to ignore. Swallowing hard, you nipped at Ignis’s lip playfully and pressed yourself more tightly to his frame.

Ignis whimpered, and gently nibbling back at your lip and taking care not to upset your injury, he slowly trailed his hand down to your shoulder where he pulled lightly at your robe. The garb, already having become loosened from your contact of shifting against his body, slowly fell from the left side of your frame to completely expose your shoulder and breast. With the most graceful of fingertips Ignis began to trace his digits over the naked skin, and with his breathing becoming suddenly deeper and ragged, ever so gently he caressed each little mark of the love bites he had placed upon you from the night before.

“Gods, are you beautiful, Y/N,” he whispered as he pressed his lips tenderly to the skin and began to caress your exposed breast. He was ever so careful as to not cause you pain, and with your body tingling at his exquisitely vigilant touches your eyes fluttered shut as your rested your head upon his shoulder, feeling yourself lost to his ministrations.

“Iggy…” You mewled, shifting yourself upon his lap once again, and the pressure that was now pressing up against your soaking heat was almost too much to withstand. And yet all the while, never before had you felt so enraptured by such affectionate and adoring touches as his mouth softly ghosted over your shoulder and to the curve of your neck, his large hand massaging the mound of your breast and his fingertips dancing elegantly over the peak of your nipple. With your hands holding onto his waist, slowly you lifted your head for a second and looked him deeply in his eyes, his gaze the most enthralling blend of lust and love. “I-Iggy, lift your hips for me, please…”

The perceptive man as always, Ignis immediately obliged, him using his strength and superb sense of equilibrium to push himself upwards while you sat upon his lap. Halting his touches for just a moment, Ignis grasped upon the waist band of his sweat pants and pulled them down, his engorged length springing free from its imprisonment and now brushing against the folds of your loins. With Ignis fully seating himself back down upon the couch and somehow miraculously kicking his ankles free from the shackles of his sweatpants, he looked at you devotedly once more, and soon enough your lips were locked again in the saccharine of kisses, lips waltzing with one other in a delicate dance. Nuzzling your nose again his as he osculated you, you shifted yourself ever so lightly on his lap to allow yourself access to his length, and with one small hand resting upon his broad chest, the other reached down and grasped softly at the heated flesh. Ignis immediately gasped at your unexpected touch as your tiny hand began to massage up and down the length, and with his hips thrusting upwards slightly as if pleading and begging for you to give his manhood all the attention he deserved, his one hand shifted back to grasp at your breast while the other reached around and up underneath your robe to grab at your right buttock.

“Y-Y/N,” he suddenly choked as your hand glided up and down his shaft, you tugging at the length with just the right amount of pressure. “Gods, is that exquisite…”

“I want to make you feel good,” your uttered lovingly and breathlessly to him, the heat in your cheeks and loins raging as desperate sighs and moans began to tumble out of Ignis’s mouth. Squeezing the heated and velvety flesh with quaking fingers, you began to quicken your ministrations, your other hand now grasping upon the back of his neck to support yourself as you pleasured him.

“Y/N…gods….”

Ignis was never a man to receive and not give back in return, and so much to your sudden precipitance, the hand in which was grabbing at your behind now managed to curl its way between your loins. Suddenly a harsh gasp escaped your mouth and Ignis’s fingers began to circle and kneed your drenched bud. Bucking your hips down towards his hand out of pure instinct, you whimpered at the sensation of his fingertips pressing into the bundle of nerves and searching through your pink folds. Biting your lip, you tried to concentrate on your own attentions, and blushing even more deeply now, you could only wonder how the hand of the king managed to stay ever so focused as you pleasured him in return.

“I-Iggy,” you pleaded, and now your noses were firmly pressed to one another and your eyes were locked in a heated and ardent gaze.

“Y-Yes, my dearest,” Ignis choked as he tried to formulate his words, and with him brushing his lips against yours, you moaned softly as your loins clenched more tightly at the feel of the slick fluid now seeping from the tip of his girth. All the while you tried to remain attentive at your task in hand as Ignis’s fingers pushed past your folds and slowly dipped inside your heat. Burying your face into his neck you cried out at the sudden intrusion, your loins ever so sensitive and tender still from your love making from the day before; nevertheless, you relished in the feel of his large fingers massaging the walls of your aching depth, and more than ever were you now pleading to be one with this treasured man.

“A-Are you alright?” He asked hoarsely as your grip around his manhood suddenly tightened.

“Y-Yeah,” you whined, biting your lip to stifle a moan, and lifting your face up for a second you kissed him profoundly on the lips. “Ignis, I need you. I love you and I need you. Please…”

Ignis shuddered at your words and slowly removed his fingers from the inside of your depths. Reaching up with both hands he once again grasped upon the sides of your face to kiss you in the most tender and affectionate ways possible. “A-As I need you, my love,” he whispered, his cheeks flushed and his thighs taut and quivering beneath you.

Removing your hand from his length for just a second, you sashayed out of the robe and pushed it to the floor, your body now liberated of the garment. Lifting yourself up from his lap for a second, you hovered over Ignis as he took his hand and wrapped it around his girth. Giving you a soft kiss, he guided the tip to your entrance. Then, taking hold of both your hips, he pushed you down slowly over his length that instantly filled you and stretched you to the brim.

A mangled cry tore up through your throat as you once again rested your head upon Ignis’s shoulder, your hands resting upon his chest for support as you began to set the pace by guiding yourself upon his lap. Ignis groaning in response, he wrapped an arm around your back to hold you close to him, his hips arching up slightly to meet your movements as your rode him ever so slowly and tenderly. His other hand snaked its way through your hair to hold your head close to his, his breath on the side of your face heavy as he slowly lost himself to the sensations of your walls gripping at and enveloping his engorged length that sought shelter within the safety of your heat.

“Gods, Y/N,” he whined, seeming overawed at how remarkable you felt around him. “My darling…my beautiful darling…”

“I-Iggy,” you breathed, trembling within his embrace as his girth slid in and out of you with each patient and deliberate gesticulation. Clutching at his chest and burying your face into the side of his neck, you began to cry out more stridently as Ignis began to thrust up into you with a little bit more force, taking special care as to not hurt your already sensitive passage. But gods, despite how sore you felt nothing could ever compare to the feel of the calefaction of his length making passionate love to your heat, and so to ground yourself you lifted your face ever so slightly to place kisses upon his neck and ear. With your teeth grazing gently over his earlobe Ignis gasped harshly, his grip around your back and through your hair only tightening as you continued to lift your hips up and down upon his lap.

“D-Darling,” he croaked achingly, and you taking note of the sudden alteration of his movements beneath you, he lifted your face and pressed his forehead to yours. “M-My apologies, love. I-I’m not going to last much longer.” Something about the way he atoned and almost looked ashamed of his lack of endurance this session around made your heart and loins flutter and swell.

And even more so, his passionate confessional only brought you closer to your own peak.

“Oh Iggy,” you whimpered, pressing your lips to his and grasping upon the sides of his face. Using all of your strength you could, you began to move your hips more quickly, the friction of your bud rubbing against the base of his shaft now on the verge of sending you over the edge. Removing your lips from his, you nudged his face upwards with your own, and softly latching onto the base of his throat, you bit down ever so moderately as your nails scraped gently down his chest.

That was all the push Ignis Scientia needed, for now, throwing back his head and clenching his eyes tightly, his hips jerked upwards as his hot seed began to spurt and pump into your depths. With the strategist tugging at your hair and clutching at your back, he began to quiver as he lost all sense of himself within you, his face burying into your neck and pressing his mouth against your flesh in return. As several more waves of his seed ribboned inside you, it was with a last few powerful thrusts of his own did you meet your own climax shortly after his, your walls pulsating around his length and gripping desperately to take in every drop of his fluids. With your impassioned exclamations piercing the air as one last wave of hot pleasure surged and singed down your spine, all strength left you as your head fell to Ignis’s shoulder in repose.

Nothing was heard within the quarters of the advisor save for the random avian that sang its song outside and the leveling out of your unified breathings. Your body sheened with sweat and your muscles void of all strength, you traced your fingers down the lean muscles of Ignis’s biceps as his warm breath fluttered down to your shoulder. A few more moments passed, Ignis’s one hand caressing down your spine, and your toes curled at the feel of Ignis’ leather cuff brushing against your bare skin. With that same hand skimming down your back to begin massaging your buttocks, his other hand fingered the tendrils of your tousled and wavy hair and caressed the locks as though they were made of the finest silks. However, it was the next sound that graced your ears that surprised you more than everything but nevertheless brought you the greatest joy.

A laugh. The softest and most endearing of laughter tumbling forth from the lips of your beautiful lover.

Slowly lifting your head from Ignis’s shoulder, you looked to Ignis smiling and blushing, and his grin alone was enough to make you laugh in return.

“And what my I ask, mister, do you find ever so funny?” You enquired with a lopsided grin.

Ignis chuckled again as he placed a chaste kiss upon your nose. “Oh nothing facetious at all, my dear. Perhaps just a release of my elation is all. Although,” he mused, pausing to smirk and raise his eyebrow at you, “ perhaps I would indeed like to inquire of you when you intended on taking this so-called ‘nap’ you requested before we set off on our excursions for the afternoon…”

You blushed deeply, biting your lip to stifle your own hilarity. “Oh yeah…I did say that, didn’t I?”

“Why yes, yes you did indeed,” Ignis cooed, giving your behind a slight pat and causing you to startle and titter even more. “And however felonious and mischievous of you to not keep your word to me,” he added playfully. But as you shifted upon his lap you could only blush even more as you felt his seed slowly begin to seep out from your walls and drip down your inner thighs, his shaft still somewhat hardened inside you as if never wanting to leave your safe haven.

Swallowing hard and tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, you hugged your body more closely to his and pressed your forehead to his with a sigh. Smiling at him and giving his hips a squeeze with your thighs, you kissed him sweetly and apologetically. “I’m sorry, Iggy,” you quipped, nipping his lip gently with your teeth. “Will you ever forgive me for keeping you awake?”

Ignis laughed and wrapped his arms around you tightly. “I only jest, my dearest, but of course I would forgive you if I actually meant my grievance. You needn’t ever worry at all.” But he paused, his expression becoming rather serious as he shifted his hands up from your back and caressed the side of your face with his cuffed-hand. “I truly do love you, Y/N. And I should sacrifice a thousand slumbers over if that meant a moment more to see your lovely face…”

Feeling all breath escape you at such words and touching his face in return, you once more kissed the face of the man who could make a fool of death with his grace and beauty, and for all a moment more you forgot to worry of all that had ever caused you fear in this life.

“Ignis...how I love you too…”

************************************

Stepping off the elevator and onto the ground level, you immediately took note that today was an exceptionally enterprising Monday afternoon at the Citadel; this of course was due to the parliament and employees attempts at preparing notes and reports for Noctis’s return without having an advanced heed or word from the King. With anxious steps, you were more than thrilled at the prospect that you would at least get to see the King and his companions in the chaos of it all, but as you trailed after Ignis with bated breath, there was but one apprehensive and impertinent thought that you could not help but repress as you made your way farther into the depths of the Citadel. Having not even mused about it at all the day prior, it only dawned upon you just this moment as you and Ignis trekked your way towards your friends’ destination that it was now essentially public knowledge that you and Ignis were an official couple, the royal advisor having made no notion to hide his affections towards you upon his arrival home. While you of course were by no means embarrassed having these complete strangers that worked at this establishment know about a very private piece of intel about your life, even still, even in your past you never truly made your relationships a public affair to others. So now, as you and Ignis maneuvered your way through the winding halls by avoiding as many curious eyes as possible, even still, you could not help but refrain from blushing immensely at the way certain stragglers stared at you with wide and curious eyes. The female employees in which you passed were quick to whisper, giggle or smile, and you feeling more flustered than ever at whatever potential gossip it was they discussed, the moment the tactician turned his gaze to these rumormongers they immediately silenced their words and scattered away to continue about their business. With Ignis casting a glance at you and seeing the flush of your cheeks, he sighed deeply, giving you a reassuringly gentle smile.

“There is no need to fret over that, my love,” he guaranteed, reaching for your hand and giving it a quick squeeze while no one was around to witness such an act. “While the Citadel has certainly been no stranger to the gossip and musings over the introspective lives of its personnel, you have no need to concern over the intents of such chinwag. Unlike the days of old here where political discourse and palaver among the parties and waring nations ran rampant, I truly do believe that times since then have changed and that they mean no harm with such talk.” His words rather much surprised you, you rather overly shocked over his apparent comfort over people knowing a facet of his life that he had up to this point only shared with a small circle of friends; in fact, of all people you had ever known, Ignis was least likely to ever spill the Eos green peas about his personal affairs; thus to see him now acting rather nonchalant about his public display of affection startled you as equally as it did fill your heart with warmth. Ignis smiled again as he peered at you, a rather wistful look spreading over his countenance. “Perhaps their curiosities stem from their sorrows that had ever so encumbered their hearts during the years of darkness. Maybe seeing such affections emboldens their spirits…”

You swallowed hard at this, hoping these were the reasons for such talk, but Ignis seeing your distressed mien sighed once again. “Do not feel so troubled, my dearest. Whatever their intentions may be, let them say as they wish. But one thing is for certain: the King himself will not allow impugning talk to hinder neither mine nor your reputations among our fellow compatriots within this establishment. That I too can truly assure you of.”

You cleared your throat, blushing deeply as you passed two more employees and found yourself scooting yourself closer to the tactician. “Promise?” You asked, your eyes wide and hopeful. If the royal advisor himself wasn’t going to be worried, then why should you?

“I promise that and more, my love..”

Without having even realized it, you now approached the ornate doors to the throne room, and within these walls awaited the friends you had ever missed seeing so much. With Ignis nodding to the two Glaives that guarded the doorway, the Glaives opened the entry for you and the advisor, and stepping through the doorframe they securely shut the door behind them.

“Y/N!!!!”

No sooner had you taken a few steps inside the massive chamber, a heated frame collided with yours and enveloped you in his arms. With your breath escaping your lungs with an ‘oof’, you immediately began to laugh at the way Prompto Argentum squeezed the lifeforce out of you, him seeming as if he was ready to pounce on you at your arrival at any second.

“I-It’s good to see you too, Prompto,” you giggled heartily as you struggled to breathe. “Did you miss me very much?”

Prompto pulled back to look at you with his rather boyish grin upon his face, the flush of his cheeks an adorable contrast to the stark professionalism of his Kingsglaive attire. “I sure as hell did! And I’m pretty damn happy to be back home. Man, when Iris, Cor, and Libertus told us about everything that happened to you while we were gone, I couldn’t believe. I still don’t. All I know is that I missed you a lot and worried like hell over you, Y/N, didn’t we, guys?”

“You’re damn right we did,” replied the voice of Gladiolus, and with Prompto letting go of you to award you room to breathe, you turned your gaze to see Gladio and the King himself approaching you with enthusiasm. It was the Shield himself whom reached you first, and extending his massive arms he pulled you into his grasp and gave you the largest bear hug imaginable. Suffocating as your face was buried in the leathers of his uniform, you laughed at the regards of the Behemoth of a man who pulled back to look at you and study your face. “I have to say that despite the shit you went through you’re looking pretty damn good right now.”

You blushed deeply at this. While you had taken excessive care to make yourself more than presentable before you left Ignis’s apartment, bathing extensively, priming yourself, as well as dressing yourself as properly as possible and taking extra care to hide any of the bruises that were upon your exposed neck, even still, you were more than certain that you probably still looked a tad bit worn and unraveled, despite how utterly glowing you felt. Gladio had always made it more than apparent to tease you at any moment possible, especially when any recent course of intimacy with his best friend was insinuated; and yet, at this moment as he looked down at you, you could not help but take note at the way his brows where drawn together with concern, the seriousness of the moment causing him to cast all playfulness to the side.

Swallowing hard and tucking your hair behind your ear, you smiled up at him. “Thank you Gladio. Despite everything, I’d have to say I too am feeling pretty decent at the moment.”

And of course you had every reason to be.

“Y/N,” murmured Noctis, and now finally turning your attention to the King, immediately your heart clenched at the sight of some form of anguish that was woven through his features. Opening your mouth to question what was wrong, before you could even utter a word Noctis pulled you tightly into his grasp in the most brotherly of embraces that you could ever have imagined. Flushing deeply at the King’s fondness, you allowed the man to hold onto you for a moment, his breathing seeming rather uneven. He loosened his grip and pulled back to study your face, his crystalline eyes shimmering with tears.

_Noctis…?_

“How…how are you feeling?” The King finally managed to ask you. “Gods, we are so sorry that we were not able to come home sooner, Y/N, especially after the moment we heard what happened to you at the plant. And then what you did under Viewbliss with Libertus? Like Prompto said, I’m still in shock over it. I have to say that I was feeling pretty shitty about myself once we all got the news.”

You raised your eyebrow at this, feeling rather confused and taken aback at such a confession. “W-Why, Noctis? You had no reason to feel bad about anything,” you responded. “Work accidents happen…that and I was just doing what my gut was telling me was the right thing to do. And it’s a good thing I followed my intuition, right?”

Noctis sighed, a small smile spreading across his lips as he placed both of his hands upon your shoulders. “I can’t argue with you on that. I know what it’s like to follow through with what your heart is telling you. But still,” and his gaze softened, another tear formulating in the corner of his eyes, “I would be lying if I told myself that I was not feeling guilty for not getting all of us guys back home to you sooner. What kind of king can I call myself when I know that one of my people is carrying all of these burdens with no one by her side?”

You laughed incredulously at this, but nevertheless his sentiment was heartwarming as you failed to find the words to say. “As honorable as you are, Noct, I have to say that maybe you don’t have your priorities fully straight. The weight of foreign diplomacy over the happiness of a mere little commoner? I think maybe you’re a little bit mislead,” you jested with a grin.

Noctis chuckled heartily to this, the sound of the joy apparent in his exuberance catching you off guard once more. “I suppose you’re right. But I do think you are forgetting one thing: you aren’t just a commoner, Y/N. You are a friend. Even closer to me than just than that though. You’re like family. And I can speak on the behalf of the guys here in saying that they feel the same and we all missed you and worried about you like hell, especially a certain someone who all he could do was speak nothing else but of you whenever we weren’t in meetings or working out in the field…”

_Family…_

Just like the one you had ever so missed all this years. You finally had that again.

To this you turned around to see Ignis blushing copiously, and almost overwhelmed as though he was just reuniting with you once like he did just only twenty-four hours ago, the strategist took a few strides forward to grasp at your hand and hold it firmly within the warm leather of his glove. For a moment all you could do was stare at each other, his gaze emanating all the love in the world for you as he squeezed your tiny hand tightly, and swallowing hard and smiling at him, you squeezed his hand back for reassurance. From the corner of your eyes you witnessed his companions smiling broadly as though they were almost afraid to disturb such a moment, but it was Ignis who spoke next who continued forth the conversation.

“Y-Your Majesty…Noctis,” he stammered, the usually poised and confident man now seeming slightly embarrassed at his shyness as he tried to divert the attention away from him, “wasn’t there something you wished to show Y/N? I do recall your eagerness in wanting to share such as we made our way home yesterday afternoon…”

At this Prompto’s eyes lit up and Gladio grinned, the King’s lips now drawn in a childlike smile at the reminder. “Y-Yeah, that’s right, Specs,” Noctis said with a nod. “You might just want to stand back a little bit though, Y/N. This might catch you off guard as a first timer…”

Raising your eyebrow inquisitively you followed Noctis’s suggestion, and having Iggy lead you by the hand you took several paces back, Prompto and Gladio themselves following suite as Noctis stood with feet firmly apart upon the tile floor. With the King grinning and taking a deep breath he held up his hand, and within a flash of brilliant light, you found your eyes broadening at the spectacle now presented before you.

Through your combat experiences over the last many years you had a million times over watched the Glaives as well as Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio brandish their weapons mystically out of thin air. The phenomenon never failed to astound you, but standing here now within the chamber of the King, you were utterly breathless at the sight of fourteen shimmering and iridescent armaments rotating like ethereal specters around his regal stance. Sparkling like the sun upon rolling water, your eyes urgently attempted to scrutinize each weapon of a past Lucian ruler, but with Noctis waving his hand he had made his selection. With another incandescence of light thirteen of the weapons vanished, and now within Noctis’s grasp was a weapon you instantly recognized.

_Oh Astrals…The hammer…the hammer from the coffin. I can’t believe this…_

Noctis held onto the hammer as firmly as possible, the weight of steel and other alloys apparent as the King managed his best to brandish the object upright. You had been so focused on watching Noctis move with it that you had hardly noticed Gladio and Prompto laughing in the background, but after a few swings and swirls of the weapon and a flash of Noctis warping towards the ceiling, he landed back on his feet with a swish of his cape in the center of the room and the hammer disolved within a flash.

You were silent for a moment, the King’s retinue snickering slightly as you could only gape in awe.

“Yeah, you can ask the big guy here: not that I purposely avoide practicing wielding such heavy weapons, but arms on the lighter side have always been my specialty,” Noctis explained as he scratched his head. “I can tell that it’s going to take me a little bit of time to get used to handling that one there.”

“Nothing that a little six-in-the-morning training won’t absolve quickly,” Gladio remarked as he crossed his arms and looked at his friend.

“Hey, you do know that I can make my own decisions now, right Gladio?”

“Me keeping you in line isn’t going to hurt you at all, ‘Your Majesty.’ That’s my job afterall. Who still had to help get you up a couple of mornings while we were gone?”

“Yeah, Noct, you gotta keep setting a good example for your people!” Prompto chimed in playfully with a laugh. “Everyone looks up to you, after all.”

“As they do with you too, Prompto,” Gladio responded. “We all gotta set a good example. You know, it’s been a while since I’ve had you two up for those training sessions, ya know…”

“Huh? Hey, why am I getting dragged into this? I’m not the one who makes the laws around here! I’m just the one who helps out the man himself make sure he doesn’t run the country into the ground!”

“All the more reason why I’m getting your ass out of bed with me next training session, Prompto. No way you’re getting out of this!”

“That’s not fair! Why do I always get caught up in the mix of things when I haven’t done anything wrong?”

“That’s what happened when you signed up for this ten years ago!”

“What, I’m being punished for being your best friend? How unfair!”

“I never said you are punished! I was just saying-“

“You guys bicker too much! That’s it: training at _five_ tomorrow now. I’ve let you two slack too much lately!”

“Oh come on, big guy, not fair!”

“That’s not the way you talk to your King, ya know!”

“Doesn’t mean I still shouldn’t kick your ass for being a pain in the ass, you little shit!”

“Hey! Now that’s going too far!”

“Can’t we all just get along?!”

But all the while as you watched the three companions bicker, you turned to look at Ignis who he himself was chuckling with merriment, and the sight of him seeing him in such joy soothed your heart beyond compare.

“Time as changed much for all of us, although overall certainly for the better,” Ignis murmured as he grasped your hand gently within his, the squabbling of the Crownsguard reverberating around the hall. “And yet, at the end of the day, despite it all, despite all our sufferings and tribulations we have endured, some things truly never change. And with you and them standing here before me right now, I wouldn’t have it any other way…”

****************************

And so almost as if the two painstaking weeks you trialed through alone had never occurred, life for you quickly returned to the commonplace within a blink of an eye. Noctis explained that he and the boys would be rather preoccupied the next few weeks with the task of uncovering what exactly the files obtained from Viewbliss withheld; even more so their contact with Ravus, Aranea, and Sania in their own personal undertakings in Tenebrae would remain obdurate as ever as their compatriots across the sea searched for answers for the plight that drove the beasts across the land mad. Nevertheless the King made his promise to you that once all settled down to a comfortable level for all, he and the guys would find the time to genuinely reconnect with you in the manner that you ever so deserved having been “neglected” (as he put it) for those two long weeks.

While Holly and Jeanne had insisted that you take the few days off to recover from your exertions at Viewbliss, and with Ignis’s initial return to Insomnia and him beginning to tackle the mysteries of the files keeping him rather engrossed, you remained more adamant then ever to keep yourself industrious and attentive in your work. Thus, with Jeanne shaking her head as you walked into the main office at the EXINERIS plant that Tuesday to check the daily itinerary and updates on the local power database, you felt yourself sigh with relief as you lost yourself in the structured tasks that lay ahead of you. Some days were spent in the plant refining meteorshards and mythril as well as inspecting the general functionality of the apparatuses that ran the plant, others spent out within the city and continuing forth with your task to restore the power to the Lucian capital. As each day miraculously and serenely passed by, you found yourself almost bemused at how to process the normalcy of your daily routines.

Perhaps everything returning normal was an understatement, and as much as you had always sought to satiate your hunger for your sense of adventure, for this very moment in life you welcomed the armistice more than ever.

 _A girl could get used to this really quickly_ , you fancied to yourself one night in particular as you lay in bed tranquilly, your body slightly sore from a rather productive day but nevertheless at ease as your head rested upon Ignis’s chest. A smile was spread across your lips you as relished in the sensation of Ignis’s chest rising and falling to his gentle breathing, and as he stroked your hair subconsciously as he slept, by gods did you wish for the Astrals to let you remain at peace like this forever here after.

It was the following week however as you meandered about within the storage facility at the plant, taking inventory on a particular stash of mythril that you would send to the Insomnia research facility for production of a brand new LC-X model that you received a call from none other than the Marshall himself who requested to see you in the afternoon. With your heart racing with incitement over your musings over what potential news or updates Cor had to relay to you, you rushed home impatiently from the plant to wash and refresh and dress in your Crownsguard attire. Promptly reaching the Citadel and pulling into the parking garage, as you stepped out of the car and looked towards the exit that lead into the building itself, you could not help but smile broadly and flush all over at the sight of Ignis who was leaning casually against the wall near the exit in his anticipation and patience for your arrival.

You approached him quickly with rubicund cheeks and a spring in your step, and as you reached him he immediately pulled you into his arms and placed a chaste kiss upon your lips. You sighed against his mouth, the feel of his mouth upon yours helping ease the slight tension in your body from another arduous and active day. As his feathery kisses caressed your mouth, you blushed deeply at such an exhibition of affection; while the parking garage had remained void of other persons save for you and the tactician, even still, security cameras were scattered about which meant you could potential be seen by security. With this in mind, you still could not help but notice the change in Ignis that he was now a little less restrained than usual when it came to displaying his fondness for you in the open when not behind the closed doors of his residence.

“How are you feeling today since we’ve since parted this morning, my dearest?” He asked you softly as he gently grasped upon the sides of your face and placed a kiss upon your forehead. “I am assuming your inventorying transpired smoothly today?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” you uttered breathlessly as you looked up at him with your toes wriggling with happiness in your boots. “I really underestimated the efficiency of the new refinement processor and with how quickly it helps us manage our reserves. We basically have hoards upon hoards of mythril stashed away for future use. Counting all of it was certainly ‘fun’ to say the least though. You guys received my report today for the LC-X model, right?”

“Most certainly,” Ignis replied, brushing away a strand of hair from your face. “His Majesty and his research team are most pleased with your promptness.” You beamed at this, and seeing your eyes light up, Ignis continued. “And given such efficiency of your work, we are hoping to have the latest addition in full production where we shall be testing out a newly updated variation of the model. Its manufacture should be completed by the end of the week. If our research remains correct, this new model will yield an output of fifty percent more fuel efficacy, thus allowing it to remain at its task at hand for larger durations of time.”

As always, you were utterly speechless over how competent and brilliant these scientists were and how they could extract and analyze data so speedily, especially given in the light of all the other tasks that they had to complete since the light returned to the world . And so smiling at Ignis, you soon found yourself more curious than ever. “That’s fantastic news, Ignis. Knowing your team though, I have no doubts that everything is going to work out.” You tilted your head and paused as you looked up at him. “Which speaking of, does this have anything to do with why Cor invited me to come here today for a meeting?”

Ignis pushed his visor up onto his nose and smiled. “Ah yes. While I am cognizant of a minute portion of our seminar’s minutes and memorandum, I am unawares of all that shall be discussed. Prompto and the Marshall shall be the ones to deliver us the remainder of the mystery agenda.”

Your heart was now pounding within your chest, more hungry and curious for knowledge than ever over what it was you would be find out today. “So…what are we waiting for then, Mr. Scientia?”

Ignis’s nostrils flared and his gaze darkened for all but a mere second at your address of him as a grin spread across his lips. “What are we waiting for indeed?”

And so with the tactician being ever the gentleman with another kiss upon your forehead, he pushed upon the door and motioned you through. With the two of you setting forth into the hallways of the Citadel, your strides were filled with purpose as you set forth towards the debriefing room. As expected, as you passed through once again you could not help take note of the prying stares and smirks and giggles that were cast towards your way as you strolled by the personnel who were about their business, but with his usual air of intimidation and ever-illustrious presence, with a simple glance from the tactician the employees would scramble back to their duties like a posse of spooked Cactuars. Attempting not to laugh at Ignis’s subtle use of scare tactics, you felt some of the tension leave your shoulders and you began to walk with your shoulders held a little bit higher as your boots clicked and reverberated on the tile floor.

_Maybe this won’t be so bad. Just give it time, just like Ignis said. This is new news to everyone, after all. Can I really blame these people for being so curious?_

Quickly a broad smiled spread across your lips as you recalled your conversation with the receptionist who had helped you find your way to the Maestro’s Quarters when you had gotten lost.

_“Mr. Scientia is such a nice man. I’m new here and I’m supposed to be helping to keep track of guests and visitors and clients who come to the Citadel with appointments. When Mr. Scientia had an important meeting with a client he was nothing but helpful and patient with me in filling out the data within our database, even though I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. He’s so nice, isn’t he? You know, we certainly are lucky here to be working for such great people. The King and his court are all so good to us. And Mr. Scientia? He’s always so considerate of all of us here, especially us new hires. I don’t know about you, but…well, I don’t know if he’d ever get married, seeing how busy he is, but Astrals bless whoever he ends up with him in life. She’d be the luckiest woman in the world.”_

_I wonder if she knows by any chance and what she’d think of me now_ , you pondered as you stifled a girlish giggle.

But as you found yourself lost in your thoughts as you straggled behind Ignis towards your destination, up ahead and approaching you from the opposite end of the hallway was a figure that made you stop directly dead in your tracks.

_Oh…oh gods no... Please, not now. Not of all times…_

As the figure advanced in your direction instantly your skin begame clammy and your breath choked within your throat. Biting your lip, the pounding of his boots reverberated harshly in your ears and you felt the color drain from your face. However, almost as quickly as your disquiet hit you, it was appeased as you saw that as the figure neared you and Ignis, it was indeed not who you thought it was but a random Glaive that you had never spoken to before, the soldier nodding to Ignis and you with the upmost respect as he walked by.

But you were frozen in your tracks still nonetheless as an awful epiphany washed over and left your boots concreted to the floor.

_Oh my gods…How the hell could I forget? Ferox…I…I have yet to tell Ignis about Ferox…What the hell am I going to do? How am I going to tell him?_

You began to tremble as you stared blankly ahead. _“_ _I need you to know that I am here for you,”_ Ignis had said to you when you had initially revealed to him the terrors of the monster that plagued your dreams. _“That your fears should be allayed and that you can share with me all your troubles, forever and always. You have no reason to hide what you fear. And I am here to put you at ease in your worried mind and appease those fears that you have repressed. I want to set you free of your troubles this very instant so that I know you are alright.”_

How many times. How many times had you promised to be open to Ignis about your concerns or fears, and yet here you were, days up days passing by and yet you not having said a single word even once to him about the Glaive’s atrocious harassment. While you were more than certain that word must have gotten around and that Ferox would know of your relationship status by now, even still, to think that you had been so careless and forgetful to bring up such an affair to the man you loved so much felt like an absolute betrayal to him on your part.

 _How am I going to tell him?_ You asked yourself again as you looked down at your suddenly very sweaty hands _. He wouldn’t be mad at me, would he? He never gets mad. I promised him I’d always be open with him, and yet here I am. I can’t tell him this second because I don’t need him distracted at the meeting, so when should I-_

“Darling, are you alright?” Said the voice of Ignis as you were yanked away from your thoughts. The tactician’s brows were drawn together behind his visor and his lips were parted slightly as he stared at you. How long you had been glued to this solitary spot you were not sure, but if you didn’t think of a lie quickly enough you were going to find yourself in deep waters.

“Y-Yeah, I’m ok,” you answered quickly with a week smile. “I um, thought for a second that I forgot to send an important email to Holly. S-Sorry about that!”

“Very well. Let us continue on,” Ignis said as he looked at you for only a moment, and whether or not he was convinced enough by your lie you were not sure. Nevertheless, you hastily followed after him with the remainder of your trek passing in silence. After a few more minutes, you soon approached the deliberation room. With the usual guards acknowledging you as always, you and Ignis pushed your way through the gilded doorway.

Averting your gaze away from the strategist who was staring at you intently with officiousness, your eyes swiftly fell to the elongated table that had several individuals standing around it in waiting for you arrival. As expected, Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, and the Marshall himself were in conversation with one another. Iris was also in attendance with two individuals whom you did not know, most likely members of the court who were to take care of the minutes and documentation of issues brought up in the agenda. But most to your surprise were three individuals that you had not seen since your departure to Altissia all those many months ago: Talcott Hester, Monica Elshett, and Dustin Ackers.

“Specs! Y/N! You’re here!” Noctis said cheerfully as you approached the retinue. “And with good timing too. Talcott, Monica, and Dustin just arrived a few minutes ago.”

“It’s good to see you once again,” Monica said soothingly as she approached you and pulled you in for a hug. “By the looks of it, it seems that you are doing quite.”

Other than your little monstrosity of unease that was lingering in the back of your head for the moment, overall that was a pretty true declaration. Looking Monica deeply in the eyes and seeing a sense of peace there for herself, the woman having worn herself out during all those years of arranging hunter intel, it was refreshing to see that she was now living her life with restful solitude.

“You could say that again,” you replied with a smile as you hugged her back. “And it seems the same is quite with you too! But I have to say that I am pretty shocked to see you, Dustin, and Talcott here. Not that you have of course given up your cause to the Crown, but even still, seeing you here about to partake in royal business today has me taken off guard.”

“This will be Talcott’s doing,” Dustin interjected. “And I think that you will be most pleased to hear what he has to say today.”

You looked over at the young seventeen-year-old who was beaming, and it was all you could do to refrain from laughing. There was something utterly admirable about his youthful spirit, for as when you had met him when he was but a mere child, you could not help but observe the way he grew into a fine young man with such resilience and ambition that could all but make his late departed grandfather overly proud.

“I have to thank you in advance, Ignis,” the youth said to the advisor. “Without your direction I don’t think I would have found what I’m about to share with all of you.”

Ignis smiled warmly and pressed his frames up upon his nose, and this subtle interaction between the two made your heart swell. Considering that these two had worked hand in hand to search the royal tombs for whatever information it was needed to save the King, you were only more curious as to how Ignis provided the young man with further intel.

The room reverberated with eager and mingled chatter, but everyone cast themselves into a quick silence when Cor cleared his throat and nodded to Noctis. “Thank you all for attending this conference here today. This is our preemptory discussion that we will carry to the council during tomorrow’s official agenda. However, considering that each of you in this room is in one way or another directly involved with the matters we are about to discuss, we figured it would be best to involve you first.” Cor’s gaze immediately jumped to you for just a second as he continued. “Why don’t we all take a seat so that we can begin?”

You all seated yourselves around the table, you instantly feeling somewhat out of place in regards to the context of such affairs and those that you were surrounded with. But nevertheless, there was something quite thrilling about being in the company of your companions and actually partaking in such affairs that were confidential to commoners. Beholding each of your friends, they too appeared to be just as intrigued over what was to be discussed.

“Talcott, Monica, and Dustin have been rather engaged since you have arrived back home, your Majesty,” Cor continued as everyone drew their attention back to the Marshall. “Y/N’s and Libertus’s discovery under Viewbliss has left us most hopeful over the prospect that perhaps more of the Royal Arms in which we had thought to be lost or destroyed still exist within the world. While we of course have yet to determine whether or not the Empire had any of this said information held within the files retrieved from Viewbliss, we can only continue to research such. This is where Ignis had reached out to Talcott to see if his expertise would be able to benefit us in any way.”

Everyone cast their glance to Talcott who was smiling confidently and boyishly, but you looking to Ignis, you could not help but raise an eyebrow with inquisitiveness; he had only been home for such a short amount of time and yet he was already engaged in other affairs of finding answers to benefit his king.

 _You are something else, you know that, Ignis_? You mused to yourself as from under the table he gave your hand a quick squeeze that almost made you blush.

Talcott opened his mouth to speak. “Unfortunately I haven’t found any new information about the lost Royal Arms just yet. Even though we’ve spent years researching through my grandfather’s journals as well as studying what volumes of Lucian history that we had in our possession, because the library of Insomnia was inaccessible due to the Insomnian blockade as well as Ardyn’s defenses with the daemons around the city, that information was safeguarded to us. However,” and he paused, looking to Monica and Dustin and then Ignis, “we happened to get access to some rather peculiar volumes that Ignis tracked down for us a few days ago that had been lost in storage in the basement of the royal library, and with what we learned from this one particular volume we are now feeling a little bit more hopeful that perhaps we can find out more about His Majesty’s family.”

Everyone shifted eagerly in their seats and the two council members began to hastily document what was being said. “You’re serious, Talcott?” Noctis remarked enthusiastically as he leaned forward in his seat. You couldn’t help but notice the look in the King’s eyes, and after a moment or so you fully began to understand the weight of the situation: Noctis was in fact the very last member in his entire family line, and so it would all but make sense that any information relayed to him about his lineage would be of great importance to him.

Talcott nodded. “Why yes, your Majesty. And believe me when I say that it wasn’t easy searching through those books. The dialect was worded quite oddly but based on one of the writings in my grandfather’s journals I was able to decipher some of the language with a somewhat reasonable amount of ease. Also, I have to say that thanks to Ignis and I studying for all those years, we were able to make connections between the writings in this one particular volume that would give us an answer as to whom your new Armiger belonged to.”

A sharp breath left your lips and Gladio leaned his elbows upon the table. “Shit, no way, Talcott,” he uttered, as the vulgarity leaving his mouth as if he forgot where he was.

“W-Well who was he?” Prompto added, his eyes wide with anticipation.

“Not a ‘he’ but a ‘she’,” Talcott continued, and instantly everyone gasped in surprise.

“Another female? One who wields such a heavy-ass hammer?” Gladio said, raising an eyebrow. Such a revelation was surely curious. Thus far there had only been two other confirmed female rulers, the Just who devoted her life to protecting her people and the infamously known as Crepera the Rouge who chose to live her reign as queen in privacy from the public eye, and so it only made sense to find it shocking that woman would bare such a weight armament. Gladio turned to Noctis and smirked as he nudged his buddy in the shoulder. “And to think you can barely handle the damn thing as a man.”

Prompto stifled a laugh while Ignis merely shook his head and pushed his glasses more firmly upon onto the bridge of his nose. “Talcott, if you would continue please,” the advisor insisted.

“C-Certainly,” he replied breathlessly. “As you all know, during the years of darkness I had spent a lot of time examining my grandfather’s journals repeatedly for any indication of information that would be of use to us to take out the Starscourge and save Our Majesty. You would have thought I had memorized each and every line by heart during that time. However, it was upon studying this particular volume in which I made a connection to a solitary term that had been mentioned in passing. It was the word ‘seeker’. Of course at the time I didn’t think anything of it, but little would I realize that it was a reference to the Ruler of Yore who would be mentioned in this tome. It turns out the hammer belonged to a woman by the name of Aurora Lucis Caelum, the Seeker. Her father? Apparently her father was the king known as the Warrior. The Warrior himself? He had been happily reigning until his queen had been assassinated. He was in such distress that he had wandered the world seeking bereavement for the loss of his beloved by destroying those who opposed him. All the while though he had left behind an infant daughter who would be raised by the court. When the Warrior died at the hands of an unknown force, when she was of age Aurora herself decided to seek justice for the parents she had never had the chance to know or love, and she too traveled the world to make atonement for her mother and father. This is where she was given the epithet the Seeker. Apparently the grace she possessed when wielding her hammer to take out her enemies was enough to render her foes breathless…”

The room was cast in a reverent silence, almost as though everyone was too awed to formulate words over the exposure of information. But you of all took this to heart the most, a solitary tear trickling down your cheek as you processed what was said.

 _Aurora…she had lost both of her parents too to the hands of malevolence, just like I did…oh gosh, does this cycle of loss never end?_ You thought as you looked over to Noctis who was resting his forehead upon his hands. _All of us…all of us in this room have suffered the loss of our families and loved ones. And yet, here we are together…_ And yet, if the family line continued after Aurora’s reign, that could all but mean that she eventually found her own peace in life and bore the child that would be the next heir to the Lucian line.

“Incredible, Talcott. Absolutely incredible,” murmured Noctis as he lifted his head from his hands and smiled. “You finding that bit of my family’s history brings me a little bit closer to peace. Thank you..”

And at this, you couldn’t help but notice the way Iris’s eyes light up and shimmered over this remark of her king.

Talcott smiled. “I am hoping that having an additional piece to the puzzle will give us another clue to fill in the gaps with the remaining rulers. If we can put those fragments together, we can then hope to find out where the remains of His Majesty’s family actually ended up. It would be a complete shame to think that these tombs are right under our noses and yet we remain oblivious to their whereabouts. We can all but remain hopeful, can’t we?”

“This is more than true,” interjected Cor as he shifted in his seat. “Which leads me to the main purpose of our meeting today.” From across the table Cor looked you piercingly in the eyes, his penetrating gaze catching you off guard and causing you to squirm slightly in your seat. Just why was he giving you such a look, you could only wonder? “While we too here have much grounds to make in our own research, just this morning Prompto managed to make some leeway and discovered for us a bit of information that leaves us all rather perplexed and unnerved than ever. While we have yet to be able to encode the file itself, we were given a clue to a very potentially precarious and important file that was retrieved from our investigation thus far.”

You felt the color drain from your face. Potentially precarious? You did not like the sounds of that at all. And with your eyes darting around to the faces of your friends, they too apparently didn’t favor the sound of it either.

Prompto cleared his throat and everyone’s nervous attention shifted towards him. Despite how restless you were now feeling, nevertheless you looked forward to what the gunman was about to relay. While Prompto had been best known for his renowned photography skills, another talent he possessed that you had learned about him during the course of these last ten years was his immense passion for technology. Perhaps he took up the trade with helping Cindy manipulate vehicles or even with Cid and watching the old man work on is weaponry refiner. Even most of all, though, Prompto himself had once endured a harrowing task within the Niflheim borders that would have led any sane man or woman to their wits, and it was here where Prompto’s analytical and technophile mind was once put to use.

“Like Cor just said,” Prompto began as he looked to each of you in the room, “Myself and the researchers here have only been able to uncover so much. Hell, I feel kind of embarrassed sitting here now not having that much information that I can tell you guys. While we’ve had a lot ease in the past with busting through the walls of the Nif information, this time around we are having a lot more trouble. But just this morning,” and he paused, taking a deep breath, “after ripping through the files through the millionth time and attempting to break through walls of coding, my team and I were actually able to get a NAME on one of the specific files, and well? I have a gut feeling that this might be exactly what we have been searching for in terms of our answer on what the hell has been going on across Lucis.”

From the corner of your eye you watched Ignis’s hand clench upon the table, and swallowing hard, your leg began to bounce nervously. The scribes sitting next to Iris were more frantic with transcribing the proceedings, and the Noctis and Gladio looked more engaged than ever in the current.

“And? What was the name of that file?” Noctis asked, his voice hardly carrying across the room.

Prompto looked down at his hands for a second and then took a deep breathe. “The name of the file? More so the name of an application. The name of the file is ANIMAPROJECT.EXE.”

_Gods…Oh gods…_

You were by no means a technological virtuoso, but by the sounds of that alone it was enough to make your skin crawl.

“Shit,” Gladio mumbled under his breath, and you too knew that he was equally as flustered as you, the mind of the Shield functioning more so on the brute side of strength and not analysis. “’Anima Project’? Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“W-We don’t know yet,” Prompto said almost apologetically, although clearly the gunman had nothing to apologize for. “Like I said, it took us how long now just to crack through the names on the files. Six only knows how long it’s going to take us to break through the _actual_ file and begin encrypting its processing. But,” and Prompto paused, suddenly grinning with confidence, “this is nothing that I know I myself or my team won’t be able to handle.”

But despite Prompto’s positivity, the remainder of you all sat in silence for a moment, mulling over in your mind what was just communicated to you. But just as Prompto opened his mouth to continue, you could not help but control the overflow of words out of your mouth.

“’Anima’…So this…this file could perhaps have something to do with the animals all across the world. This file then could contain the very set of information and explanation as to what’s been going on here…why these creatures have been acting so savagely and out of character.”

Everyone looked to you with much surprise (and even Ignis, whom you would have thought would have made a remark before even you got to speak), but Prompto sighed and nodded his head. “That’s what we are thinking. Because honestly? Why would the Nifs have encoded this set of files so heavily if that didn’t mean it would mess everything up for everyone else?”

“And so thus it is more likely than not that a copy of this application is already running in process,” Ignis interjected, his tone unnerved, and as you looked at his face, you could see that his lips were pursed and his brows were drawn together with agitation.

Prompto bit his lip and after a pause nodded once again. Everyone around the table shifted uncomfortably in their seat, the scribes jotting down as many notes as possible while Iris and Gladio looked to each other uncomfortably. Prompto could only look at his hands for a second whereas Cor and Noctis’s gazes were locked upon one another’s as if in deep conversation without even exchanging words. Ignis’s thigh brushed against yours as you sat close to him, his hand now grasping around your knee cap and squeezing just a little bit too harshly than normal.

“Well isn’t that just great,” Gladio muttered under his breath as he cast a glance at the Marshall.

“But how…” murmured Iris who had all but been silent during this whole intervention and glanced nervously at Talcott, Monica, and Dustin. “Just how is that even possible? Cor, you and the guys…you took out all those Niflheim bases that had been constructed in Insomnia, and Gralea has been scoured so many times now! How can this all even be a thing? How would the file even begin running on its own?”

Everyone began to mumble once again, the scribes hastily documenting everyone’s remarks. Looking at Ignis out of the corner of your eyes, you felt as though he already knew the answer.

But just as the tactician was about to speak, it was with a sudden epiphany that appeared out of nowhere that you felt your eyes widen and your mouth drop open.

“ _Let me ask you something, my dearest,_ ” Ignis had once asked you as he attempted to allay the fears about your nightmares that bombarded your sleep, “ _have these dreams ever steered you wrong before in the past_?”

_Astrals…oh Astrals…_

“My dreams…” you murmured, your voice almost a whisper.

“I beg your pardon, Y/N?” Ignis asked while the rest of your comrades suddenly now stared at you.

_“Visions as though they may be, do you truly believe that the Oracle would leave you blindsided? Perhaps this is her way of providing you guidance and courage to remind you of what a brave woman you are.”_

Both Ignis and Noctis equally were convinced that these dreams that manifested themselves in your mind all this time, despite the atrocities that you may perhaps have dreamt about, merely were meant to guide you in the right direction with your own path. After all this time, you still found yourself baffled over the prospect that Lady Lunafreya only choose to speak of such guidance through your dreams, you still not grasping the Oracles affinity for helping you on this planet of all people.

And yet, despite how much you wished to believe Ignis and Noctis were right and that these dreams were merely metaphorical, it was at this instant that you began to piece together this complex puzzle and you believed once again the former over the latter.

You swiftly looked to each of your friends and cleared your throat, your heart suddenly racing with a blend of anticipation and trepidation. “My dreams,” you repeated. “The dreams I’ve been having all this time. About that horrible, horrible creature. The one I can never quite see in its shadows…what if…Noctis, what if all this time, these dreams I’ve been having have really been trying to tell me that we would find this file and give us the answer to what’s been going on all this time?”

By this point in time, your friends were in fact no stranger to talk of your dreams, you having made mention of them too many times to count as you encountered anonymities you could not explain. And yet, there was something all but quite disconcerting and embarrassing about discussing such in terms of royal affairs. However, now was not the time to be shy about your philosophies.

Noctis leaned forward with interest, his brows knitting together with a sudden perplexity but him seeming to quickly pick up on what you were getting at. “Y/N, are you…you are saying that maybe….just maybe Lunafreya was trying to give us this answer all along?”

“…yes.”

The room broke into a reverent silence once more. Gladio looked as though he had to refrain from speaking an expletive whereas Iris’s face went pale. Cor pursed his lips and appeared as though he were about to speak when all of sudden Noctis’s eyes locked to yours. His gazed cleaved through your very being, and sensing a culmination of anxiety wash over you at his unreadable expression, it was suddenly with a smile spreading across his lips that he spoke.

“I’m not worried,” he simply said, and everyone but all turned their head to look at him.

“B-But Your Majesty!” Talcott stammered. “Don’t you understand what this could mean?”

“I’m not worried,” Noctis simply repeated. “Y/N, you know what I’m thinking and I know what you are thinking too. You’ve experienced too many times your dreams coming to life. You know how much truth exists within your dreams and I know that right now you are panicking that we’re going to face something tragic again. But I’m hopeful now. I really am, and I’m really thinking that this is all just providing for us one more little peace to this puzzle. We have been nothing but right up until this point and not once before have your dreams ever steered you or us wrongly.”

And with the squeeze of Ignis’s hands upon your thigh from under the table, you felt the reemergence of your fears placated by the words of your king.

_Noct…I hope you’re right…I wish I was as hopeful and positive as you. Why is it that I am feeling so scared about this though?_

And without even knowing what compelled you to say such, you again spoke the exact words that were on your mind.

“Ravus…and Aranea…can we ask them about this? Do you think that they would have any information on what this ‘project’ is all about?”

“Y-Y/N?” Ignis uttered, somewhat incredulously.

Having the words left you mouth, you noted that each of your friends’ eyes expanded as they looked at you with a sudden shock. Not understanding their surprised countenances, quickly you played over your words in your head and realized just exactly the implication of what you stated.

“T-That’s not what I meant!” You quickly corrected yourself. “Y-You know how I feel about Ravus. And Aranea, well, even though I never worked with her before you know I have nothing but the upmost respect for what she has done and what’s she’s currently doing to help us all. It’s just…well, you know that at one point their alliances to the Crown were questionable. Do you…do you think it is at all possible that at one point the Emperor or Ardyn made mention of something like this to them and they just forgot about it?”

It was Prompto who now leaned forward upon the table and spoke. “Well, there is one more bit of information I have to add in all of this that would maybe help us,” he began. “While we can’t get into the file itself just yet, we do have a creation date for the file on November 23rd, 745. The Nifs destroyed Shiva at Ghorvas Rift on November 21st. Verstael Besithia (and Prompto shuddered at saying such a name, for him understandably so) research efforts were granted more funding as a result the day after. How odd that this file was created the very next day.”

You inhaled sharply, but Ignis confidently continued in his friend’s stead. “Which we can be lead on to believe that this ‘Anima Project’ could all but be another scheme of the research chief.”

Noctis excitedly jumped in. “Ravus wasn’t instated as the High Commander until the following year,” the King explained. “From my understanding though, he and Besithia crossed paths only on rare occasion. Their only major connection with one another seemed to lie with the Emperor himself. And so,” he said with a pause, “there could be a _slight_ chance that Ravus and Aranea might be able to find a lead on what this project could be.”

“And even with all that time and effort you and Iggy spent searching through Zegnautus when you helped out Ravus,” Gladio muttered, seeming frustrated, “we haven’t found a damn thing that is remotely connected with this…”

“But I have hope,” Noctis said once again. “Ravus and Aranea and their men are currently still searching for that carrier. But once our meeting adjourns here and we take this to the high council we will immediately make contact with the two and see if perhaps they can give us more leads.” Once again, Noctis’s gaze fell to yours, and for as he spoke you could have sworn that he was speaking to you and you only. “I’m hungering for answers more than ever now, but I can promise you with all the honesty in my heart that we are headed on the right track and we just have to be patient and proactive. Just have hope.”

********************

“You were most perceptive and helpful today, my dearest,” Ignis said as you two left the deliberation room and made your way through the Citadel. The advisor analyzed your face as you two walked side by side, his gaze lingering upon you in the most admirable of ways. “Do not fret over what the future shall bring us. Trust the King and his word and all will be well.”

You turned to look at your lover, you raising your eyebrow as you studied the face of the man you loved more than anything. How was this man able to remain so composed after the weight of so much information that was pronounced today? Even more so, how the tactician who had always been nothing but a worrier was able to remain so calm compared to you astounded you beyond belief. “Who are you and what did you do to Ignis Scientia?” You asked him playfully.

“I beg your pardon?” Ignis said with a slight smile upon his lips.

You shook your head as you attempted to keep up with his long-legged strides. “Ignis, I’m just…I’m a little bit scared now. You know how I’m feeling about all this. You know how I’ve felt about my dreams for months now. This is all just too coincidental for me to feel ok with us walking out of the meeting today and being fine with everything. You know of the horrors I’ve repeatedly seen with that beast and it just…terrifies me. It simply terrifies me.”

Ignis stopped in his tracks, you almost running into him as he turned to look at you with reassuring warmth in his expression. “I more than sympathize with your plights at heart, my love. But we are doing all that we can at this moment to be proactive with the situation. Prompto and his team have made great gaits to unearth this hidden agenda of the Empire. Whatever the Empire had been hiding from all we shall make sure to bring its end to full fruition. Now come love. Let you put your weary mind to rest on this matter, at least for now…”

_Whatever the Empire has been hiding…_

Hiding…

A duo of Glaives acknowledged you as they strolled past you, their gazes lingering upon you for just a second as they disappeared around a corner. You swallowed hard, finding yourself with your feet planted firmly into the ground, and before you knew it, a sheen of sweet coated your body, making the leather of your top and pants all but too stifling.

Why yes. Ignis was more than right. The truth of what was hidden within those files would come to light soon enough, and you to be but all honest was doing all you could do to help. In seriousness, what more assistance could you provide your friends?

Another troupe of Glaives passed by as you continued to walk, and biting your lower lip, there was one matter that you realized had yet to solved and brought to light, one situation that you _could_ help with and solve, considering that such was one of a personal matter.

You never knew what tomorrow would bring, but considering the weight of the intel you acquired today and how you would be fighting more than ever now to keep safe those you loved and cherished, now was not the time to be hiding anything from the person you treasured the most.

“I-Ignis?” You muttered quietly as you followed him down the winding hallways.

“Hmm? Yes dear?” Ignis implored, his tone serious as he stopped in his tracks again and looked at you.

“I…I, um…” You were faltering, and feeling logically that this was perhaps not the best time and place to bring up such a dilemma, still, what better time would ever arise you? “I…I have something that I want to talk to you about.”

Ignis tilted his head to look at you as he raised his brow. “Is everything alright, Y/N?” He inquired as he took a step closer to you. “Was there something you wished to discuss at the meeting today but did not get a chance to utter such?”

You swallowed hard. “N-No, it’s nothing of that sort. I promise you that I told you everything that I was thinking as well as anything I thought I had to offer to bring to the table.”

“Then…have you had another dream since your last?”

His tone was rather grave to the point where it made you wince slightly, but feeling the muscles in your throat constrict again you shook your head. “N-No, not another dream. I haven’t had a single once since you’ve been home.”

“What is it then, my love?”

You observed that the hallway was completely vacant and hushed around you, the interior so quiet that you could hear the slightest Cactuar needle drop. Twining your hands together, you looked down at your boots and took a deep breath, praying Ignis did not notice the sheen of sweat that was varnishing your skin and the deep blush that crept up through your cheeks and neck.

“It’s…it’s nothing bad. It’s nothing bad at all,” you meekly uttered as you cast your eyes up to his shyly. “I just didn’t get a chance to say this to you sooner because I knew how stressed out you were when you were in Altissia and I knew how much you were worried about me while you were gone. And I think that I was just so happy to see you when you got home that I put this in the back of my mind and forced myself to forget about it.” You swallowed harshly again, a weak smile forming upon your lips as you took note of the way Ignis’s hips shifted and his feet planted themselves upon the tiled floor. “But when we were in that meeting back there, just thinking what we might potentially be up against reminded me that we all need to stick together and be on the lookout for one another, and well, the last thing I need to be doing is hiding anything from you no matter how minor it is or regardless of how stressed out it might make you feel.”

“Go on,” Ignis said reassuringly, and for whatever reason or another you found it extremely problematic to read him at this moment. Yet, by the very distinct twinkle in his eyes, you could tell that he was ready to hear what you had to say, regardless of what it was, and that he’d handle it however he needed to.

“R-Right,” you continued, playing with your hands again and wriggling your toes within your boots. “When you were away, well, you know that I made a couple of visits here to the Citadel to discuss different matters with Cor. I did some work with the power sources around here, and of course I stayed here a couple of nights when I was but too tired to drive back to my place or didn’t feel like being far away from everyone. B-But, when I was here, I…I kept running into this one Glaive. He kept trying to flirt with me and he just didn’t seem to take the hint very well that I didn’t want to be bothered. He wanted to hang around me and I tried to make up reasons why I couldn’t. But I didn’t want to be mean to him because I was afraid that I’d just be making myself look bad in front of you and Noct and Cor and I didn’t want to start anything with the Glaives. I was also so scared of saying anything about you because I didn’t want to be airing your private business and so I-“

“You are referring to Ferox, correct, my dear?”

You felt as though your lungs were pierced by the horns of a Duplicorn and your words came to a complete halt. “W-Wait, you…you know Ferox…Ignis…you knew what happened?”

Ignis crossed his arms and shifted upon his feet as he studied you wholly, his gazed heated and his lips in a straight line. “Why yes, Y/N. I’ve known about it for over a week now.”

You were flabbergasted, your mouth going dry as the plains of Longwythe Peak as Ignis stared at you. “You…you knew…You knew that he was harassing me…But how-“

“Surely you did not believe that Libertus who had promised to keep his eye upon you while I was away would not tell me when he too found out?” Ignis inquired.

 _“L-Libertus, oh please don’t tell Ignis! Not while he’s away, at least!”_ You had begged the Glaive when you were on your way to the Crestholm Channels the week prior. “ _You already know how on edge he is about me going out here today! I don’t need him getting upset over something else that he has no control over. Do you promise me you won’t say anything? Please?”_

 _“You know I’m not ok with this. I’m not ok with this by any means what so ever,”_ Libertus had replied. _“But for you? I promise I will abide to my word, at least for now…”_

At least for now…

 _Libertus, you son of a bitch!_ You thought to yourself, not knowing whether to laugh, sob, or run in terror and hide as your lover’s heated stare impaled through you like one of his polearms.

“Y/N, have you not taken note of the Glaive’s absence around these quarters since I have hence arrived back home?” Ignis queried as he pushed his visor back up onto the bridge of his nose, him seeming to take observation of your conquered stance as you stared at him.

But feeling your eyes go wide, you now only but had realized such. The Glaive who had been almost inescapable and had stalked you obsessively in the two weeks had been nowhere to be seen, and feeling your throat tighten, you assumed the worst for the man.

Curse your kind soul, for but a moment you felt a sense of guilt in knowing you were the reason he was fired.

“Oh, I can assure you, my dear, that Ferox’s status has not been terminated,” Ignis added as he studied your face, and gods would you curse the strategist in this moment for being so damn perceptive of your body language and facial expression. “He is receiving much worse repercussions, at least in my own personal judgement.” And in a very fashion unlike him, Ignis smirked as if he was enjoying some hidden joke. “Until Ferox can better learn to behave himself in the presence of a professional woman he has been assigned to the mere task of guard duty way out past the exterior of the Citadel. He has also been engaged in private training sessions at a facility away from the Citadel led by none other than Libertus himself. And as you know our dear Gladio who is all for his early morning outings has had Ferox awake with him at dawn every morning for a casual six mile run. You know, to help prepare his mind and body for his tasks that should be his focal point…”

You were thunderstruck, but even more so utterly shocked that all this while, Ignis had acted as if nothing had ever happened between you and the meddlesome Glaive. But as you found yourself perspiring in your leather as Ignis peered down at you, you found it almost impossible to read him and determine what exactly he was thinking.

And so you bit your lip as you took a step closer to Ignis, averting his gaze and feeling wholly ashamed of yourself that you had hid this from him for so long.

“L-Look, Ignis. I’m so sorry. I feel like I’m constantly breaking my promise to you in saying that I will always tell you what’s bothering me and what’s on my mind, and h-here I am again breaking that promise. I feel so terrible but I hope you can forgive me for why I kept my mouth shut. I just didn’t want you upset when you were away and I-“

“Come with me,” Ignis said firmly as he closed the gap between you and stood mere inches from you.

“H-Huh?” You replied, staring up into his blazing eyes. “B-But Ignis I-“

“Come with me,” Ignis repeated decisively, grasping upon your hand and immediately leading you at a quickened pace. Your skin flushing and sweating beyond relief now, you stumbled over your feet as you kept up with Ignis as best as you could. His steps were substantial and his long strides were filled with purpose as his leather gloved-hand grasped around your tiny hand with a pressure that you couldn’t quite define. Your heart thumping in your breast and your mouth dry like cotton, your flesh burned with an aching fire and every single nerve in your body went numb as you reached an elevator, Ignis uncouthly pressing the buttons on the panel and ushering you inside. He was reticent and hushed, he avoiding your gaze and his expression stoic, and biting your lip again your stomach tumbled in petrified knots as the silence pervaded within the closed and stifling space. With the mechanism taking you up several floors, the door opened and Ignis firmly lead you out. Within your current state of panic you hadn’t even realized that he had lead you right to the hallway that would take you to his apartment. Now finding yourself standing in front of the door to his quarters, Ignis managed to fumble around his front pocket for his key, unlocked the door, and herded you inside his private quarters.

Silence. The royal advisor continued to remain hushed as you stared out over the dining area and towards the living room, your gaze locking upon the distinct sunset that emanated shades of fushia, pinks, and reds through the giant glass windows. Your feet glued to the carpet, you could not tell where Ignis was as he stood somewhere behind you, his tracks as quiet as a Coerul’s as you begged for the taciturnity in the room to dissipate. Swallowing, you flexed your fingers in attempt to prevent them from trembling, and feeling completely frail in the knees, you turned around to address him.

“I-Ignis, please, I’m sorry, I-“

“Eyes forward, Y/N…”

_Oh….Oh Astrals…_

No, he was not angry (wasn’t he?). At least you didn’t think so. Because by the distinct hiking of his inhalations and the straining of his syllables, you had come to know this tone oh so very well like it was as routine as breathing. And thus, at this very moment you were praying to the Astrals that he was about to give you the chance to utter the apology you’ve been seeking to give him.

Instantaneously you jumped at the feel of leather-clad hands brushing your hair to the side of one shoulder, Ignis’s hand skimming over the flesh shoulder. For this very instant you felt your spine burn as his fingers trailed down your bare arm, and you thanked the Astrals you opted out of wearing your usual jacket with your Crownsguard attire today. Regardless of the matter you felt your knees instantly weaken at his touch, and swallowing severely you fought with all of your métier to obey his command and keep looking forward. But by the feel of his presence so close to yours, his breathing profound and heavy from behind you, you could hardly keep your wits about you.

“Do you trust me, Y/N?” He murmured laconically as he pressed his frame against you from behind.

You’d trust him with every single damn cell in your body.

“Y-Yes,” you choked. “Of course I do.”

“Unbuckle your shirt,” he commanded softly, and gods did you instantly submit. With your fingers quivering you attempted your best to steady your breathing as one by one you plucked upon the silver buttons to your high neck blouse. Letting your arms fall to your sides, Ignis shifted behind you and helped manipulate your arms so that your shirt fell to the floor behind you, Ignis picking up the garment and folding it and setting in on the nearby table. Keeping your eyes frontward you slowly watched as Ignis sauntered in front of you, his eyes dark and scrutinizing as he gazed upon your bare chest and to the mounds of your breasts that peaked out from over your bra. But him remaining self-possessed as ever, Ignis merely hummed as he stood before you. Taking a deep breath, your mouth went dry as the strategist unhurriedly lowered himself to one knee in front of you, his eyes never leaving yours as he reached out to begin unbuckling your boots. With parted lips you could only watch in awe as he popped apart each buckle, his stare never leaving yours for a second as he carefully lifted your foot and shimmied your leg out of your shoe and your foot out of your sock. He followed suite with the other, this time holding onto your leg and placing your foot upon his knee. His hand skimmed down your calve as his eyes bore into yours, and while the full sensation of his touches was muted by the fabric of your leather slacks, regardless, the sight of his gesticulations was enough to make you feeble in the knees and brace your hands upon his shoulders.

“I-Ignis,” you breathed, your cheeks burning intensely as you observed his hands trail down your leg.

“Hmm?” Was all he said as he slowly pulled off the second sock, his broad hand holding onto your foot for just a second to give it a squeeze.

But you could hardly formulate words as he pressed his fingers into the sensitive arch of your foot, and it took every ounce of your power to fight back against the moan that managed to break through the barrier of your lips as he massaged your tired foot and skimmed his fingers over your toes.

“I-Ignis,” you breathed again, stifling another moan as he kneaded your arch.

Yet Ignis said nothing this time as he lowered your leg and reached up with his hands to grasp upon the loops of your pants. Instinctually you reached for the buckle of your belt to assist him, but authoritatively he pushed your hands to the sides and situated them down by your hips. With deft precision he was able to unbuckle your belt and zip down your pants without event taking his eyes off of you, and with a whimper you attempted your best to steady yourself on two feet as he peeled your pants down to your ankles. Assisting you in stepping out of them as they pooled to the floor, Ignis shifted his gaze over every inch of your exposed legs, to your stomach and over your breasts, and back to your face; all the while his expression was still unreadable save for the flaring of his nostrils and the further darkening of his eyes.

“Over to the kitchen counter,” he instructed next.

_Astrals, save me…_

Immediately abiding, you did as you were told and padded over to the intended destination, you standing in between two stools along the outer counter. Without turning around with your eyes facing inwards into the kitchen, you carefully listened to each of Ignis’s steps. Hearing him approach, you watched his arm extend in front of you to sit his visors upon the counter. With his face clear of his spectacles he once more reached out with his hand to trace his fingertips down your arm and shoulder, this time also skimming his leather-clad digits down the curve of your spine and to the center of your back where your bra was clasped. Reaching your hands behind you to help, he grabbed ahold of your hands firmly and spoke.

“Unless I say so, hands on the counter, dearest.”

_Shit…_

But you obliged, your breathing hastening and the moisture between your legs accumulating more than ever as you felt the clasp of your bra spring free. You sighed with relief as the pressure left your spine, and it was only as Ignis finessed your bra down over your arms did you only lift you hands for a second to allow him to rid you of the intrusive garment.

He was silent still as he stood behind you. Nipping your lower lip, you focused your attention to a solitary bottle of olive oil that was situated on the counter, using your focus on the object to help ground you as you awaited Ignis’s next move. But when you felt his hand trail down to your waist and grasp upon the rim of your panties, it was all you could do to keep yourself upright as he lowered himself as he pulled your panties downward. Throwing your head back, you gasped loudly as his lips moved over your buttocks and down the back of your thigh and to your calf. Taking ahold of your feet, Ignis removed the shackles of your panties from around your ankles, and now you stood at the mercy of the royal advisor, entirely exposed as you pled to the gods he would permit you to beg for forgiveness.

“Do you trust me, Y/N?” He repeated softly as he brushed his hand along your spine in the most sensual of ways.

“Y-yes, Ignis,” you whispered, and gods you could barely keep yourself sane at the aroma of your essence permeating the room as you found yourself with your legs spread apart and your hands braced upon the counter before you.

Ignis removed his hand from your spine for a moment and all was hushed with in the room as you failed to properly breathe. Yet as you stood with nothing ensuing, you were about to turn your head around to see what Ignis was doing when you gasped harshly, Ignis pressing himself up behind you with one gloved hand latching possessively onto your waist.

And the other? That was now reached around to your front and covering your heat, his middle finger now massaging and swirling around your overly sensitive bundle of nerves.

“I-Ignis!” You squealed as you choked upon your words, and with extensive eyes you threw your head up towards the ceiling, his sudden touch exquisitely sinful beyond compare. Even more so, you felt your loins coil and your eyes go wide with shock at the realization that he had never removed his gloves, the added friction of the leather upon your slick privates a sensation you had not anticipated but all the more welcomed.

“Darling…” Was Ignis’s reply as he fondled you with his practiced fingers, and already you wanted to beg for release. But Ignis pressing his frame more closely to you now, he maneuvered his other free hand from your spine and up to around the base of your throat where he held you upright against his body. Pressing his lips along the back of your neck, Ignis inhaled deeply and began to kiss your sensitive flesh. “Darling,” he repeated, his words a little hoarser this time as he continued to pleasure you. “You see, you trust me. You have professed that you trust me. You trust me with your well-being and protection. You trust me with your health. You trust me with your heart and your secrets. And this very moment, you trust me with your body.” And gods did you do so as you clutched at the kitchen counter and whimpered as he began to move his finger faster over your bud. “You trust me with every fiber of your being. And dearest? I do the same with you. I shall forever and always hold the highest esteem and conviction with you in every little action you complete and every single word you utter. Forever and always for the remainder of my existence until my last breath. And,” and he paused for just a second, his own breathing heavy and heated as he buried his face into the back of your neck, his lips pressing against your skin for a second as he inhaled your scent. “No one ever, no other man or Glaive shall _ever_ make me have caution to lose my trust with you.”

And he hesitated again, but without warning, he pushed his middle finger past the folds of your entrance and deep into the heat of your passage. You crying out deafeningly and biting your lip, Ignis pulled your face upwards to kiss you, your cries and moans mangled and muffled against his lips as he began to pump his leather-clad finger in and out of your heart while his palm continued to massage your bud. Barely unable to keep yourself upright anymore, a sob escaped your lips as the unmistakable feeling of his bulge through his leather pants pressed against your behind, and all the while you continued to follow the advisor’s orders as you kept your hands placed firmly upon the counter.

Through your exclamations, Ignis continued his words and astonishingly multitasked, his lips peppering your neck and shoulders with kisses as he uttered his sweet nothings. “You my love have nothing to ever apologize for. You with the purest heart who would descend into the pits of hell or climb the mountains of Ravatough for those she loved. Never again do I want you to seek need to apologize for the fears and reservations you hold within your heart. You do not need to express regret for the appalling and unacceptable behavior of someone else. Never again do you need to feel guilt for what ails you, my darling…”

The pleasure accumulating in your body was such a beautifully stark contrast to the precious words your love whispered in your ear, and with tears trickling down your cheeks it was all too much to be forgiven in such a tender and heated way. But with your loins constricting and your walls hugging desperately at his finger that pistoned deep into the depths of your heat at a frantic pace, it would be his next words that would declare that all to you was truly forgiven.

“You. Are. Mine.” He whispered eloquently against your ear as he nipped at your earlobe, and his ragged breathing told you that even he was at his own wit’s end as he pleasured you. “Just as I am yours. Nothing will ever change that. I am yours, forever and always, my dearest love that I cherish ever so much.”

And you were sobbing and pleading and whimpering and scraping your nails along the counter as you reached your climax, white hot sizzling heat coursing down your spine as wave after wave of your climax drowned you. You whimpered Ignis’s name, your syllables incoherent as he cupped your face from behind and kissed whatever flesh he could reach. But after a few moments with your breathing leveling out and your senses coming back to you, you allowed your head to fall back and rest on his shoulder, and slowly but reluctantly he removed his finger from the depths of your heat.

Ignis wrapped you tightly in his arms from behind and buried his face into your hair, and by now his breathing was heavy and ragged and his erection was pressed more firmly into your behind than before. With the smell of your essence pervading the room like a lit candle, you knew you could no longer refrain from satiating the hunger of the man who gave you the release you surely felt you didn’t deserve.

“Ignis…” You whispered as you nuzzled against him, feeling yourself suddenly become overwhelmed at the passion behind his words.

“Yes, my love?” He replied hoarsely. Gods, how he was able to refrain from pleasing himself at this moment you had no idea, but as he you stood within his embrace, his frame quivering against yours and his arms like a vice grip around your naked form, you wanted more than anything to help appease him of his tension that he never deserved to possess.

“Even though you don’t want my apology, at least…at least let me make up my forgiveness to you somehow. Please, whatever it is you wish….”

And that was all he needed to hear as the advisor groaned harshly, and before you knew it you were swept off your feet and cradled in his arms as he carried you towards the living room where he laid you down upon the rug in front of the fireplace. Even though it wasn’t even chilly within his apartment, it seemed he had planned out in his mind his preference for ambiance, for just as he lay out your naked body unto the rug he left your side for only a moment to turn on the switch to the hearth. Immediately the spark ignited and set the faux logs ablaze, and turning to look at you with hungry and heated eyes his gaze shifted over every inch of your body from your feet, legs, stomach, breasts, and lastly your face that was cast in the crackling light of the flame.

And there you lay, utterly breathless as you shifted yourself up onto your elbows as you watched the strategist undress before, you, his eyes never leaving yours as he made quick but sensual work of the removal of his raiment. With your essence pooling between your legs and slowly starting to drip out between your thighs, you could only bite your lip to help stabilize yourself as you watched with famished eyes his girth spring forth from the incarceration of his briefs, the tip glistening with his own essence. Kicking off his briefs he sauntered over to you and stood above you, him beginning to run his hand up and down his length in the most teasing of ways.

With the muscles of your groin contracting and your face flushing deeply, you stared up at the superb spectacle, you now sitting up and shifting yourself upon your knees. But as you reached towards him he took a slight step back, a smirk now plastering itself over his beautiful lips.

“You mustn’t touch, my love. At least not until I tell you to do so,” he murmured. “You are after all asking for my forgiveness…”

_Oh dear gods…_

Astrals, curse him for making you be patient, for it was only until now that you realized he had yet to allow you to touch him since you entered his apartment. With a whine absconding from your lips, you could only sit upon your haunches and watch in agony as he pumped his hand up and down his length at an excruciatingly teasing pace.

And yet you wouldn’t have to wait long to give him your forgiveness, for without forewarning, Ignis closed the gap between you and gently grasped upon the back of your head, bringing your face to his engorged manhood that longed for your touch. With your hands situated upon your knees in a submissive manner, you wasted no time in wanting to please the man, you instantly opening your mouth wide and allowing Ignis to push his shaft deep towards the back of your throat. As your mouth engulfed his length and your head began to bob back and forth to meet the thrusting of his hips, Ignis grasped upon your head with both hands and widened his stance, his head falling back and his lips parting as enthralled moans escaped his lips. By gods was such a sight to you euphoric as you looked up at the man you loved entirely lose himself to ecstasy. With each pronouncement of your name you could barely keep your wits about you as you snaked your own hand down in between your legs and began to touch yourself. A muffled whimper escaped your lips as you endeavored to multitask, your fingers working tiresomely over your bud while you gagged upon his girth.

However, it was as Ignis opened his eyes and lowered his head to see you fingering yourself as you pleased him that caused his eyes to go wide and his nostrils to flare.

“N-No, this won’t do,” he growled ferociously as he took a firm hold upon your head and pulled out his shaft.

Feeling your heart falter for a second as you failed to understand his words, before you knew it you were pushed gently upon your spine as Ignis maneuvered himself to the floor upon his knees and grabbed a hold of your legs to have them straddle his hips. Pulling you as close to him as possible, Ignis let go of your legs for just a second as he grabbed a hold of his manhood that was slick with your saliva. And then, with another angry flare of his nostrils, Ignis grabbed ahold of the base of his shaft and pressed the head between your wet folds, and with a forceful but careful thrust he plunged into your heated depths.

Instantly you shrieked and gritted your teeth, your nails scraping into the rug as Ignis pumped himself deep into your heat. With your skin flushing crimson and a sheen of sweat caking your body from the heat of the fireplace, your heavy lashes fluttered as you gazed up into your lover’s eyes. His own bore into yours, his pupils black and blown and lids heavy as he began to thrust deeper into your depths, and his stare alone was enough to make your walls grip at his manhood.

But just as you began to wrap your legs around his waist to steady yourself and bring him closer to your hips, Ignis took ahold of your ankles to hold your legs wide open. A loud groan tumbled out of his mouth as he looked down to watch himself drive deep into your passage, and with him gritting his teeth he only began to thrust into you at more frantic and frenzied pace. Your body was completely at his mercy as he took you with such force, and there was something so utterly breathtaking at the way his sweat began to drip down his temples as he lost himself to the gesticulations of his thrusts. With you now propped upon your elbows it was all you could do to steady yourself in place as your spine scraped against the fibers of the rug underneath you.

“Y/N…” Ignis groaned as if now only remembering how to speak. “Dear gods, let me hear you beg for your forgiveness…”

Without warning Ignis let go of your ankles and shifted you so that your buttocks were slightly in the air, and with one hand gripping at your thigh, the other that so fashionably wore that leather cuff went to work on your delicate bud once again, his thumb swirling around the bundle of nerves as he continued to prod you deeply with his swollen girth.

“I-Ignis!” You yelped, the sudden extra stimulation all too much as you clamped your jaw and held onto the floor for dear life. As his name began to tumble out of your mouth and your toes curled with absolute delight to the divine sensations of his love making, it was as though the Infernian himself had set the chamber ablaze as you watched the firelight dance upon the lithe flesh of his pectorals and abdominals, his muscles flexing under his skin as he groaned and mumbled your name incoherently. With each passing second as the flame flared more passionately than ever, it was at this moment with your walls tightening harshly around Ignis’s length that you knew you were about to be beyond but ashes upon the floor.

“I-Ignis, I’m g-gonna…”

And so he pressed his thumb down more harshly upon your bud, and swirling it around one last solitary time you hit your second peak, your passage pulsating uncontrollably as he relentlessly touched you with no mercy in his gesticulations. Flame after flame scorched you to your core, and whining out his name and begging for his mercy, it was with one last surge of pleasure through your core did your climax finally subside.

However, all while Ingis continued his thrusts, but with the hitching of his exhalations and the gritting of his teeth did you realize that Ignis was mere moments away from reaching his own.

With your breasts bouncing and swaying to the rhythm of his thrusts did an idea come to cognizance; even though it was you who had begged for his forgiveness, perhaps yet, maybe just yet, he could show you a sign that all was forgiven by giving you something you wanted very much to witness this very instant.

“I-Ignis,” you managed to croak as your head spun from your continuing pleasure as he pounded into you. “I-Iggy, I…”

How the tactician was able to even hear comprehensibly, you didn’t know, the man so lost in himself as he watched himself take you, but with his eyes snapping up to look at yours, you could see that he was somehow all ears.

“Y-Yes dear?” He managed to say between his grunts.

“P-Please. G-Give me one thing this very moment. Just one thing before you release.”

Ignis’s nostrils flared as he was about to lose control.

“W-What is it my love?”

“Let me see you. Let me _see_ your climax. If you forgive m-me, then let me see that as proof.”

“B-But-“

“Please…”

And although the man preferred to always release within you to feel his warmth enveloped by you as he let himself go, nevertheless Ignis obliged, for just as he pulled out and grasped upon his length did he climax and his seed begin to spurt forth in hot coils upon your body. Gasping at the sensation of the hot liquid painting your breasts and belly, you watched with fascination as Ignis stroked himself to completion, his hips sputtering and your name tumbling out of his mouth as he finally released after denying himself of his titillation and delectation all this time. Grabbing upon your hip with his free hand, he shut eyes tightly and his lips parted as with one last jerk of his length, the last drop of seed dribbled out from his shaft and seeped down onto your stomach. With his head falling forward and his chest rising and heaving, Ignis slowly let go of his manhood and placed the soiled hand upon your other hip. His dazzling eyes slowly fluttered open, and with his eyes widening and his nostrils flaring, it was as though with utter surprise and consternation did he realize just how much he liked seeing the proof of his lovemaking and devotion to you now glistening like pearlescent pebbles upon your delicate frame.

“Y/N…” He breathed hoarsely as he reached out to touch your chest, his cheeks flushed and his hair now having fallen down into a complete and sweaty mess over his head. “I…I…”

“Ignis…”

But as your eyes fell to his hand that was glistening from the viscosity of his seed, your stomach rumbled as another wicked idea come to fruition in your mind.

_We all have a hunger within us, and gods, all I hunger for now is you, Ignis…_

Whatever mischievous daemons had suddenly possessed you to do so you would never know. But thus, reaching out you grasped upon his hand, brought the digits to your lips, and began to suck on and clean his fingers of the mess of which he had made of himself.

Ignis gasped harshly, his pupils going wide as you inserted each of his fingers into your mouth, and regardless of how bitter the fluid tasted you would have feasted upon it for the rest of your life. But wanting even more of this man that you’d give your life for, you held tightly upon his hand while you took your free hand and scooped up the seed that lay pooled beneath your belly button. And thus you feasted, your face flushing as a delighted moan left your lips. All the while, Ignis could only stare at you with amplified emerald orbs and his mouth hung open as he trembled upon his knees. You finished your meal, your stomach grumbling and pining for more, despite that being all he had to offer for this course.

However, with his fingers intertwining with yours and his chest heaving frenetically at what he just witnessed, he opened his lips to speak.

“Bloody hell…”

Ignis never was given a moment to experience his remission, for apparently his witnessing of your erotic exhibition was enough to pump blood back into his shaft almost within the blink of an eye. Without a heed or warning he was upon you, this time his lips descending upon yours to kiss you passionately, that very touch one which he denied you and him of this entirety. You kissed him back, your hands snaking through his hair and your legs wrapping around his waist as loving sighs tumbled from your mouth, the tips of your noses nuzzling together as he pressed himself into your depths once again and pumped his length into your core.

_Oh the way you use your body, darling, come on and work it for me…_

“Y/N…Y/N…” He whined as he trembled above you, his arm wrapped underneath your spine as he kissed your cheeks and eyes and chin and throat.

“Y-Yes, my love?” Your replied above barely a whispered as you clutched onto him more tightly and whimpered as you made love to one another.

“Gods, how I love you, you beautiful, illustrious being…” He seized you like you were the last possession he had on earth, and as if the thought of the interfering Glaive that spurred upon this session in the first place came into his mind once again, he could only encase you within his grasp as he pushed himself as humanly possible into the depths of your heat.

“Iggy…Iggy…I…

“Darling…”

“I love you…Gods, I love you, you handsome, wonderful man, and let me make it known that shall never be forgotten.”

“I know, my dearest, I know…”

Lost to the whims of passion, love, and pleasure as the fire around your crackled and cast the shadows of your intertwined bodies upon the floor, all was forgiven, all was forgotten, and for one more simple moment in time as you looked into the eyes of Ignis Scientia did you forget to even worry…

*************************************

Another week gone. Another week slipping between delicate fingertips and all had but once again continued to remain complacent within your life. For another whole week had passed with the upmost sense of regularity as you had retained your duties at your scheduled routine, pain-free as ever as more meteorshards and mythril were refined, powerlines reconnected, and routine maintenances ran in the outskirts outside of the city.

Peaceful. That is what you felt. Nothing but utter peace. Not to say that work didn’t leave you as tired as ever as you ended your shifts for the day, but the substantial progress that you were making around the City as a whole other block within Insomnia was restored left you feeling more accomplished than ever.

Progress was not as successful for your comrades at the Citadel. After all was said and done, the affairs of the Crown were all but held within a stalemate at the hands of the problematic data extraction. Prompto who felt more than frustrated with himself felt a sense of guilt wash over him as he was no closer to cracking the code on the ANIMAPROJECT.EXE file, him discovering this week alone that a heavily encrypted password locked the file for the use of a stranger. But determined and resilient the gunman was as ever, he and the researchers more than dedicated to not give up. Surely enough, while the Anima file remained clandestine, a few other files were encoded and it was discovered within their secrets blueprints for new machinery that would help assist in the repair efforts around Lucis.

Not to your surprise, Ravus and Aranea were quick to respond to Noctis’s call in regards to the mystery project. The duo who was currently engaged in scouring the capital of Niflheim had all but remained aloof strangers to any mention of such a project at the word of Bestithia, but as Noctis had described of Ravus’s tone over the phone, the King of Tenebrae himself too felt more desperate than ever to be rid of the menaces that still plagued the western continent of Eos and find an answer to the anonymity unraveled from Viewbliss. With the rogue carrier still entirely untraceable and a potential hazard that could befall innocent lives at any moment, Ravus and the Commodore continued to remain adamant in their search for the truth.

What did surprise you during the week was the mention of Sania Yeager (who was still stationed within Tenebrae with the King himself) who her and her team of researchers managed to capture a Karbalos from the shores of Piztala. A series of tests and cruelty-free experiments were ran for the creature, and one shocking discovery was made: when exposed to a series of electromagnetic waves, the crustacean reacted violently as if possessed. Whether or not this unearthing was to bring hope or fear was sill undetermined in your mind, but nevertheless Noctis remained optimistic that such a discovery made one further connection to the Anima Project and the behaviors of the beasts across Eos.

To your greatest surprise, glee, and humor was an unexpected call from Ravus’s wife. The woman whom you had sworn never once in her life ever picked up a phone to call someone was now chattering away in your ear every single pondering, feeling, and fear that she had on her mind. While you were more than honored to have her share with you her musings, part of you was still completely astounded over the fact that _you_ of all people were her confidant to her rantings. Trying to stifle a giggle over this unforeseen persona of the queen that was presented to you over the phone, she would sporadically switch between bouts of joyful laughter and spurts of sobs and tears.

“I am most sorry, Y/N,” she said as she sniffled on the other line. “While the child has much time to grow before it arrives, I finding myself victim to the unpredictability of my behavior because of my hormones,” she attempted to explain. “I have had at moments no jurisdiction over what words leave my mouth, and so I apologize greatly for my irrationality. I can only imagine how much I am driving Ravus to his wit’s end with my conduct. Even my appetite has been uncontainable and all I have wished to indulge on as of late is Ulwaat berries.”

To laugh at the plights of a pregnant woman was beyond acceptable, but to this you could not but giggle over the phone.

“I feel so bad that you are suffering so much,” you said with a smile in your voice, “and I only wish that I could find a way to help you over such a long distance. Perhaps when we come visit next after all of this chaos is said and done I could have Ignis help make you something that would satisfy your cravings.”

Ravus’s wife breathed in deeply on the other line as if attempting to stifle her current hunger. “W-Why yes, yes. That would be most lovely.”

Hopefully you would be able to support the poor woman sooner than you expected.

And so now with the week transpiring unproblematically (and this you would never complain about), Friday evening officially arrived. Despite Ignis working a later shift at the Citadel, the tactician engaged in several audiences with the Insomnian council over the course of the week, you were all but more looking forward to the apparent “surprise” he had for you once he arrived at your apartment for the evening. Having rushed home impatiently after your own grueling shift at EXINERIS, scrubbing your body clean of all the dirt and grime from having scaled rusty towers and climbing through tight pipe ways, as you dried your hair and put on some light makeup, you could only help but wonder what on earth Ignis had in store for the evening.

Just as you were about to put on a pot of fresh Ebony to brew for Ignis, a loud knock on the front door from the down the hallway caused you to pause.

“Huh? Why on all of Eos is Ignis knocking?” You mused to yourself as you sat down the coffee pot on the stove. “He has a key to the front door…unless he forgot it back at the Citadel?”

But nonetheless you felt your heart flutter in your chest with exhilaration as you made your way down the hallway to the front door. Not even thinking to check the peephole in your expectation, you yanked open the front door with a broad smile across your lips.

But with whom you made eye contact you had not expected, but all nonetheless left you beaming and smiling with joy.

“Heyaz!!!” Prompto chirped excitedly as he stepped through the doorway and pulled you into his arms. “How’s it goin’ today, Y/N?”

“Prompto, goodness!” You said, laughing as the gunman’s always enthusiastic affections had you gasping for breath as he squeezed you. “Not that I’m not super excited to see you but what in all of Eos are you doing here?”

“Don’t you remember us saying we promised to come visit you when shit died down at the Citadel?” Boomed the lulling voice of Gladio as too he hunkered through the doorway with two duffle bags in hand. Prompto letting go of you and bouncing off into the living room with his own bag in hand, Gladio sat his stuff down out of the way and pulled you in for a bear hug against his chest, and you suffocated immensely as he pressed you to his pectorals through his tank top.

“G-Gladdy!” You chirped. “You too? Goodness, you guys did say that, didn’t you? B-But…there’s no way you managed to get everything solved with that file! I just talked to you guys a few days ago about it…unless something new came up?”

“Mayyyyybe,” Prompto chimed from the living room as he peaked his head back into the hallway. “Maybe I did! Long story short we managed to come up with an algorithm of sorts that is going to help us crack through the encoder. We MIGHT just be able to figure out the password in a few days if we’re lucky….”

“What! No way!” You replied as Gladio let go of you and made his way into the living room. “Just a few days maybe? Incredible…Prompto, you’re a genius!”

“Mmmn, it’s no biggie!” Prompto beamed as he flashed his teeth and his freckled cheeks flushed deeply. “Although as much as we’ve lucked out since we last saw you, I still have to say I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without the help of my Bros helping me crack down on this!”

“I say I gotta agree with you Prompto,” now chimed in a third voice. “It just goes to show that when friends walk tall together, you can make progress.” Turning back around towards the door your eyes lit up at the sight of Noctis smiling broadly and standing within the hallway with what looked like shopping bags full of groceries in his hand.

“N-Noct, you’re here too!” You stammered as you quickly rushed forward to help with him the bags, but the king laughed and shook his head as refusing to have you help him with his baggage.

“Well of course. I told you I’d promise to come see you, didn’t I? And I know what you’re thinking,” he quickly added, reading the expression upon your face. “Cor figured I was long overdue for a night to enjoy myself and relax.”

“And he insisted above all else that he wish to do so with you here tonight, might I add,” now finally said Ignis who followed up the rear and stepped through the threshold of the apartment.

“Ignis!” You breathed, blushing deeply at his sight of him, and you quickly rushed over to him and shut the door behind him. Ignis chuckled at your enthusiasm as he too sat down with what appeared to be his own set of groceries and quickly pulled you in for a deep embrace, his lips finding yours and giving you a gentle kiss upon the lips. Noctis blushed as he watched you two but nevertheless smiled as he turned away and headed down the hallway with his bags.

You watched the King go as you stared at the plastic bags that Ignis had set upon the floor. “My surprise,” you murmured as you looked up at the tactician. “You’re surprising me with a visit from my friends…Oh Iggy…” While you had not made it a point to sound obsessive about how much you missed the rare moments that you and the boys got to hang out, nevertheless whenever you mentioned such in passing, you always took note of the strain in Ignis’s eyes as he felt helpless to control the busy lives that he and his friends possessed. And so seeing now that he and the boys came prepared with whatever goodies they held within their luggage, you were all the more excited about how you would spend your Friday evening.

“Indeed, my dearest,” Ignis replied with a grin as he pulled you in more closely for a deeper kiss. “And let me add as well that they too have missed quality time with you. It has indeed been far too long. Prompto especially is most excited to show you something that he has worked on for you.” Ignis paused as he looked down to the grocery bags at hand. “Now, Y/N, why don’t you settle yourself within the living room with Gladio and Prompto while Noctis and I sort away the groceries for this evening’s meal and we shall join your shortly?”

“O-Of course,” you answered with a nod and grinned.

With one more peck of a kiss upon your lips, Ignis smiled warmly at you as he swooped down to pick up his shopping bags and followed after Noctis down the hallway. The sight of the tactician’s hips swaying in his dark-washed jeans and the shifting of his muscles under his rather form-fitting grey t-shirt was enough to make you ache with desire, but blushing you obliged to his request and bound into the living room.

There kneeling upon the floor was Gladio who was in the process of unpacking several vintage video game systems, and as he looked up to look at you a wide grin spread across his lips at the reaction on your face.

“I heard the last time you played Chocobo Racing you kicked Iggy’s ass. I figured you would get a kick out of me rising to the challenge of asking to take you on and see if I could one-up you.”

“In your dreams!” You retorted with a laugh and a shit-eating grin. “Although I’m not saying I’m bad or anything, but I attributed that victory to pure luck. I might not fair as well against you this time.”

The Shield brushed his hair away from his face and laughed. “All the more reason to see who is going to come out on top!”

You giggled as you continued to watch Gladio carefully unwrap the cables, controllers, and auxiliary cords to the systems when your attention shifted to Prompto who was flashing his white smile at you. From his own bag he had unpacked several video games, but currently situated in his lap was one of his Lokton cameras and a book with which you presumed to be a photo album.

“O-Oh!” You startled suddenly as you stared at the objects at hand. “Ignis said you had something to show me?” You mused excitedly with a flutter of your heart.

“You betcha!” Prompto replied, patting the couch next to him for you to join him. You plopped down next to him, the gunman beaming as he handed you the book.

“So what exactly do you have here for me?” You inquired as your curiosity now get the best of you and you traced your hands over the spine of the book’s leather binding.

“Well, do you remember how wayyyyy back when we all visited Altissia together and I was taking photos of all the damage around the city?”

Your heart sank for a moment at the very thought of such, only for just a moment, but nonetheless you nodded and smiled. “But of course, Prompto. I don’t think I could ever forget.”

“Welllll, I also hope you remember me saying so because I wanted to document all of the changes and renovations that were actually made and such. I knew logically speaking that there was a possibility you might not get to Altissia for yourself for a while, and so, I figured I’d put together this collection here to document all of those changes, just for you. I think you are going to be pretty happy with what you see has changed to your hometown.”

“Prompto…” You murmured, feeling yourself speechless as you held the book in your hands, and you looked up at him for a moment to see him and Gladio looking at you attentively. “You guys…you shouldn’t have. I really don’t know what to say…”

“Believe me when I say that we were thinking about you every second as we walked down every single one of those streets,” Gladio remarked with a sigh. “Prompto is right when he says that you’ll be happy with what’s been done. But I say just go on and take a look for yourself…”

And slowly you opened the photo album., your eyes instantly widening as you one by one flipped through each page. At the top of each folio was the photo of the original damage that preceded the reparation efforts, the piles of rubble and ruin making your stomach churn with sadness all over again at the thought of what once used to stand there. But directly underneath these photos were their counterparts of the after, and in utter awe you could not help but trace your fingertips over each page as you compared what once was and what now would remain for the future.

“Prompto, Gladio…” You said breathlessly as you excitedly overturned through the pages.

“N-Not everything was able to be restored to what it used to be like, as you will see,” Prompto nervously explained as he took note of your expression. “We of course on our end have done what we could and now it’s all up the Camelia Claustra and the Accordian business bureau to determine what’s going to be done later on. But yeah…” And the gunman was very right. Not all the renovations resulted in the rebuilding of what was lost and in some cases plots of land had been cleared in their entirety to leave patches of land for further construction. But nonetheless, you could not help but be amazed at how much was done since you had last seen the city yourself. Many of the canals that had been demolished by fallen Niflheim carriers were fully functional like the past, crystal blue waters now coursing through the stone passageways to allow passengers to travel about the town. The Totomostro which had been caved in was now standing proudly and was open for patrons. Several of the piers that had been washed away due to the wrath of the Hydrean now floating and bobbing peacefully upon the Altissian shoreline. The Touellia restaurant that you and your parents loved so much was fully back in service and you couldn’t help but smile at the sight of several patrons in the photo dining in the outside seating area. Some of the outlying districts that once housed residents had been completely cleared, and perhaps one day the Accordian government would manage to find time to rebuild these areas. Continuing to traverse through the album, you took note of the new stone that had been inlaid upon the streets, and much to your delight several of the storefronts and apartment complexes along Polipli and Madrano street were restored to their former grandeur like you remembered from your youth.

“Amazing…simply amazing…” You whispered. However, it was as you turned the next page did you find yourself gasp aloud and a solitary tear stream down your face.

The picture at hand was a solitary plot of land which was now home to a beautiful garden, the soil laden with the most stunningly exquisite shrubs and flowers of every species. A statue of a winged woman reaching up to the sky was the center focal point, the expression on her marble face hopeful and free. With your shaking fingers as you touched the picture did you find yourself smile and the weight of this photograph wear upon your heart.

For this plot of land was where your home once stood and where you fostered the memories of those you missed so dearly.

“Y/N? Are you alright?”

Your eyes snapped upward to see Prompto, Gladio, and now Ignis and Noctis staring at you, their brows drawn together with concern as they watched another tear course down your face. Noctis made his way into the living room and sat next to Gladio upon the floor, Ignis situating himself on your other side upon the couch. The tactician reached up with his hand and brushed away that single tear, and feeling your heart clench and your lungs expand at attempt for breath, you smiled.

“Y-Yeah, I’m perfectly fine,” you answered as you looked at your lover and companions. “Perhaps a bit overwhelmed is all, looking at all of this. Part of me felt like I’d never see my home like this again, but looking at these photos is giving me a bigger sense of peace.” And you paused, you looking to each man, these men who had done nothing but repeatedly fight for all those around them and the posterity ahead of them. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, well, thank you. Thank you for doing this for me and for making me feel at ease. Thank you for doing this for everyone else who lost so much after all this time. I know that they are more than grateful for the efforts you put in those two weeks.” And sniffling again, you broke into a bigger smile. “You guys…you guys are the best…”

There was a chorus of deep breaths around the room, each man feeling speechless as per your gratitude. Ignis gave your thigh a gentle squeeze, but it was much to your surprise that it was not he who spoke next but Noctis himself, the king getting onto one knee and taking your hand in his. The room was silent as he held onto your tiny palms, and swallowing hard you could not help but feel instantly lost in his crystalline eyes.

“And I would do this a thousand times over for you and everyone else if I could,” Noctis said as he gave your hands a squeeze. “It’s the least that I could do considering that the root of the problem was really all my fault to begin with.” And he gave you a wry smile as if lost in thought. “But I promise you, Y/N, that I will keep fighting for you and everyone else and the future of this world. No matter what, whatever it is we will face. Will you promise me that you will never forget that?”

You bit your lip as you held back another tear, the weight of his words seeming to get the best of your emotions. “I promise I’ll never forget…” A moment of stillness transpired as you took a deep breath, finding your next words, and you couldn’t help but notice the way Ignis gazed upon you tentatively out of the corner of his eyes. “I’m sorry I had to get sappy there while I know you guys came here to have fun. I’ll be a little bit more cheery from here on out.”

Noctis grinned and shook his head. “It’s no big deal, Y/N, although I have to say for myself right now that I am looking forward to you kicking Gladio’s ass in some games. Sound like a good idea?”

And surely it was. While you certainly did not anticipate having any success in beating the Shield, it was much to your surprise that toward the end of your tournament with the last race declaring the winner of all, within the last two seconds of the final lap did your Chocobo manage to pass his, and with an angry roar did Gladio almost throw his remote and burst into deep laughter at his failure to win the cup. Hooting hysterically at your own fortune, you could not help but notice the endearing grin spread over Ignis’s lips as he too relished in the moment of watching Gladio’s ego being trampled upon like the stampede of Kujatas. Even more so, with Noctis and Prompto shoving it in the big guys’ face, soon enough the men began to challenge one another to see who overall would come out on top as the champion racer of feathered companions.

But why did it not surprise you that it was Ignis who would slyly sneak in for the overall win?

An hour had passed, the boys having switched to a series of side-scrolling action games when Ignis finished his turn and stood up to crack his knuckles. “I do dare say that it is time that I should begin preparation for our dinner tonight. In celebration of the end of a rather tiring week for us all, I have quite the courses in mind for our spread tonight.”

“Oh man, Iggy, I can’t wait!” Prompto chirped as he bit his tongue and continued to focus on jumping over a precarious platform. “I didn’t realize how freakin’ hungry I was until now.”

“You can say that again,” Gladio grumbled as he followed after Prompto’s character. “All this gaming has got me starved.”

You stood up from the couch and took a hold of Ignis’s hand. “Let me help you,” you said sweetly with a smile as you stared up at him. “It sounds like you’ve got a lot to prepare. I don’t think it’d be very fair of me to let you do all the work after you and the guys surprising me with this wonderful evening.”

“Actually,” cut in Noctis, and turning around you looked at the young king, his expression somewhat unreadable as he gazed at you, “I was wondering if you would want to take a walk for me for a bit, Y/N.”

The room was quiet for a moment, save for the 16-bit sound effects of the video game blaring from the TV and Gladio and Prompto pressing down the buttons on their controllers. Why you suddenly felt so nervous, you didn’t know, but turning to look at Ignis out of the corner of your eye you saw that he and Noctis seemed to have shared some private conversation of sorts by just looking at one another.

“But of course, Noct,” Ignis said blushing slightly and pushing his frames up upon his nose, and you attempted to comprehend his change in behavior. “Dinner shall be prepped and ready to be served within the hour. Gladio, Prompto, and myself shall see you when you both get back.” Ignis cast you a small smile and clasped your hand before padding off down the hallway and into the kitchen, and turning back to Noctis you saw him beaming at you.

“Well, let us head out,” Noctis declared, gesturing towards the exit of the living room with his hand.

“R-Right,” you replied, and turning to look at Prompto and Gladio you noticed them smiling slightly as they continued to immerse themselves in their game. Heading towards the door, you grabbed your jacket and pulled on your shoes, Noctis following suite with his own as he opened up the front door for you, allowed you to pass through, and then shut the door behind him as he exited.

The air had gotten chillier since you had arrived home for the evening, and suddenly you were quite grateful for the warmth of your jacket that swathed you. The sun having almost set completely in the sky, the last sliver of daylight just breaking over the horizon, the street lights along the walk began to flicker on and illuminate the pathways in which you would walk. Taking a few steps forward onto the street and inhaling deeply the fresh evening air, it was as you turned to look at Noctis did you find yourself feeling rather apprehensive and giddy for a reason you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

But as the king grinned warmly at you, his eyes bright like the glimmer of the Crystal itself, it was at this very moment did you realize why you felt butterflies course through your belly.

Despite knowing of Noctis for how many years, of all of your companions it was he who you spent the least amount of time with, let alone ever having had the chance to talk with him in depth over the course of extended periods of time. Even more so, you realized now at this very moment as you and he began to take soft steps upon the cobbled sidewalk that in all of your time knowing him, this was the very first time _ever_ that you and he were alone together in the company of one another. Biting your lip, as you began your evening trek, you looked over at Noctis and inspected him thoroughly. Tonight the king wore a simple raiment of a white t-shirt and jeans. His sneakers which were slightly worn and showed signs of major use were nevertheless clean as though he prized his footwear above all else. Over his garb he donned a vintage bomber jacket emblazoned with the embroidery of a fearsome Behemoth on the back. His hands were thrust into their pockets as he stared up ahead, but even more so, the clean-shaven and handsome face of the King of Lucis was drawn into a blissful and boyish smile as if he didn’t possess a single worry in the world.

If you were a complete stranger, you would have thought nothing much of the company of the man who walked beside you; and yet, here you were, suddenly completely overwhelmed at the influential and prodigioius presence of this average-heighted man who appeared to vastly tower over you like the mighty king he truly was.

Gods, would Regis be proud if he could see his son right now.

You swallowed hard, suddenly finding yourself at a loss of what you wished to say. For what exactly was it that Noctis wish to speak with _you_ about?

“You know, it’s funny how fast time flies by,” Noctis said to break the silence as sensing your sudden nerves. “It never fails to amaze me how quickly my life has gone by so far, but then again, I guess you could say that is to be expected when you’re in slumber for ten years straight.” He gave a wry smile as he looked ahead, his hands continuing to fumble in his pockets as you both trekked forth. “But nonetheless, despite the state I was in while I slept, not truly knowing where I was and whether all I thought about was a dream or reality, still, as we walk in this very moment and even though I lost a good third of my life experiencing what it had to offer me as I pondered how to face the darkness, I can truly say one thing for certain.”

You swallowed hard again as you looked over at your liege. “O-Oh? And what is that?”

Noctis took a deep breath. “I’ve lived a good life. A troubled life and a life of burden, but at the very end of the day, it is a life that I would never take back for anything else.”

_Noctis…Oh Noctis…what exactly is on your mind?_

“It was a long time ago,” Noctis continued as he smiled again, his eyes drifting up to the starlit sky as a soft breeze coasted through the air. “I will never forget the specific words of my late father so many years ago. I was only three at the time, and how the brain of a kid could ever remember something so distinct is still beyond me. But I think the significance of the moment made me never want to forget. I even remember where I was, standing up near my dad’s throne as the sun beamed through the windows. My dad said this: ‘ _Listen well: A king cannot lead by standing still. A king pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back. That said, a king can accept nothing without first accepting himself_.’ Even for being so young, the words really stuck in my head, even if I had yet to understand what they meant.”

You inhaled deeply, and gods was it ever so true the words of the late King Regis and the weight they would bear for his son all these years later. But just as you were about to open your mouth to agree, Noctis continued.

“My old man then said next ‘ _Should he stand still, I ask you to stand by him and lend him a hand, as his friend and as his brother. Please, take care of my son._ ’ He actually wasn’t even talking to me and yet I remembered his words clear as day. For these words? Well, this was the very moment that I met Ignis for the first time.”

You gasped softly, and feeling a sudden shiver creep up through your spine as you hugged your jacket closer to you, you looked at Noctis and waited for him to carry on, not wanting to interrupt his train of thought.

“I didn’t realize the difference that having Specs around would make in my life. I remember being so happy as a kid until I sustained a major injury from a daemon attack that almost took my life. Afterwards I had become so withdrawn and so quiet. I felt lost in my own head, even as a kid. And while I was still curious about the way that the world worked, even still, I kept to myself, especially when I got to high school. And yet, there was Ignis the whole time. He basically never left my side for one second when he could help it. He was one of the only companions I had that I felt I could be myself around.” And Nocis inhaled deeply as though suddenly reliving his past. “I remember how he’d always try to read to me to keep me distracted, but gods did I hate books, hence why we mostly stuck to picture books. But with his company? It was something I was willing to sit through. Then there were many times where my own curiosity and mischievousness got the best of me and I found myself in precarious situations as a little kid. Specs was always there by my side to make sure I was ok.

“When I became a teenager, I fought with my dad to give me some privacy away from the Citadel. I hated how politics seemed to plague my life and I hated seeing how my dad’s worries over dealings with the Empire seemed to drain the life from him. I wanted to get away from it all and my dad set up for me an apartment where I could have my own privacy and focus on my studies. Somehow I didn’t like being there either because of how much everyone at the Citadel worried about me and how lonely I felt, me trying to focus on my studies and worrying about my dad’s health. Just like I did as a child, I would sneak out past the watchful guards late at night even though I had school the next day, and yet there was Specs, always by my side in what he would call ‘excursions’ through Insomnia. Boy, was there always hell to pay afterwards during all those years, whenever my dad and the court found out about what I was doing.”

You couldn’t help but smile, and yet there was part of you that felt a pang in your heart over all which you now were learning about the King of Insomnia. All this time, you would have never known how much Noctis had truly suffered, and for as you walked in solitude together on this Friday evening did you feel more sympathetic than ever to him, knowing more than anyone what it felt like to be alone.

“Y-Yeah?” You remarked. “And what exactly happened to you when you were caught?”

Noctis smirked for a second. “It wasn’t necessarily me that got in trouble. Because Ignis felt that he had the upmost responsibility to take care of me, he refused to leave my side. And so, whenever we were caught, he would take the blame for my actions, even though he was only doing me a favor by providing me with some sense of sanity by helping me escape the life I was trying to avoid. He was always doing things like that for me. And you know what he would say after he was punished and we both found ourselves ‘grounded’? He would say, ‘ _I was simply doing my job and I have no regrets_.’ And even to this day Ignis tells me the same thing every day as he greets me at the Citadel…”

You were speechless. Ignis’s self-sacrificial behavior never surprised you, and yet here you were once again, learning more of how the royal advisor put everyone else in his life before himself. “I…I had no idea he used to do that,” you murmured quietly as you looked down at your feet. “Ignis getting in trouble? It’s almost hard for me to imagine such. He really does go above and beyond to put others before himself, doesn’t he?”

Noctis inhaled profoundly, kicking at a stray stone upon the sidewalk but nevertheless grinning. “He sure as hell did. And that behavior of his didn’t just stop there. As my dad’s health got worse as I went to high school, life almost became too difficult for me to even focus. My apartment? Gods, I became a complete slob and Ignis spent a lot of his time cleaning up after the messes I made. When I didn’t feel like going to royal meetings? Ignis went in my stead, taking notes so I didn’t have to so I could focus on my schooling. And you know how amazing of a chef Iggy is? Well yeah…Ignis really only ever took up the art so he could keep me fed or otherwise I would starve. I couldn’t boil water for myself if I tried when I was a teen and I remember quite thoroughly destroying every pan in my apartment because I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. But yeah, cooking wasn’t something he did out of choice originally and it was actually somewhat of a burden along with all the other responsibilities that he had to uphold to in my stead. Although, that slowly started to change when we headed out on the road to Altissia but still, it was one more sacrifice of his time that Ignis was willing to make for me and the guys. Ironic though how this became a passion of his later on.”

“I…I would have never known that either,” you uttered breathlessly, a burning sensation now coursing down to your limbs. Astrals, would you have never guessed it, the upmost love and dedication that the tactician put into every culinary concoction he prepared, and swallowing hard you felt yourself on the verge of tears as the past of your lover was slowly unstitched just a little bit more. “And even now I see every day how much love he puts into taking care of me and you and everyone else.”

Noctis nodded. “You know, it’s really funny that you say that. Even though Specs hardly ever parted from my side, there were of course those moments where he wasn’t hanging around me. Those moments were far and few in between, even right up until that fateful day we left Insomnia to head out on my journey. But yeah, Ignis never really gave himself time for him and him alone to really take care of himself. And when he did? I have to say that it’s a mystery on how he spent his personal time. He never actually once would tell me what he would do. Was it practicing his martial arts and that’s how he became so agile as a fighter now? Was he studying the ways of foreign diplomacy to aid me when I rose to the throne? Was he sneaking away or sneaking in past the guards to spent time with a companion the guys and I knew nothing about?” And Noctis grinned playfully as he watched you blushed deeply at such a suggestive insinuation. “Hell, I will never know, but all in all, I know that for certain I have no idea what the hell I would have done if Ignis did not make all those personal sacrifices over these years to get me where I am right now. And I think you know for a fact that I mean more than one kind of sacrifice…”

And yet you continued to flush deeply, feeling suddenly flustered over the fact that there was a potentially secret part of Ignis’s life that no one knew nothing about and how over and over again this man continuously gave up his ‘life’ for the sake of those around him. But taking a deep breath and fiddling with your fingers as a chilly breeze blew through your hair and tousled your strands, you finally managed to find your words. “Noct…I…I just really don’t know what to say. I’m just really overwhelmed by all you are telling me right now. Gods, this is all so much and yet it means the world for me to learn. But just…just why are you telling me all of this? Why did you really want me to know all of this”

Noctis halted in his tracks, him suddenly lost in thought. You turned around to look at him, his mien rather serious as he ran a hand through his raven hair, and biting your lip, you could only wonder what was on his mind.

“I think you know why I am telling you this, Y/N…”

“I…I do?” You replied, almost bashfully.

Noctis took a few steps back towards your direction and placed a hand upon your shoulder. “I…I wish you could have seen it. I wish you could have seen the way Specs was in Altissia. You know how Iggy is. He is always so composed. Always so put together, as he has always been a man with the plan. And yet in our spare moments, he was nothing but a nervous wreck. He was so worried about you. He could think of and talk nothing of anything else but you. It killed me to see, my best friend who spent his whole life caring about others now suffering over the fact that he couldn’t take care of the one he loved the most.” And your breath caught in your throat as Noctis said this, but the King continued. “I had never seen anything like this in my life ever before to this extent. The man who was like a brother to me who had always given his heart and soul for those around him and yet never seemed to get anything in return. While I stood there in the hotel watching him pace back and forth after you got off the phone with him when you were in the hospital, I felt so guilty. I felt guilty over realizing how unappreciative I was in my youth over never really thanking him for all that he had done for me to get me to where I am now. I felt guilty that I wasn’t able to calm him down in his time of need like he used to do for me when I was sad as a kid. But I was guilty most of all because if it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have had to temporarily separate himself from the woman he loved so much.”

And now tears were streaming from your eyes as both of Noctis’s hands gently gripped upon your shoulders, and he too was watery in the eyes as he smiled at you. “Y/N, I really don’t think you truly realize what you’ve done for my best friend. Looking back, I feel like for Ignis’s whole life he was in search of something more than what he ever wished to express. He expressed his upmost allegiance to me and the Crown and always stood by my side. He swore to protect me and always walk by my side until the end of our days. And he would have gladly said that by fulfilling this duty he was fulfilling his purpose in life. And yet, despite how ignorant and selfish I was back then even I felt something wasn’t right. Even I knew that there was something missing in his life, despite him fulfilling his duty to me and Lucis, and it isn’t only until now in the present that I see it and he finally sees it too.”

You were choking for air now, you trembling in your shoes as you nipped at your lower lip and fought back your happy tears.

“A-And what did he finally see?” You whispered, although your heart told you you already knew the answer.

“It was you, Y/N,” Noctis said. “Six, it was you. This man I knew my whole life had turned a new leaf. How quickly I saw it, Y/N. He became a new man. He became a little less tense, a little more jovial, a little bit more hopeful. Whenever he would return to the Citadel after his road trips to work with you I could see the smile on his face and I would have been a fool to not notice how happy he was being around you whenever he could. Man, did I feel guilty whenever he and I had to go away to attend royal business, now that I really think about it.” And he paused, the King too seeming overwhelmed at it all. “But you, Y/N? You changed him. You changed Ignis for the better. He no longer is living to just save me like he used to. He isn’t just living to serve the people and the Crown and his duties and burdens that he carries with him every day. You know what he’s also living for? He’s living for himself for once in his life. And he’s living for you and he’s living for the life that he wants to have _with_ you forever until he end of his days. Ignis isn’t just working towards fostering the future for others, but his own.”

And Noctis was crying joyfully as he pulled you into his arms and embraced you like the brother you never had. “Y/N, I guess I’m now just at a loss of what to really say. I don’t know what I can say that will ever truly convey how grateful I am to you.” And he pulled back as he brushed away your own tears from your flushed cheeks. “But what I guess I am really trying to say is thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for loving Ignis with how the passion and love he so truly deserves in this troubled life he’s lived. And thank you for giving my brother the life he so deserves and for fulfilling that hunger in his heart and soul that he never thought he had…”

*****************

This Friday evening slowly rolled towards midnight, with laughter and jokes having been shared, games frolicked in friendly competition, and bellies full from the delectable and piquant multi-course meal of darkshells marinières, lasgna al forno, Crown City roast, and Kupoberry cheesecake, and you and your companions ended such a jovial night by camping out upon the living room floor. But much to your surprise, whether to the comfort that enveloped your friends in soft plush blankets as their heads lay upon fluffy pillows, or simply due to the exhaustion and exertion that their royal duties had lead them through doing the course of the week, all except you were fast asleep, the quite murmur of a Lil’ Malbuddy cartoon humming in the stillness of the night and the light cast from the tv emanating a soft, warming glow upon the visages of your handsome friends. And yet you lay there, heart swollen tenfold as the ponderings from your conversation with the King of Lucis coursed through your mind.

You slowly turned your head, your chest tightening at the sight of the man whose hand you held tightly within yours, your fingertips entwined between his as your wrist brushed against the soft leather of the cuff in which you gifted him as a sign of your eternal love. His hair was messily brushed over the angular features of his statuesque face, his emerald eyes shut softly and his chest rising and falling gently as he slumbered, and nibbling at your lip it was all you could do to refrain from shedding a tear on the behalf of his presence. Those beautifully parted lips that shed gentle breathes, the marks that marred deeply the wide bridge of his nose, his high cheeks, and his sculpted eyebrows, his countenance ever so peaceful as you slowly reached over to brush away a strand of hair that fell upon is forehead. Gods, were you blessed. Could you ever be so fortunate to be graced with such love and purity of heart and soul?

Noctis was right, for it was a blessing to have this man loyally stand by one’s side.

_Ignis…I love you…_

And so with a single tear of joy trickling down the side of your cheek, you venerated the splendor of the man who made a fool of death at the sacrifice of his own life to save the world, and although you never knew what tomorrow may bring, whatever dangers or mysteries may lay ahead, for this evening, for just one more single night as you pressed your lips to the mouth of Ignis Scientia did you relish in this solitary moment in the vast scheme of time and forget to worry of all else in this world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *It is dangerous stuff dabbling in the already established lore of a universe that isn't always the most clear cut, and yet, in this chapter I had fun with it. Creating the "Ruler or Yore" Aurora was a fun concept for me, and considering that we only know of 13 of the 113 past Kings of Lucis, I felt there was a ton of wiggle room to work from. If you read up on the Rulers of Yore, the Warrior is an actual king and yes, he did indeed lose his wife. I thought using his story would be a nice way to connect the theme of loss (especially in terms of the Reader) that we see throughout the story. 
> 
> *Mentioning the ties to Episode Prompto was a bit scary for me. Of the three episodes that were released, I only played his once and failed to collect the majority of the datalogs that described the experiments that were going on in Gralea. But considering that Verstael Besithia was bat-shit crazy, it would only make sense to me that perhaps he had other experiments and projects under way that no one else knew about. Also, before you get into the argument with me that "EPISODE PROMPTO COULDN'T HAPPEN BECAUSE OF EPISODE IGGY:VERSE 2," this is the way I look at it: while yes, Prompto certainly didn't get kidnapped and abused at Zegnautus, I think that once Noctis willingly disappeared into the Crystal after Ignis sacrificed his life, I think Prompto realized the direness of the situation and told the guys about his past so that they could take out another enemy on their own terms. This way, Prompto, the guys, as well as Aranea went to invade the Nif base and take out Besithia on their own will before the scientist could throw out more madness into the world. And so therefore, I think an "Episode Prompto" still occurred, but just not the way we see it in the original timeline.
> 
> *The conversation with Noctis at the end...*cries a little bit* Thank god for the existence of the "Parting Ways" dramatic prologue because without it I don't know how I would have written that sweet little end scene. 
> 
> *I don't know what it is, but Ignis learning over the course of time what he prefers and enjoys sexually gives me so much life, lol. The poor guy doesn't know what to do with himself when he's made a mess all over his sweet heart. *dies*


	23. Drumming Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two months. Almost exactly two whole months and I finally managed to pull through with an update. I am so sorry to those of you who have waited patiently for an update in the Reader's and Iggy's story. Even though I have written a one shot as well as a shorter novel in between, still, I feel terrible that I have not been able to get a new chapter to this tale out sooner. I have been struggling immensely with my creativity and focus, and while I have my general ideas of where I want everything to go from here on out until the end of the story, personal issues in my life with friends and family as well as work and anxiety, lack of being able to sleep and focus properly, as well as the scorching heat that has made it uncomfortable to sit and type for so long has made it a challenge for me to want to write at all. I hope you can all forgive me in leaving you hanging! 
> 
> With that being said, consider this chapter the "DLC" of our tale! The idea for the premise of this chapter has been in the works since March, and while I debated on whether or not incorporating such ideas was really relevant for the main plot, I wanted to throw in something fun before everyone's situation gets too chaotic. A lot is going to happen to the Reader and Company in the next few chapters, and so I think they all deserve a little break before that storm arrives. ;) Also, I wanted to include a chapter that could help me tie up some loose ends as well as further establish development with our Reader, so what better way to do so by writing this chapter. 
> 
> I am stoked to finally have been able to incorporate "Drumming Song" into this fic! Not only do I feel it's one of Florence's best songs but it truly captures the spirit of this chapter. You'll just have to see for yourself! ^_^
> 
> Also, I also apologize immensely for the ridiculous word count! >.< I did not anticipate having this chapter be so long! I hope you all can forgive me for this too, and thankfully this chapter has breaks of where you can pause at. 
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy Chapter 23: Drumming Song. Comments and feedback are always appreciated!
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie!

_As I move my feet towards your body_

_I can hear this beat it fills my head up_

_And gets louder and louder_

_It fills my head up and gets louder and louder_

 

_There's a drumming noise inside my head_

_That starts when you're around_

_I swear that you could hear it_

_I _t makes such an almighty sound__

 

_Louder than sirens_

_Louder than bells_

_Sweeter than heaven A_

_nd hotter than hell_

_\- Florence and the Machine – “Drumming Song”_

 “Ok…just one…more…turn…and…DONE! Wew!” You brushed away the droplets of sweat from the side of your temples, cursing in your head for only a moment that the summer-like heat continued to remain this relentless this late within the fall season. Still, wanting to remain nothing but positive on a day such as this, your shift soon to be coming to an end on this sultry but gorgeous afternoon, you smiled as a soft breeze tousled through your sweaty locks of hair. Leaning forward you inspected the work you had just completed, checking various valves and pipes that lead to one of the newly renovated restaurants in a district not far from where Noctis and Prompto once attended high school. With everything appearing to be in working order, you stood up and cracked your back, removed your tablet out from your pack, and began to check the EXINERIS application to make sure that you didn’t miss any of your stops for the afternoon.

You eyed up today’s route, squinting suspiciously and checking your watch in the process. _That went too smoothly today, not that I’m going to complain_ , you mused to yourself. It was approximately twenty minutes before your shift was to end, and while you never wanted to take advantage of leaving early, especially it being a Friday afternoon and always wanting to set a positive example for your fellow EXINERIS girls that looked up to you as their manager, your report on your tablet verified that your obligatory itinerary for the day had thus been completed.

“Too smoothly,” you said out loud this time, smiling wryly at yourself. “How the hell did I get through today without dealing with a single bump in the road…” You sighed, and it was true that your sudden paranoia was to be justified. Another two weeks passed, the burdens of the Anima Project ominously and perpetually looming over yours and your companion’s heads, and still there was not a single new finding on the mysterious application disinterred. Prompto, who had initially believed that it would only take a matter of days to uncrack the password that protected the important Niflheim files, was met with much grievance when it was discovered that there were various barriers of encryption that needed to be broken through before the algorithm to determine the password could even be discerned. Several phone calls had been exchanged between the courts of Noctis and Ravus to verify if anything else had been discovered in regards to this matter, and much to the Tenebraen king’s grief, his own team of technicians had yet to find anything of relevance in the whole manner that could lead to the uncracking of the Anima Project’s code.

“I am ashamed to call myself a king,” Ravus said pitifully one evening as you and Ignis chatted with him over speaker phone. “And to think of how thorough King Noctis, Mr. Scientia, and I thought we were in eradicating the afflictions of what remained behind of the Niflheim Empire. How could this valuable erudition have lain hidden so discretely like this, right in the middle of the Lucian Empire? This tragically leads me to believe that I have not been diligent enough in our own pursuits for truth and reconciliation.”

Ignis frowned as he cast his glance at you from across the coffee table, and you too could not help but feel perturbed by Ravus’s distress. “Ravus, in all fairness, you do realize how massively large the Niflheim Empire was, right? The size of Gralea and Zegnautus Keep alone are enough to make anyone’s skin crawl,” you commented. You suddenly thought back way to the beginnings of your discourses with the tactician, remembering how Ignis and Noctis had arrived at Wiz’s Chocobo Resort covered in bruises upon their flesh after their undertaking with Ravus in the Niflheim capital. “I know how much work you all have put into restoring the land and making it safe again for your people, but you need to give yourself some credit. There is only so much that you can do at any given time. Gods, it’s miraculous that you managed to accomplish all that you have been able to thus far, considering everything that’s on your mind.”

Ravus sighed heavily. “As if I need to remind myself of my other personal failure,” he continued, and you raised your eyebrow at Ignis as the king spoke. “I would have never imagined in all my years of military practice and with having the Commodore assisting me that I would allow that carrier to continuously slip through my grasp. I am more than ashamed to know that we have yet to find its location. The fate and safety of Lucians lies within my hands and I am once again letting the King down like all those years ago…”

You opened your mouth to speak, feeling utterly astonished at Ravus’s harsh words, but it was Ignis who spoke in your stead. “Ravus, surely you have mistaken Y/N’s meaning. I do not think that it is the carrier that she was referring to but something of a much more pressing matter that weighs upon your heart.”

Ravus was silent for a moment before you heard him inhale sharply and respond. “Astrals, my apologies,” he replied, sounding rather flustered. “Why yes. Yes, you meant my wife.” The mention of the queen suddenly seemed to thaw the layer of tension that encumbered Ravus, and you could tell by the sudden change in his breathing that he was smiling. “Yes, she has most certainly been a constant worry for me. She does well and the child continues to grow healthily, and despite the sickness that afflicts her, my wife has not been more radiant and joyful in her whole life. This is all the more reason why we need to put a stop to the Empire’s menaces at once. Y/N, I know you have spoken most recently with her, yet she still insists that you visit her as promptly as you can. She is most looking forward to you seeing the nursery and hopes you approve of her design choice for the child’s quarters.”

Immediately your cheeks turned crimson, still not understanding yet fully appreciating the fact that the Queen of Tenebrae took such an immense liking to you and sought your companionship. You swallowed, noticing Ignis smiling at you, before you spoke. “Believe me Ravus, I am looking forward to seeing you and her soon too. Like you said, once this all dies down and life gets a little bit more peaceful, we will be out to see you both as soon as we can.”

Ignis smiled proudly as he took note of your word choice of “we” and added to your thoughts. “In the meantime, you take diligent care of your spouse and we shall put in our dues here at the Crown. We too will keep our eyes to the sky while we set forth our efforts on the Anima Project.”

And yet, despite searching through the files of the previously found carriers and the courses that had originally been set for each, the fifth carrier’s coordinates remained an absolute enigma. At times you found yourself casting your eyes to the sky and wondering if the dreaded aircraft would drop on your head at any moment.

Not that it was futile to stress over such pressing matters, but during the course of the next two weeks you were quick to realize that your energies were better directed forth elsewhere. Spurred on by Noctis’s incessant drive to master the Hammer of the Seeker, you having stopped by the training room to watch the King train with his Shield to master the hefty weapon, several evenings after your shifts at EXINERIS lead you to the training room for your own personal betterment. Having no need to fear the presence of Ferox the Glaive looming over your shoulder anymore (he was still being punished for his behavior, much to your sinfully gleeful delight), several of your nights were spent training with Libertus while Ignis partook in meetings regarding foreign affairs or other miscellaneous matters. The Glaive was more than delighted to help you better master your skills in wielding daggers, and as a treat he showed you how to flourish his own specialty axes and the kukris, the favorite weapon once brandished by his long-departed friend.

“You know you’re getting pretty damn good at this,” Libertus said, huffing and puffing as he got to his feet. Somehow you managed to give the Glaive a run for his money, catching him off guard for just long enough to knock him onto the ground. “You know, I’d have to say that I think with some extra training, you’d be more than capable of joining the Kingsglaive.”

You raised an eyebrow to this, a soft laugh escaping your lips as you shook your head. “You flatter me too much, you know that, Libertus,” you replied with a toothy grin. “Even if I myself thought I was capable of being part of such, still, I don’t think I’m cut out for the rigor and regiment you guys go through with training each day.”

Libertus laughed heartily as he began to toss his ax at the practice dummy across the room. “Rigor? You want to talk about rigor? Did you forget how you took out a Jormungand just a few weeks ago? You killed something most grown men have never seen! Hell, I had never seen one! Give yourself some credit here!”

“W-Well y-yeah, but only with your help!” You stuttered bashfully, blushing deeply at his compliment. “You helped me out in that, not to mention that I think my timing in all of that was partially due to luck.”

“Luck? Luck my ass!” He chimed back. “Y/N, I have not been a stranger to all the stories I’ve heard about the nasty stuff you’ve taken down. Malboros, Coeurls, Behemoths…not to mention magitek assassins? It’s admirable, Y/N, and I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that your efforts inspire me to become a better soldier. I think you do that for a lot of the Glaives…”

You stopped your arm right before you attempted to throw a dagger. “R-Really?” You stammered, your words almost hushed. “I…I inspire you guys?”

“You bet your ass you do. Luca, Yura, Miles, Nelly, Sada…you inspire us all. Knowing where you came from, what you aspired to do with your life. Well, let me just say that you’ve helped a lot of us realize that there is too much in our lives to take for granted, especially with everything once again becoming a more pressing matter with the new Nif files lingering over our heads. Really, Y/N. Thank you for what you do. And,” and Libertus paused, seeming to choke on his words as he took a few steps closer and put his hand on your shoulder. “I know that if my best friends were alive today, they too would be proud of you and continue to aspire for greatness.”

You held back your tears, and in this solitary moment, you realized more than ever how much you had at stake to lose if you didn’t keep pushing forth and forever remaining strong.

Which of course was all the more reason why, as you stood beneath the blazing sun of the afternoon with your tablet in hand and the sweat trickling down your temples, that you still couldn’t help but be put off by the current sense of calm that proceeded during these last two weeks.

_Ignis, everyone, I just hope that I can remain brave and strong for you all. I never want to let any of you down…ever.._

“Hello,” said a tiny voice from behind you, and finding yourself startled at the sudden disturbance in your train of thought, you turned around to see who it was that spoke to you. Immediately a smile spread over your lips, there standing before you and beaming up at you with eyes as wide of that of a baby Chocobo’s the little girl whom you encountered on the job only weeks ago. Her hair was once again braided, her little pink shoes scuffing into the pavement as her inquisitive eyes stared up at you.

“Well hello there!” You replied to her blithely with a smile in your voice. Setting your tablet down into your bag, you walked over to and knelt down to be at eye level with the child. “I remember you! And how are you doing today?”

“You…you remember me?” She said excitedly, her cheeks rubifying and her little teeth flashing in the sunlight as she smiled at you. “The EXERBITIS lady remembered me! I’m so happy!”

You laughed at her miss pronunciation. “Well of course I remember you,” you said brightly. “I try not to forget the faces of people I meet! Although as excited I am to see you again,” and you paused, surveying the streets, “I would like to know where your mother is. What are you doing here all by yourself?”

That motherly instinct of yours that had been rearing its head quite often as of late now made its appearance once again, and truth be told, casting your glance around the adjacent sidewalks there was no sight of her mother, causing you to worry.

“I just got out of pre-school today and mommy went to drive me to the park! B-But she drove past you and I was so excited and when we got to the park I wanted to come see you and say hello again!”

You tried not to laugh at her earnestness but failed to hide your humor. “Well that’s very sweet of you and all but you probably have your mom worried sick now! You shouldn’t be running off like that! Is the park the one that’s nearby?”

“Uh huuuuhhhh,” she said, nodding anxiously as he bit her thumb.

You sighed, feeling glad that it would not take too much effort for you to locate her mother. But before you spoke to the little girl, you suddenly took note of the small piece of paper that was rather crumpled in her hand as if she had been hanging onto it for dear life.

“Oh? Now what is it that you have there in your hands?”

Suddenly the little girl lifted her hand and bit her thumb again, her free hand nervously holding onto the piece of paper. She was blushing, and casting her eyes to the ground she slowly extended her hand towards you. You took the sheet from her hand, noticing how it was messily folded, and adjusting yourself on your knee you opened the parchment to its full size. Instantly you gasped, a warmth clenching at your heart as you took note of what was drawn on the paper.

Although fabricated in the primitive manner of a child, it was no challenging task distinguishing that the subject of her drawing was you. She had captured your hair and eye color just perfectly and you couldn’t help but notice the way she scribbled the detailing on your thermal suit.

“Goodness…” You said, finding yourself in disbelief. “Is this…is this me?”

“Uh huuuuuh,” she said, smiling broadly but hiding her face by staring down at the sidewalk.

“Why, it’s absolutely lovely!” You said, your smile beaming. “Thank you so much! But whatever reason did you draw this for?”

“I…I…I wanted to say thank you again for giving me light back to my home but I didn’t know how to do so. I like to draw during recess and I’ve been carrying this around hoping I could see you again and I wanted to show you how much I love EXINERFIS by making you all pretty.”

Your heart tightened in your breast, and as this adorable little child ogled you with all the veneration in her eyes, you had to refrain from breaking into happy tears.

“It’s so beautiful,” you repeated, taking her little hand and squeezing it. “I will cherish this forever and I can’t wait to show my friends how talented you are.”

Her eyes lit up at your statement. “Is the KING your friend? Can you show the drawing to the King for me?!”

You laughed gaily. “Of course I will. I promise I’ll show him, just for you.”

She was squealing beyond delight now, her cheeks pink and her freckles more apparent, and once again, just once more that little fantasy of you and Ignis popped into your mind, causing you to blush yourself. But before you could further get lost in your quixotic thoughts a sudden voice caused you to jump with alarm.

“Oh thank goodness you found her! I was worried sick about you, sweetie!”

You looked up to see the little girl’s mother approaching you quickly, the woman’s handbag swaying at her side and her sleek bun slowly coming undone. As the mother reached you, she swiftly took her daughter’s hand in hers as she panted all the while for loss of breath. “Thank goodness. Thank you so much for finding her, miss,” she said breathlessly. “My daughter has this terrible tendency to run off when she shouldn’t and by the time I looked up from checking a message from my husband she was off. Her adventurous soul is going to get her in trouble one of these days, especially how she tends to talk to strangers!” The mother paused and grimaced down at her daughter in the most reprimanding of ways, and yet the child’s gaze was too fixated on you to even care that she was being scolded in front of a stranger. Mom continued. “Really though, thank you for finding her. She seems to have taken a huge liking to you for whatever reason. Ever since she saw you that first day she has been nothing but elated over having met an EXINERIS employee and she says she wants to grow up and work for the company one day, just like you do. I hate to be one who stints my child’s dreams but the thought of her doing so makes me anxious because I am aware that what you ladies do is dangerous work. My daughter here? Six, she has such an bold spirit and that scares the living daylights out of me and I doubt that she is afraid of anything.”

You couldn’t help but smile warmly at this, once again feeling flattered that this child who didn’t even know you admired you so much. All the while as her mother talked, the little girl’s eyes never left yours, and for a brief instant you could have sworn that you were staring down at a much younger version of yourself.

“I can assure that I am happy I found her too to know that she is safe,” you replied. “I have to say though that she reminds me of how I was when I was little. The amount of times my mother would yell at me for running off into the streets to playfight with my friends was endless. I was kind of a wild child when I was her age too.” The little girl beamed as you said this. “And you never know,” you continued. “Who knows what she will become when she grows up. With her kind of spirit the possibilities are endless.”

“Do YOU have children?” The little girl interjected as she squeezed her mother’s hand. “Do you want to have a little kid, just like me one day?”

Instantly you felt for loss of breath and gods did your face almost instantaneously burn with embarrassment, the suddenness of her question startling you and making it almost impossible for you to speak. Had she been reading your mind just before?

“Goodness honey! That’s not the type of question you ask a woman! That is very personal information!” The mother scolded. “Shiva’s grace, I’m sorry, miss! My daughter sometimes doesn’t have a filter on her mouth and says whatever she is thinking. I hope that she did not embarrass or offend you in the sightless. I don’t think she sometimes understands how that whole… ‘idea’ works.”

You tried to gather your thoughts, praying to the gods that the heat from the afternoon sun was enough to hide the flush of your face. “I-It’s ok,” you said shakily, smiling as you looked from mother to child. “She’s a curious kid, just like I was. I-I don’t mind at all her asking questions!”

“So are you gonna have a baby someday?” The little girl repeated, once more leaving you flustered. “Will you have one any time _soon_?”

“Goodness, honey!” The mother shrieked. “Don’t ask her those questions!”

“Is everything alright, Y/N?” Asked an overly flush and articulated voice as it approached you from behind, and with your heart suddenly drubbing madly in your chest you turned around to see Ignis approaching you, him most likely having heard the mother’s reprimanding tone from afar.

You quickly glanced down at your watch, taking note that it was now three o’clock, the official ending time of your shift for the remainder of the week. _Dear gods, how could I forget! Ignis insisted on taking me to work today and was going to pick me up from here! And now he’s going to see me all a mess!_

You swallowed hard and smiled as he approached, hoping he did not take note of how utterly flustered you were or perhaps overhear the little girl’s inquiry. “H-Hi Ignis, yes, everything is j-just fine! Just having a conversation here with one of the locals!”

The mother’s eyes quickly darted between you and the tactician, the woman quickly analyzing the way Ignis approached you with a swagger in his step and a soft smile on his face. The little girl’s eyes lit up instantly as she stared up at Ignis, his frame towering over hers, and just as the child was about to open her mouth to speak the mother squeezed her child’s hand.

“Thank you again miss for helping find my child! Honey, we need to head off now, ok? Daddy gets off work soon and he wants to take you out to dinner!”

“B-But mommy-“

“No buts, child!” The mother blushed now, glancing at both you and Ignis. “Maybe next time you can show the nice EXINERIS lady some pictures of your pets…”

And with one last glance from the child who beamed at you like she knew some unspoken secret, she and her mother were off and gone.

You could only stare in the direction they departed, your skin flushed as you once more became immersed in your daydreams. How was it possible that this little girl could get to you in such a manner?

 _But should I be surprised by how I feel right now?_ You asked yourself, realizing just how uncomfortably sweaty you were in your thermal suit and boots. _I…I don’t think anyone had ever asked me such questions before. But am I…am I ready to answer them for myself?_

Your skin prickled and your tummy turned in delightful little knots pondering the question, but before you could allow yourself to divulge too much more into your fantasies Ignis’s voice pulled you back to his attention.

“Darling, are you alright?” He repeated, grinning at you as he inspected your rubicund face. He hummed as he took note of your current state, and you felt your throat tighten at the way he crossed his arms over his chest. “You are looking a tad bit flushed right now. Did you remain well hydrated enough today?”

You blinked stupidly at him. _Shit, I think he’s picking up on something_ , you thought to yourself. Gulping, you smiled at him and nodded. “Y-Yeah, I’m just fine, Iggy. Although, I, er…maybe could go for a glass of water right now. Maybe I’m a bit lightheaded.” You paused to look past him, seeing that he had parked the Regalia not too far away. “Ok, maybe I _am_ dehydrated,” you fibbed. “I was so lost in conversation that I didn’t even hear you park. I almost completely forgot too that you were picking me up from work today.”

Ignis titled his head to look at you, the lopsided grin on his lips making you feel utterly weak in the knees. “My my, I’m _hurt_ now, dearest. And to think that I had even spent all that time this morning prepping your lunch for you too…”

You felt the tension ease from your shoulders, your state of chagrin over the child’s interrogation now subsided. Laughing heartily, you closed the gap between you and Ignis and stood on your tippy toes to kiss him. You smiled against his lips, the royal advisor’s instantly meetings yours with much enthusiasm, and your spine burned and tingled as he wrapped his hands around your waist and pulled you close to his frame. Gods, how many times had you kissed one another, but it was mostly the notion in this instant that Ignis could care less about the grit and grime that caked your suit and soiled his Crownsguard attire that made you swoon. Pulling away from his lips, you grinned up at him, blushing at the way he looked down at you.

“I do hope you know that I appreciate every damn thing you do for me, you know that?” You said to him, and his arms loosened around your waist to allow himself to take hold of your hand. Realizing how much you were looking forward to going home and washing up, you began to lead Ignis in the direction of the Regalia. “I just have a lot on my mind right now is all. I guess I lost track of time and talking with that little girl and her mom made me forget that I didn’t have to trek back to the plant on my own today.”

Ignis squeezed your hand in his, his gaze falling to the paper that was in your other hand. “It is most understandably acceptable of what burdens your mind, my dearest,” he said reassuringly, “especially given the nature of all that we are currently bombarded with on the ever-growing list of tasks that needs to be tackled. Although I must say before we divulge any further on that subject, I am most curious to what it is that you possess in your hand.”

You looked at him stupidly for a second, completely forgetting that you had been holding onto the drawing this whole time. “O-Oh, this!” You handed the sheet to Ignis who immediately unfolded it and smiled at what he saw. “I met that little girl while you were away in Altissia. She told me how happy she was that she and her family were able to move back home because we were able to restore power to her house. Apparently she drew this picture of me as a way of thanking me and the girls at the plant for helping give her life back. And,” And you sighed most appreciatively, “she also wanted to express her gratitude not just to me but to the King and the members of the Crown as well…”

Ignis’s smile broadened further, him stopping in his tracks as the two of you reached the Regalia, and you could not help but feel your heart swell with joy as you witnessed the rise and fall of his chest as he studied the little girl’s art. Unzipping your suit and removing your boots, you shimmied out of the garment and stuffed it into your bag that you had retrieved from the trunk of the Regalia; you certainly were not about to be responsible for dirtying the king’s car. Ignis’s eyes having only left the drawing for just a moment as he watched you strip down to a pair of shorts and a tank top that you wore underneath your, he titled his head and resumed looking at the portrait.

“For this child to have only known you for such a short duration, she certainly captured your best features from her young memory,” he remarked with a grin. “I do say let us hang this on the fridge when we get home or perhaps frame it for display upon the wall so that we can always cherish it. I’m sure Noctis himself will also be most honored to hear of the child’s indebtedness to our efforts.”

You laughed heartily at this, Ignis now handing the portrait back to you as he opened the door to the passenger’s side of the Regalia. You took a seat inside as he joined you in the driver’s seat, revved the engine of the vehicle to life, and began to trek back home. “Just like in elementary school when we’d hang our homework on the fridge,” you murmured with a hint of nostalgia in your tone. “Sometimes it’d be nice to just have a simple moment like how they used to be when we were young. Well,” and you paused, knowing how very busy and absorbed Ignis was involved in royal protocol as a child, “at least for me times back then were easy…”

Ignis looked away from the road for just a split second to observe the sudden seriousness of your expression as the Regalia made its way towards the Citadel. “Do share with me what’s on your mind, my love,” he implored softly as he reached for your hand and squeezed it. “You said that you have much on your mind. Tell me what ails you at this moment.”

For a second you were startled by the shift in his tenor and as always you found yourself impressed with his ability to read your mood so well. Relishing in the warmth of his hand, despite how hot the weather was today, you squeezed his hand back for reassurance. For a second your mind darted back to the little girl’s questions, but knowing that the ride back home perhaps was not the time and place to disclose your girlish curiosities, you chose to focus more on the larger and more dire worries on your mind. “It’s…It’s nothing bad,” you answered with a sigh. “This I really do promise you this time around. It’s nothing that I haven’t expressed to you at all during the duration of the last two weeks. I just feel a state of…helplessness? I know how frustrated Prompto is right now in trying to hack that file. It breaks my heart seeing how stressed he is, not tackling it like he thought he would. Hearing Ravus feel like he’s a failure just makes me sad too, and yet he is literally trying to balance the burden of becoming an expectant father and keeping his nation secure. What was it? Just last week alone you said we received two separate reports from Dave about a swarm of rabid Brutal Bees and a flock of Copperocs attacking campsites out in Cleigne. I see how everyone at the Citadel and even at the EXINERIS office are busting their butts to make sure that nothing goes wrong again within this city. We have that stash of mythril still stowed away in Cavaugh that we have to get and yet our resources are focused on restoring power back to the city at the moment. You said that the production of that new LC-X model had to get put on hold due to a malfunction on the assembly line. I know that all these things are expected. It’s a part of what restoration and growth is all about and that these things don’t always come easily. I don’t know Iggy…” And you exhaled deeply, smiling sadly at him, “I just want to make sure that I can do everything I can to help out in all of this. I want to get rid of all these burdens at once so we can truly live in peace again. I realize that I have to be patient though. I just feel silly that I’m not…”

Ignis was silent for a moment, his eyes focused on the road ahead as you neared the Citadel, and his grip on your hand had tightened during the duration of your rant. He finally spoke, him seeming to mull over in his head your words. “Do believe me when I say that not a moment goes by that I do not share your sentiments and apprehensions. It is unnerving indeed to ponder that despite all of our efforts, the fracas surely continue to endure. But I do hope you know, Y/N,” and he paused, taking his eyes off the road for just one second to give you the most reassuring glance that you could ever hope to receive, “that hope always remains. We are not alone in all of this. And not once shall I ever leave your side the moment your sense of hope falters. Believe in what we can achieve together. Believe in what Lady Lunafreya has guided you through all this time. But more importantly, for the sake of yourself, believe in yourself and the courage you possess in your heart. I shall be your unwavering reminder to ensure you don’t forget that…”

How was this man able to transform all of your worries into nothing? You could only gaze at him in silence for a moment, your cheeks flushed as you stared down at the drawing of you that sat in your lap, and perhaps that little girl also saw something in you that you had forgotten existed. “Ignis…Oh Ignis…thank you…” was all you could manage to say, and feeling a little bit of the weight lifted off of your shoulders, you finally managed to smile.

By now you had passed through the security gates to the Citadel, those same two guards blushing profusely as always every time you passed through, and Ignis geared the Regalia towards the parking garage. “Besides, my darling, not all hope has been lost this week. You did just mention your concerns about the production line for the LC-X model. I do have good news to relay in that this quandary has thus been resolved and that just this morning the model’s manufacture had been set forth to fruition. I do hope this alleviates at least one of your presentiments in that this shall take away some of the stress from your work load.”

“Oh?” You said excitedly, shifting in your seat. “Well jeese! That IS good news! I wasn’t expecting the technicians to resolve the issue so quickly like that. And you said that it’ll take…what, thirty-six hours to forty-eight hours to produce the new model, according to the blueprints?”

“Preciously,” Ignis confirmed as he pulled the Regalia to a park.

“Wow, I wasn’t anticipating such good news like that, Iggy,” you repeated, feeling a little bit better now. “So there is a chance that we might be able to stop at the factory on Sunday and check to see how it’s making out!”

“Er, in theory, yes,” Ignis began as his lips curved into a smile. He parked the Regalia right next to your vehicle and shut off the engine, “but, I would have to say someone equally qualified would have to assess the progress of its assembly.”

Ignis exited the Regalia and came around to open the door for you, but as you got out of the car, you scurried to your feet as you attempted to process his words. “Oh? Someone else? Well why? You know how much interest I have in this project and all! I wouldn’t mind one bit stopping by to see how it’s doing!”

“That’s not what I meant, my love,” Ignis replied, and you could not help but feel perplexed over the boyish grin plastered on his face that was so unlike his usual dignified poise and decorum of presence. “What I’m affirming is that you nor I will be around to do so.”

Now you were _really_ curious, but as he took several steps towards the exit of the parking garage, you felt your eyes go wide at the sudden dire need to slap yourself for how naïve you were. How long have you known this man and his companions and yet somehow, once again, you realized that you were being surprised.

You laughed as you trailed after him. “Ok, where are we going now, mister?” You asked as you exited the garage and made your way through the winding halls of the Citadel towards his apartment. “Oh wait, let me guess: you aren’t going to tell me?”

“I see you’ve finally caught on to my little game after all this time,” Ignis remarked playfully, casting you a grin. “And the reveal of that location shall remain classified until we are well on our way to our destination tomorrow morning.”

“You realize how totally unfair this is as always, right?” You added, shaking your head but realizing you could never be angry at the man. “If this WAS a game of who could outdo one another, I’d have lost ages ago. I don’t see how I can compete with you anymore.”

He raised his eyebrow to this, a rather devilish smirk crossing his lips for a brief moment. “Believe me darling when I say that you make up for your losses in more than one way.” He flashed a grin at you, and part of you suddenly melted as you took note of the way his hips swayed as he walked and his hands brushed his sides. Your loins tightened, understanding the sensual implication of his words. “Although if you are thinking of…’upping your game tonight’,” he continued, “you have only the slightest window to do so. Noctis shall be joining us this evening once he and Cor conclude today’s deliberations, as he too shall be joining us tomorrow for our escapades.”

“R-Really? Noctis too?” You replied excitedly as you neared the elevator and tried to keep your thoughts as pure as possible, and gods you had hardly realized that you had walked past the commotion of a Friday evening at the Citadel without having taken note of a single other soul. You had to laugh now though. “And Cor is totally ok with the King suddenly playing hooky to run away to this mystery place?”

Ignis smiled again as he pressed the buttons to open the elevator and ushered you inside. “Well, not just His Majesty shall be… ‘playing hooky.’ The rest of our compatriots shall be accompanying us as well tomorrow. Even Iris, Miss Aurum, as well as Gladio’s bride to be shall be joining our brigade.”

You were speechless once again and almost lost your balance as the elevator made its way upwards towards Ignis’s apartment. “Everyone? Oh gosh! How exciting! B-But Iggy, what about Cor though? And the council? They’re ok with-“

“Do not fret my darling,” Ignis said as he hushed you by placing a soft kiss upon your lips, and within the confinement of the elevator your head spun and your limbs went numb as his lips caressed your own. “My immediate reaction was the same as yours, but, upon deliberating the matters with the Marshall we have come to the conclusion that considering we are at such a stalemate of sorts and that tomorrow’s adventure shall be a rare occurrence, it would be best to give Noct and us as his companions a moment to relish in some leisure before we may have to face the worst. I can assure you that decision is already approved.” You swayed upon your feet, feeling the heat of Ignis’s leathered hands brushing over your hips, but before you could allow yourself to reply, Ignis continued. “Besides, my love: all in all His Majesty’s decisions outweigh all those suggested by the council. Noct has most been anticipating this event for far too long and surely he would not forgive anyone for allowing him to miss it.”

“Hmm, now that’s a hint,” you said curiously as he elevator came to a stop and you and Ignis stepped out. “Although with my tired brain I have no idea what that means, but I’m going to keep thinking about it. You have me dying with curiosity now.”

Ignis chuckled as he took his keys out of his pocket and inserted them into the front door. Turning the handle, he motioned you inside. You smiled up at him as you passed and immediately headed to the kitchen table where you sat down the portrait from the little girl. Taking in the sights of Ignis’s apartment that surely had become a second home to you, you let out a deep breath, feeling at ease in the comfort of his quarters. Peace. Quiet. Another long week down and erased from your slate, and with your heart palpitating with excitement you could only begin to wonder what was in store for you tomorrow around this time. You sighed, your eyelashes fluttering as some of your tension mitigated from your shoulders.

Suddenly the warmth of Ignis’s arms enveloped you from behind, and squealing with delight at the way he pulled you close against his frame, you angled your face upwards in attempts to look at him. A giggle escaped your lips as he pressed his mouth to your forehead, nose, and your parted lips, and like a chorus of drums your heart began to patter and slam in your chest at the way he nuzzled your face with his nose and his gloved hands splayed over the expanse of your belly. Your loins constricted at the way his fingers trailed over your stomach, and of all moments your conversation with the little girl popped directly into your mind.

_“So are you gonna have a baby someday? Will you have one any time soon?”_

You had to bite down on your lip to refrain from gasping as Ignis pressed you more closely to his body, and with his fingertips skimming along the lower curvature of your stomach and his nose brushing over your bare shoulders exposed by your tank top, it was all you could do to keep your senses stable as you focused your attention across the living room and out through the windows of his apartment.

 _Astrals, why do I keep thinking about this?_ You said to yourself, swallowing hard and sighing blissfully as Ignis’s hands trailed up your sides and brushed over your arms. _Of all times, with everything going on right now…Am I…am I ready for something that I’m not aware of?_

“Darling, you seem a tad tense right now,” Ignis murmured in your ear as he settled his hands upon your shoulders. “Are you certain everything is alright?”

Breathing in heavily you slowly turned around to face him. Despite the intimacy of his touches and by the slight flush of his cheeks from hearing your sighs of delight at his ministrations, his countenance was laced with nothing but the upmost concern for you. You smiled lopsidedly at him and nodded. “Y-Yeah, just tired I think. Not like today was an unreasonable workload or anything, but maybe the heat of the day is just starting to get to me.” You knew how much of a fib this truly was, but your coverup would have to suffice for now. You laughed softly, placing your hands upon his chest for reassurance. “I think a good night’s sleep will do me justice tonight though, considering you’re whisking me away on an adventure with everyone tomorrow.”

Ignis’s shoulder’s slackened with relief at your response, a smile of his own appearing on his face. “Yes, that would certainly do your health much justice, my dear. And trust me surely when I do say that you will need to reserve your strength and vigor for tomorrow’s festivities.” He studied your face, and placing his hand upon your chin, he angled your face upwards and kissed you. “Why don’t wash up now and cleanse yourself of the remnants of your work today, and I shall begin to prepare our supper as we wait for Noctis to arrive?”

“That sounds like a pretty good idea if you ask me,” you answered breathlessly. “You always have the best suggestions, you know that? I…I promise I’ll try to make it quick so I can join you in cooking, ok?”

Ignis kissed you sweetly once more, brushing his hand over your cheek that surely was covered it dirt from your toils today. “No need to hurry, my love. Take all the time you need.”

Smiling at him, you turned and padded down the hallway towards his bed room where you rummaged through his closet and grabbed your pajamas. Retrieving a towel from the linen closet and heading into the bathroom, you shut the door behind you and immediately disrobed yourself of your soiled work attire ; just by letting the gritty clothes fall from your frame to the floor you felt worlds better having the raiment ridded from your shoulders. You stood there for a moment, staring blankly ahead at the shower, and with your eyes fluttering shut an inescapable sigh escaped your lips.

“It’s fine, Y/N. Everything is fine. Just…let yourself relax.”

But as you stepped into the shower and turned on the showerhead, allowing the scalding hot water to blast the top of your head and trickle down your back, you immediately found yourself failing miserably to combat the negative thoughts that had festered in your mind from just hours ago.

 _Everything is going to be alright_ , _Y/N_ , you told yourself. _Ignis is right. Ignis is always right, isn’t he? We aren’t alone in this. We all have each other, and this time we don’t have the Empire actively looming over our heads like they did all those years ago. I just have to remain calm. I have to have faith that everything is going to work out. We all worked too hard up to this point to let everything fail now. I need to have faith in myself…_

Another respire left your lips as you ran you fingers through your tangled, soaking wet hair, and leaning your head back towards the ceiling you allowed the water to freely splatter your aching shoulders and trickle down your bare breasts and belly. You bit your lip, wincing slightly to a slight pang in your back that you had only just become aware of after spending long hours bending over and standing up after your long shift. Perhaps that good night’s sleep would surely do you some good, and you most surely couldn’t afford to run yourself into the ground with tomorrow’s mystery festivities waiting for you.

You covered your face with your hands, once again attempting to shove the negative thoughts you possessed to the back of your mind. What would be the point of worrying excessively at this point if you were going to allow your thoughts to consume you? _No, I need to stop this. I’m not going to ruin tomorrow’s fun for everyone else. If something bad were to happen, surely I would be given a sign, wouldn’t I? Lady Lunafreya, you would tell me, right? You wouldn’t just let my friends be at risk. I know you wouldn’t…_

You found yourself clutching your breast, your fingers playfully carefully with the amethyst skull pendant that dangled over your clavicle, and you shut your eyes as you fingered the silver between your fingers. Your dreams. Even your dreams that had festered in your mind for months upon months had suddenly come to a halt, your sleep sessions being nothing but tranquil since Ignis had returned from Altissia. As you stroked the pendant between your fingers you wondered if perhaps the effect of what it was intended for in the first place finally kicked in.

_My dreams…yes, they’ve been peaceful. Not that I ever have enjoyed my nightmares but gods I was so used to having them to get a sense for something that was coming. But now? Gods, I feel so scared. That monster. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen it, and it’s all the odds or perhaps coincidence that we just happened to discover the Anima Project. I just don’t understand it. It doesn’t make any sense at all to me. Noctis said he’s not going to worry about this, so then why should I?_

You trembled, biting your lip as you grasped onto the soaking wet locks of hair that danged over your face, and trying to keep your breathing level, it was within this instant that of all things, of all moments, you mind refabricated a very distinct conversation with someone you had never met and could only be more than grateful to have never crossed paths with.

And so, as the steaming water continued to douse you in the face and chest, you shut your eyes tightly, grit your teeth, shut your eyes, and now envisioned yourself standing face to face with none other than the Imperial Chancellor himself.

“This is all your fault,” you said to him haughtily, and feeling rather bold at this sudden accusation at the Chancellor who had been dead for over a year now, you attempted to remain brave as you stood with feet square apart while he stared you down. “This all comes down to you, you know that? None of this mess would have ever existed had it not been for you!”

“Oh, is that so?” Ardyn Izunia lulled as he took a step closer to you, raising an eyebrow and smirking at you, and any confidence and valor you had possessed moments ago was already completely dissipated. “Do tell me why I am to blame for your sufferings, dear…”

“D-Don’t call me that!” You stammered, biting your lip as you attempted to remain defiant. “And don’t try to act like you are innocent in all of this. You know what you’ve done. None of our problems now would exist if it wasn’t for you. The fall of Insomnia and those people losing their homes. Lady Lunafreya losing her life and never getting a chance to be happy with Noctis. The darkness and all those damn daemons.” You gritted your teeth, grimacing at him. “The attack in Altissia. My parents losing their lives! None of this would have ever happened if it wasn’t for you! And even now that you’re dead we still have to deal with your shit in some shape or form! Why did you have to go and ruin everyone’s lives?”

Ardyn chuckled as he sauntered towards you, and suddenly you became overwhelmed at the sheer size and presence of the man who towered over you, making you feel insignificant as your body wavered slightly on your feet.

“Is this really what this is all about?” He drawled, smirking at you and tilting his head to study you. “Of all you could have fabricated in your mind you have chosen me. I feel this is a ploy to cast your blame forth upon someone else for a guilty conscience that you possess.”

Your lower lip was quivering as you stared up at him, and suddenly you became all too aware of the deep magenta of his hair and the scruffiness of his taut jaw that was drawn into a condescending smile.

“W-What do you mean? What the hell are you talking about?” You asked him. Suddenly you wanted to sob, and the realization that you stood before him naked and drenched and vulnerable made you terrified of his implication. “I have a guilty conscious over nothing!”

“Hmm, then perhaps it’s fear that you possess then, yes?” He inquired, sneering once more.

“I-I’m not afraid of you!” You defended, but gods with how you were quavering before him you surely were leading him on to believe otherwise. “You’re dead. You’re just my imagination right now. I’m not afraid of you and your convoluted words that you’re trying to throw at me!”

“Oh, not fearsome of me, per say,” the Chancellor remarked, and you gasping harshly, he suddenly gripped your chin with his hand, “but afraid of yourself. You after all brought me here yourself to reason with yourself, did you not?”

_No…no…not again…Not like this again. Don’t mess with my head!_

“I didn’t mean to…I didn’t want you here at all! B-But I-“

“You did this to yourself,” Ardyn quipped as he cupped your chin more tightly and angled your face up towards his. “Why _dearest_ … _darling_ …this is what happens when you let your fear consume you! This is what happens when you succumb to all that threatens your very sanity! Oh why would you ever let yourself become something so utterly weak and pathetic and allow yourself to reach this point, _dearest_?”

“P-Please, stop saying that! Please don’t call me that! I’m trying not to be afraid. I’m trying to be brave and strong! I-I-m not weak! I can do this!”

“But you are weak, my child,” Ardyn taunted as you became all but helpless to the way his hand grasped your face and brought you closer to him. “And what a shame you are indeed, Y/N. What would your dearest love ever think of you right now to see you falter like this? To envision me in your most vulnerable of moments, all wet and trembling and an utter mess before me. You’re supposed to protect the weak and innocent. You are supposed to lead by example. What shall your friends ever think of you right now, seeing you in such a state? What would that little girl think of you, knowing you stood before me in your tears and calling me forth to blame for your own cowardliness? You should be ever so _ashamed_ of yourself…”

And now he trailed his thumb over your lower lip, smiling at you ever so devilishly as he closed the gap between you, his other hand grabbing at your back and then yanking at your hair.

_Make him stop. I’m not weak. No, I am brave. I won’t back down._

“I am always going to keep fighting,” you uttered breathlessly. “I am not going to let that little girl down. I am not going to let Ignis or Noct or the boys or anyone else down. But more importantly I am not going to let _myself_ down. Ever.”

Ardyn raised his eyebrow, studying you with faint amusement as he gripped your naked form tightly within his grasp. “Oh, is that so? You shall not give up?” The Chancellor alleged, studying your face carefully. Slowly, a sinful and ghastly grin spread across his lips, a simper forming over those broad lips. “Then permit me to make a suggestion, my _dear_ …”

Your eyes widened with terror as he grabbed ahold of your face, his gloved hands engulfing your cheeks and pulling you closer, and with a pair of strong arms wrapping around your stomach and pulling you against his frame, a terrified and surprised scream left your lips as your eyes snapped open.

“Astrals, it’s me! It’s just me, Y/N,” gasped the voice of Ignis, and instantly your head spun and reeled and your flesh began to blaze at the sudden contact of the tactician standing directly behind you.

“Ignis, gods! You scared me!” You panted, and what surprised you more, you didn’t know: how the tension in your body ease itself from the intensity of your imaginary confrontation or the fact that Ignis who had declared was going to be prepping dinner was not doing what he said he would. “I didn’t even hear you come in here!” And this was true: you had been so lost in your discourse with the Chancellor that you had neither heard Ignis open the door to the bathroom, let alone pull back the curtains to hear him slip in behind you. “W-What are you doing in here? I thought you said that Noctis was going to be here soon and you wanted to get food ready?”

With his arms loosening around you to allow you to move, you slowly turned around to face him, and the sight before you made your heart instantly ache beyond compare and your limbs tingle and weaken. Ignis stared down at you, his hair sopping and plastered over the top of his head, and his chest was rising and falling softly as he gazed at you with the upmost concern. Finding yourself blushing, thankful that the water of the shower’s deluge had heated your skin and made your flesh pink, you stupidly and suddenly became all too aware that he too was naked, water droplets spraying onto the expanse of his scarred chest and rolling down his abdominals.

“Well, perhaps you could say that I had all but forgotten that Noctis literally can invite himself into my quarters at any given moment whenever he wishes, him after all being the master of the Citadel and having access to all anterooms,” Ignis began, a small smile forming at the corner of his lips. “Not to ever leave my liege waiting, of course, but I could not help but feel a sense of dire need to intrude on your privacy and see if you were alright. How did you not hear me enter?”

You stared up at him, Ignis’s curious and inquisitive eyes casting you the most adoring look imaginable. Feeling utterly embarrassed now, you placed your hands upon the planes of his pectorals, running your hands gently over the skin as you cast your eyes down to the floor of the shower, staring at both of your naked feet.

And perhaps a little bit at his softened shaft that hung between his wet thighs.

You swallowed hard, biting your lip and praying to the Astrals you weren’t about to make yourself sound like an ass. “I know you told me not to worry, but I sort of just got myself revved up again in my thoughts. I feel pretty stupid now. Stupid to the point where I stressed out so much that I pictured myself yelling at Ardyn and blaming him for my anxiety. Pretty dumb, huh?”

Ignis inhaled sharply, and flinching at the sound of his reaction to your confession, you continued to stare at the shower floor below you, watching the beads of water trickle in between your toes and down the drain. But with the strong hand of Ignis reaching under your chin and cupping it with his fingers, he lifted your face and once again you melted at the way he stared at you.

You could tell he was by no means upset, and yet there was a fire that burned in his eyes that you had only ever truly witnessed when he was engaged in training or battle. Opening your mouth to ask if _he_ was alright, immediately you were silenced with his wet lips pressing gently to yours and his hands cupping the sides of your face. Your eyes fluttered shut as his mouth danced over yours, and suddenly become incredibly hot over the notion that two bodies now shared one shower, you clutched onto his shoulders to steady yourself to his touches.

He pulled back to look at you, his brows drawn together in worriment, and Astrals there was nothing more lovely than the sight of his always tidied hair wet and splashed over his beautiful head. How your heart was pattering within your chest like a snare drummer drumming madly, and with his thumb brushing over your lower lip in the most tender of ways, he kissed you on the forehead and sighed.

“ _Never_ my love, never ever shall you fear him. Never in a millennia if the gods curse us with the atrocity of his existence once again would I ever allow him to lay a single finger upon you.” Ignis kissed you again, causing you to whimper as his teeth gently grazed over your lower lip. “I promise you that. I shall do everything in my power to ensure that you never have to fear such. I want to help you nurture that confidence within you to brave and face your fears head on. I won’t let you falter ever.”

 _“What would your dearest love ever think of you right now to see you falter like this?_ Ardyn had said to you.

_No…you’re wrong Ardyn. You’re wrong. I’m going to be strong. Iggy wants me to be strong and I’m never going to back down._

“I am brave, Ignis, I promise,” you murmured breathlessly as you smiled at him, your hands gripping onto his shoulders for dear life. “I promise to let my fears go. I’m going to believe in myself.”

“Then let me always remind you of what a courageous woman you are. I’ll never leave your side…”

Ignis pressed his mouth to yours once more, his hands cupping your cheeks and his body pressing into you, and suddenly gasping for air you found yourself trembling immensely within the confines of the steamy shower. You clutched onto his shoulders, pulling your lips away from him and staring up at him, feeling very flustered over how his length which was semi-hard now pressed against your belly.

“Ignis, you’re….you’re too good to me, you know that?” You remarked quietly as your fingertips began to dance over his chest. “You always find the right things to say when I need to hear reassurance the most. Thank you…thank you as always…”

Ignis sighed softly, his eyes fluttering for a moment as your hands brushed over his belly and touched the scaring on his tummy. Gazing down at you he brushed away a strand of wet hair from your face. “And if I could only do more for you, I would, my love. It distresses me to see you this way. If I could make you forget all that plagues you this very instant then I would be the happiest man alive in existence…”

The dark and playful part of your mind sprung to life at the implication of his words, and nibbling your lower lip your finger tips began to quiver excitedly as his length hardened further. You looked up at him again, seeing how suddenly very flustered he was to your touches, and your heart strings sprung immensely at the way he remained so composed and concerned for your sake. However, by the way his nostrils flared and by the bob of his Adam’s apple in his throat, your gentle ministrations surely were starting to get the best of him.

You smiled bashfully, mulling over his words in your head. “You…you know…I bet I could think of one way right now that you could help me forget what’s bothering me…”

Ignis’s breathing hitched, his abdominals shifting under his flesh, and once again he cupped the sides of your face, his composure finally at its breaking point. “Darling, are you sure though? Are you sure you’re feeling up for that this moment? I don’t want to press you at all but-“

“Iggy, don’t be silly,” you murmured breathlessly as your hands covered his own. “I want you. I want you _always_. Every moment and hour and damn second of the day. I love you…”

Ignis groaned, passionately capturing your lips with his own once again, and shifting within the shower his body pressed yours up against the wall. “Astrals, how I love you too, Y/N,” he breathed, his hands trailing down from your cheeks to your throat and breasts and to grip upon your waist. “And how much I want you too, forever and always.”

You whimpered as Ignis reached under your thigh and lifted your leg to wrap around his waist, and with careful and deliberate movements, he wasted no time in reaching down with his other hand to begin sensually moving his fingertips over your bud. You gasped loudly and threw your head back against the shower wall, the feel of his fingers tickling the bundle of nerves as he gently dipped them into your heat, causing you to shudder as you gripped onto him for dear life. With your one hand gripping his shoulder for support, your other hand immediately reached down to grasp at his length that was pressed up against your belly, the shaft erect and dripping as water cascaded down its length. The tactician immediately hissed and groaned as you began to stroke up and down the flesh, and staring intently into each other’s eyes you already became lost to the sensations that coursed through your blood stream.

“Oh Astrals, goodness…” Ignis choked, his chest panting and heaving as you pumped your hand up and down smoothly. With your loins contracting at the sound of the delightful moans that tumbled out of his mouth and with the depth within your heat he was reaching with his skilled fingers, you could hardly keep your senses about you as the incalescence from the shower made your head spin and your body sweat with insurmountable desire.

“Iggy…Iggy…” You breathed, your head reclined against the shower wall as you watched the water trickle down your breasts. He touches felt so good, and as much as you were ready and willing to climax, you wanted to prolong your euphoria for as long as you could. You tugged at his length, the heated flesh hard as stone within your hand, and licking your lips you realized you couldn’t bare being parted from the shaft that you wished to have inside of you. “Ignis, I need you now. Please. I can’t wait any longer…”

“A-Are you sure, love?” Ignis attempted to say. “Are you ready for me already?”

At this you laughed softly through your moans, knowing how much Ignis valued prolonging foreplay for as long as possible as to not hurt you. But even more so, through the loud sloshing of your wetness between your legs as Ignis pumped his finger in and out of you, surely by now he could tell on his own how badly you needed him this instant.

“Yes Ignis…yes…”

Groaning deeply, the royal advisor lowered your leg and latched onto your waist with both hands, turning you around so that you were facing the wall of the shower. Immediately you braced your hands upon the slippery walls, spreading your legs far apart and readying yourself for his intrusion. Ignis’s hands trailed down your waist and hips and brushed over your buttocks, his breathing heavy and labored with trepidation, and placing one hand back onto your hip you felt him grasp at his shaft with the other, the tip of it brushing against your wet folds.

“Ignis, please, please don’t tease me any longer…”

The tactician growled softly at your request, and pressing the head of his shaft against your entrance, you gasped loudly and threw back your head as in one painfully slow motion Ignis sheathed himself deep inside of you and began a slow and steady rhythm. Instantly you began crying out and whimpering as he moved inside of you, his girth stretching you wholly and his length thrusting deeply into your depths. All the while Ignis held onto you possessively, and shifting himself more closely to you, you found yourself pressed tightly against the wall as Ignis leaned down and began kissing the back of your neck.

You couldn’t speak nor hardly breath, and by now the bathroom had become so steamy and unbearably torrid that you could hardly see anything around you. But as your nails scraped down the walls of the shower and your head was thrown back in complete and utter ecstasy, nothing to you sounded more delightful than the slapping of wet flesh resounding and reverberating against the tiles in the bathroom like a chorus of drums in perfect synchronization, Ignis’s moans only getting louder and louder as your cries sent him into a frenzy.

_Sweeter than heaven and hotter than hell…_

You were ever so hot, ever so euphoric. How heavenly it felt to feel Ignis hit depths you repeatedly forgot were possible as you struggled to keep yourself steady and upright on the slippery shower floor, but graceful and stable as always Ignis held you in place as he pounded into you and kissed your neck and shoulders and moaned against your skin.

“Ignis…Ignis…” You pleaded, your lips drawn into a smile of pure felicity, and gasping you felt Ignis’s left hand leave your hip to grip gently at your breast and massage the soft mound.

“Astrals, Y/N,” he breathed in your ear, seeming utterly lost in his own mind as he kissed and nibbled your ear while playing with your breast. He could hardy formulate words as the pounding from his love making resonated more loudly and deafened you to all else, but out of nowhere Ignis let go of you and pulled forth his length from your passage.

You whined in protest, wanting to sob at the loss of his intrusion when all of a sudden you were spun around, Ignis’s lips immediately crashing to yours and kissing you hungrily while he gripped at your cheeks. You cried against his mouth, the feel of his slippery and slick length poking and prodding at your stomach again, and reaching down you gripped desperately at the heated flesh within your tiny hand.

But Ignis once more took you by surprise when he grasped your hand and placed it upon his shoulder, and with Ignis spreading his legs and leaning down, he grabbed a hold of you from under your thighs, lifted you into the air, and pressed you against the shower wall. You gasped, his wet mouth exploring your lips and throat and shoulders and his mouth angling downwards to capture your nipples, and tugging at his hair you could hardly stand the feel of his length rubbing against your bud in the most teasing of manners.

“Ignis, please…please…” You begged, your body shaking against his as his mouth nipped at your throat and his teeth grazed along your clavicle.

Your pleas did not go unheard for much longer, as with the strength he possessed that never failed to impress you, Ignis removed one arm from under your leg while retaining a firm hold upon you, grasped his shaft, lined the head up directly to your entrance, and penetrated past your folds. You screamed, his girth stretching you wholly, and instantly you wrapped your legs tightly around his waist to stabilize yourself within his hold. Ignis kissed you fervently and softly and brushed his nose against yours, and swallowing hard you nodded to him, your eyes pleading with him to make you feel heavenly once more. Within an instant he began a deliciously relentless assault into the depths of your chasm, your loins twisting and turning and gripping and tugging at his length as you buried your face into his shoulder to stifle your cries. He pressed his mouth to the side of your neck and bit down gently as he growled and groaned, your tiny frame bouncing up and down his shaft as his ministrations sent you into the Astral realm.

Gods, you could hardly breathe. You could hardly find the strength within you to hold onto him anymore, your limbs limp like melted rubber and your lungs endeavoring to find air. With your nails scraping down Ignis’s biceps you lifted your head, unable to hide your pleasure from your lover anymore.

Louder. Louder. Faster and faster he moved to the rhythm that brought you to your peak.

“I-Ignis, I’m…I’m…” You couldn’t last any longer. You were crying and sobbing with delectation as your loins throbbed and pulsated around his length, your body quivering and convulsing as you reached your climax. With your head falling to his shoulder to muffle your cries and your spine burning and numbing as he held you tightly, his pace never faltered with each accentuated and articulated thrust as you rode out your climax.

Ignis was only spurred on more by your whimpers and moans, as he too appeared as though he could no longer keep a hold of himself. Plunging into you more harshly, his breathing became extremely erratic and uneven as the sound of wet slapping skin echoed around the bathroom.

“Astrals, Y/N, I can’t…I can’t…”

Ignis was now lost to his own words, his head falling back towards the ceiling. His abdominal muscles flexed and his thighs twitched, and your eyes went wide as he let out a emphatic whimper, his teeth gritting as his shaft began to pulsate inside of you. You sobbed with joy as his hot seed spurted inside of you, the fluid coiling into your depths and filling you whole, and your walls continued twitching and throbbing as your passage took in every drop. You called out his name over and over again as he nudged your face upwards and placed his mouth to your throat, and kissing your neck he feebly pumped inside of you as he climax finally subsided.

You were breathing arduously, your vision foggy and spinning as you felt yourself suffocated by the heat of the balmy lavatory. Holding onto Ignis for dear life your head fell onto his shoulder as his seed slowly seeped out of your passage and was washed away by the shower. You kissed the musculature of his shoulder, attempting to steady your inhalations as your mouth moved over his wet skin, but feeling his fingers reach under your chin and lift your face, you once more lost all breath at the sight of him staring at you amorously.

“I love you to the end of this world and back,” Ignis choked through hushed words, his confession muted by the pattering of water splashing against your weary bodies. Nothing felt more enthralling than the way your breasts pressed against his chest that rose and fell as he tried to steady his own breathing. “Gods, how I love you. But I…I didn’t get out of hand there, did I? I didn’t hurt you at all, did I my love?”

You laughed weakly, shaking your head as you angled your face towards him and kissed him sweetly. “You always ask me that, you know that?” You said with bated breath and a smile on your face, “and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing it…”

Ignis chucked softly, seeming relieved at your humor. “And I shall never tire of asking you such. Your well being is always my first priority.” He grinned rather lopsidedly now, the sight of his wet hair clinging to his head and his scared cheeks rosy and flushed making your heart clench. “Did I…succeed in making you forget what ailed you?”

You blushed deeply, nibbling your lower lip as you fought with your laughter, and kissing him softly on the lips you smiled. “Now _that’s_ a silly question. I think you should know that answer if I didn’t make it obvious. I basically forgot what was stressing me out the moment you walked in here.”

“Hmm...then I suppose we should leave this conversation at that, lest we want to remind you,” Ignis remarked as he somehow miraculously managed to hold you within his grasp this entire time. “Although I must say, as much as I wish to forever remain within this lavatory and never let you out of my hands, I must regrettably should prepare myself for Noct’s arrival, unless we want him to become suspicious that we are both currently missing in action…but maybe….” And he paused, kissing your throat, and gasping loudly you felt that his shaft had remained hard within you, “perhaps I can spare just a few seconds more before I must attend to my king.”

You giggled and gasped for hair as his mouth once more explored your neck and nipped at your collar bone and breasts, and shifting you up against the wall he braced himself upon two feet to stabilize you. He touched your breasts and belly, his lips peppering you with tender wet kisses, and you could hardly respire as you kissed him back while gripping his shoulders to keep yourself upright.

“I-Ignis, you’re terrible,” you teased him as you parted lips, and with the tactician grinding against you in the most sensuous of ways, you whimpered loudly and dug your nails into his back for support. “W-We have to get out, unless you want N-Noctis teasing you…” Gods how you hated the notion of this man unsheathing himself from your loins, but the last thing you wanted right now was to start the weekend off making your friend (let alone the King of Lucis) feel awkward.

Ignis sighed, grinning at you and placing a kiss upon your nose. “I know my love, I know…” Lowering you so that you were now braced upon one foot, Ignis unsheathed himself in one fluid motion, his shafting springing out of you and bouncing in the most entrancing of ways. “And I find myself perhaps a bit guilty right now, realizing that I have interrupted your intended purpose for bathing. I would most certainly love to assist you there…”

You swallowed hard, your eyes locked upon his shaft for just a moment as you quickly diverted your gaze back to his face. “I know you would, Ignis, but I think we both know what would happen if you helped me…Noctis THEN would really get suspicious.” You smiled wryly at him. “I think I can manage alone this time. You’ll just have to make it up to me next time…”

Ignis’s nostrils flared and his eyes darkened, and grinning at you in the most dashing of ways, he leaned down to kiss you once again. “Then I regrettably shall leave you to your devices. I will see you in the kitchen then, my love.”

And with one last debonair smile, Ignis exited the shower and left the bathroom, just as quickly as he came.

You stood there blinking stupidly as you noticed that the hot water was still blasting you on the side of your head, and leveling out your breathing you could only but wonder if your whole encounter with your lover had actually even occurred. Smiling sheepishly and not wanting to keep Ignis waiting any longer as he began prep for dinner, you hurriedly finished cleansing yourself as you had intended to do in the first place, now feeling completely fresh and free of your worries that literally washed away like the dirt down through the drain. When you were appropriately scrubbed to your liking, you hastily turned off the shower faucet, dried off, and put on your pajamas that felt like pure heaven upon your aching and beat body. With a smile you gathered up your dirty clothes, threw them into the hamper, then scurried out towards the living room.

Voices. You heard voices, but it wasn’t just Ignis’s who graced your ears in the most enthusiastic of tones. Your eyes going wide, you made your way down the hallway to where you emerged in the common area, and to your upmost mortification did you spot the King of Lucis reclined on one of Ignis’s sofa’s, lazily looking at his cellphone while Ignis prepared supper. You were not sure what was redder: the Lucian tomato in which Ignis diced or the flush of your cheeks.

_Oh dear gods…Noctis is already here! How long has he been here for? I thought Ignis and I would have more time!_

Sensing your presence the King’s eyes shifted away from his cellphone, and sitting the device down in his lap he grinned at you lopsidedly in the most boyish of manners. “’Sup, Y/N? How’s it going?”

Had you not been so utterly flustered you perhaps would have laughed at his informal speech. “Noctis, hiya!” You quickly stammered. “When did you, er, get here? I didn’t realize you would be here this soon!”

Noctis raised an eyebrow, but looking over at Ignis whose hair was still damp from the shower and to you whose cheeks were as red as the Infernian’s blaze, the king slyly started to put two and two together. “Oh you know, maybe about 15 minutes or so. That’s the nice thing about owning this place though: I can invite myself in, even when the master of the quarters doesn’t answer the door when I knock.”

It certainly was not a mystery that you and Ignis engaged in intimate sessions during your private moments, but even so, to consider that the King of Lucis’s ears likely witnessed such a bestial demonstration left you feeling abashed beyond compare. Your eyes darted to Ignis who was flushed in his cheeks down to his neck and collar bone, but despite his own embarrassment at his salacious behavior, you couldn’t help but notice the slight curve of a smile at the corner of his lips. All the while, the tactician remained silence as he slaved away at prepping vegetables (though Noctis likely was not going to eat them) and you would have given anything for the man to sever the awkward silence that ensued.

“Hey, Y/N!” Said a rather chipper voice from behind you, and turning around slowly your eyes broadened to see another guest, this one unexpected.

“I-Iris, dear gods! You’re here too?” You choked, blushing even more, and quickly you wracked through your brain in recalling whether or not Ignis told you she would be spending the night as well.

“You say like you don’t even want to see me!” The younger Amicitia joked as she skipped to you and hugged you tightly. “I was just putting my stuff away in the guest room. I wasn’t planning on staying overnight, but when Gladdy told me that he’d have to take a separate car tomorrow to help Prompto run some morning errands, Noct suggested I come hang out with you guys tonight! Aren’t you excited!?”

Whether your best friend was blissfully unaware of the lecherous noises that likely echoed from the bathroom or she was choosing to pretend ignorant over hearing you, you did not know, but nonetheless you were grateful for her to bring up the topic of tomorrow’s ventures.

“Y/N is still blissfully left in the dark over our intended destination for tomorrow, Miss Iris,” Ignis chimed in smoothly as he began to fillet what looked like a fish from where you standing. “Unless you wish to spoil such for her tonight?”

“Ohhhh, so we’re keeping it a surprise again,” Iris beamed, grinning cheekily at you. “Gotcha! Oh jeese, I can’t wait now! You’re going to have an absolute blast, Y/N!”

You some of the tension finally eased away from your shoulders, although you couldn’t help but notice the distinct and curious manner in which Noctis’s gaze kept darting back and forth between you and your lover. “You guys are really terrible, you know that?” You finally said. “I will always be forever grateful for all that you do for me but you’re killing me with these constant surprises! What’s up with you always leaving me lost like I’m stuck in Fociaugh Hollow?”

Mentioning the infamous ice cavern where Noctis and his companions once got lost and where Prompto was kidnapped by a horrifying Naga seemed to stir Noctis from his curious thoughts, the King of Lucis now smiling in the most nostalgic of manners. “Good question,” he answered. “Maybe we just get a kick out of watching you get frustrated.”

You shook your head, ever amazed how Noctis could be such a playful tease. “That’s not very nice, you know that” You responded, grinning at him broadly as your feet finally moved into the living area. “You do know that EXINERIS controls the power to the Citadel, right? What a shame it would be if the power went out when you were in the middle of a tough level of one of your video games and you lost all of your progress.” The King’s face blanched, Ignis and Iris both laughing at your playful threat, and you too couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. “I’m kidding, Noct! Jeesh! But seriously, you guys never fail to keep me on my toes. I’m really excited now for whatever it is we will be doing.”

“And with reason, too!” Iris beamed as she sat down next to Noctis on the couch. “Although I have to say that I’m incredibly impressed with Noctis right now. The moment he found out this morning I swore he was going to jump out of his cape from excitement. I don’t even know how you managed to get through your council meeting with a straight face.”

“Hey, you can’t blame me though, can you?” He quickly defended. “I’ve waited over ten years for this event to happen again. Hopefully this time nothing tries to stop our fun like it did last time.”

That was another clue, and squinting your eyes you tried to decipher their vague talk.

“So even Noctis just found out,” you remarked, seeing what intel you could pry from your friends. “And just from whom did you find this out? Sounds like a pretty big thing to be completely unaware of, you being the King of Lucis and all.”

Noctis laughed heartily, and casting a glance at Ignis who began to grill the barramundi fillets on the stove, you could see that he too was smiling, seeming to observe your detective work. “Hey, in my defense, things have been a little bit chaotic around here since we got back,” Noctis responded. “And not that I’m not keeping tabs on what’s going on but when I last spoke to the committee in charge they too were engaged in a little bit of a heavy work load.”

“Oh? And who happens to be the committee in charge?”

“Oh!” Iris chimed in. “Well, not completely in charge this time but you could easily just call her up and ask about it! It’s – “

“I think perhaps you’re giving Y/N too much evidence to play with at the moment,” Ignis interrupted, the grill on the stove now hissing loudly “Lest we want to spoil the fun I say we should perhaps leave the inquiring at that, shall we?” Ignis smiled and winked at you playfully. “Miss Iris, even though you are my guest this evening would you mind assisting me here for just a moment. If I recall from from Y/N had something she wanted to show Noctis here, isn’t that correct, my love?”

Seeing Ignis nod his head over towards the kitchen able, your eyes spotted on its surface the portrait of you from the little girl. “Oh! Yeah, that’s right!” You said breathlessly, getting up and padding over to the table. You picked up the paper, smiling at the way the little girl captured you features.

Iris began to assist Ignis with steaming the vegetables, and finding yourself suddenly very shy, you sat back down next to Noctis and smiled. “It’s been chaotic, like you said,” you began, tucking your hair behind your ears. “Not just for you but for me too. I had completely forgotten about a conversation that I shared with a patron while you and the guys were away in Altissia. Cute thing about her was that she is probably only about five.” And you paused, grinning as you looked at the portrait yourself. “She was so excited when she ran into me. She said she was happy because thanks to me and all the girls, she was able to return home where she used to live. She finally had the light again. And well,” and now you handed the portrait to Noctis, blushing as you watched his eyes go wide and his lips spread into a smile, “she said she drew that for me as a thank you. A thank you for giving her life back. But it actually wasn’t just me that she wanted to thank too.” You stopped, Noctis now casting you a serious look. “She said that she wanted to thank you and everyone else too. For being the great king you are. For protecting your people and giving them hope. Even if this picture was for me, well, I guess you could say that it was for you too…”

Noctis inhaled sharply, seeming completely caught off guard by such a deep sentiment, and holding the picture carefully in his hands, you watched as a small, solitary tear trickled down his cheek. He turned to you, placing a hand upon your shoulder as he smiled.

“Thank you. Thank you for showing me this, Y/N,” he said softly, and for a moment all that was heard was the sizzle and searing of meat and vegetables in the kitchen. “This inspires me,” he continued. “It really does. I’m going to keep fighting. I’m going to keep progressing forward so that I can help more people like her. I’m going to do whatever it takes to ensure this peace is ever lasting until the day I die. I promise you that. Nothing is going to stand in our way to ensure that happens.”

And soon enough, you would be tested to see just how high and willing you were to stand.

*************

“So, Y/N, are you excited by now about today?” Iris chirped from the backseat of the Regalia as you sped across the bridge from Insomnia.

Rolling your eyes, you couldn’t but laugh at her question, and shaking your head, you turned your head around to see her and the King grinning sheepishly in the backseat.

“Iris, I’m pretty sure I’ve made that more than obvious by now, as if I didn’t mention it over breakfast,” you said cheekily. “But still, it’s pretty damn unfair that I’m left hanging like this. The only indication of anticipation is the expression on Noct’s face. I think he’s more excited than I am!”

And this was true. While Noctis never failed to remain dignified and professional in the presence of diplomats, councilmen, and even Cor, you never failed to be amused by his reserved boyishness in the presence of his companions. The King who donned today a baseball cap and sleeveless hoodie with a t-shirt and ripped jeans looked so uncharacteristically out of place for a king, and something told you that he went out of his way today to make himself look as unrecognizable as possible.

“My lips are sealed,” he said playfully, “because knowing my luck I’ll likely spill the Eos green peas before we are close to getting there.”

“And how surprising, consider how much you absolutely abhor peas,” Ignis chimed in.

You and Iris giggled, and casting a quick glance at Ignis you grinned widely at the lopsided smile on his face. You turned back around to face your friends, the King squinting at his advisor in the most condescending of ways.

“Not my fault I hate the way they’re prepared,” he muttered, and despite his bitter tone you knew he was merely joking with his friend.

“Ok, ok, no fighting here, children,” you quickly threw in, trying to maintain the peace. You had just passed the Ostium Gorge, the sight of the sewer facility and the Viewbliss Outpost causing a shiver to run down your spine at the thought of what had transpired in its depths just weeks prior. “So Noctis still won’t tell me. That’s all fine and dandy. Can you at least tell me where on earth the other half of our crew is?”

“Ah yes, that is fair enough,” Ignis said, and turning your attention back to him you instantly swooned at the sight of how handsome he looked with his hair slicked back, his sandy strands tousling in the morning breeze. He too was dressed less formally than normal for himself, him donning a grey and black Henley shirt with black jeans. _What a lovely sight..._ you murmured to yourself, smiling stupidly as you gazed at him. Ignis pressed his visor up upon the bridge of his nose and took your hand, squeezing it gently. “Since Cindy would be joining us for today’s festivities, she herself needed to prepare a shipment of sorts to take to our destination. Prompto wanting to remain ever so the chivalrous gentleman informed her that he would assist her in the matter. Gladiolus and his lovely bride to be had some marital affairs to take care of this before our departure, and so they too required a separate transport.”

You passed the Hammerhead station, and surely enough, there was Prompto’s classic black convertible parked in the spot next to Cindy’s missing tow truck. You began to mull over in your head whatever it could be that needed transporting to the wherever you were going, but you realized surely enough you would find this out shortly.

“Most interesting,” you said smoothly, squeezing Ignis’s hand, and inhaling deeply you took joy in the aroma of sizzling foods that wafted into your nose from Takka’s diner. “You’ve got me even more curious now. I just hope they don’t start having fun without us.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t think my brother would try that, considering Noct here surely would not approve of that,” Iris said, grinning at Noctis.

“And considering how much he teased me about my excitement the last time, he better bet his ass I’m not gonna deal with him getting to enjoy himself more. Last time he had too much fun flirting up a storm with all the ladies.”

Iris sighed disapprovingly over her brother’s flirtatious behaviors, and even you had not been spared the big man’s playful advances. “Er, Noct, I don’t think you have to worry about that this around. I don’t think his fiancé would put up with that. He’s not as bad as he used to. And besides, she’s also looking forward to this and –“

“I think perhaps you two are giving away a little bit more intel than we wish Y/N to receive,” Ignis said smoothly, casting you a glance and grinning.

“Oh jeesh, sorry about that Iggy!” Iris said, realizing she and Noctis had perhaps said too much.

“No worries indeed, Iris,” the tactician concluded. “We’ll be able to lift the proverbial blindfold off Y/N once we near our destination.”

Ignis squeezed your hand as he said this, and suddenly your eyes widened and your stomach flipped in anxious knots over whatever he was potentially implying. Peeking at him slightly, you noticed how intently he stared at the road ahead of him, and yet there upon his lips was drawn the most peculiar and mischievous of smiles.

You swallowed hard, squirming in the front seat as you struggled to find your words. As Ignis’s fingertips gently brushed over yours in the most teasing of ways, you quickly diverted your attention elsewhere to distract yourself from the fluttering of your loins. Through the rear-view mirror, you peaked a glance at your best friend who blushing and beaming with happiness as she sat next to the King. To the innocent bystander one would think nothing of what you were witnessing through your eyes, but for you, you could not help but smile at the placement of their hands upon the space of the seat between them. Focusing your gaze on Iris, your heart tightened at the way she was looking at Noctis as if she had longed to say what was truly on her mind to him after all this time. In fact, the more you looked at the way they exchanged glances, the more your heart pained at the thought of how much time Noctis had lost in his life to enjoy these special moments with those he loved.

“Y-You know,” you began, tucking your hair behind your ear as the wind blew through your strands, and looking to the left you temporarily lost yourself to the beauty of the Three Valleys’ mountains, “granted the whole gang isn’t here right this second, but I feel that it’s been a very long time since all of us took a road trip together outside of Insomnia. Gosh, the last time we were all together was…”

“Altissia, dearest. Our endeavors to and fro,” Ignis filled in.

Your mind reeled at the very thought, and while by no means any of you necessarily had an exorbitant amount of vacation time to simultaneously take off time together, still, the notion that it had been that horribly long ago since you all enjoyed each other’s company in such a manner made your heart ache.

“A-Altissia? Six, that was so long ago…I can’t’ believe that...How is it possible that time has really gone that fast?”

“Tell me about it!” Iris remarked, and something about her tone was rather nostalgic. “Just sitting in this backseat right now is making me freak out about how fast the last ten years of my life have gone by, and you think that with all the darkness everything would dragged on. I’m just thinking long ago I was crammed in between Noct and my brother in these very seats. I didn’t seem to mind but they joked a little bit about having less elbow room.”

“Seems just like yesterday…” Noctis said rather quietly. “And funny how I still sit in the same seat.”

You turned around to look at him. “A-Are you sure you don’t want the front seat?” You asked. “This is your car after all.”

“Nah, it’s all good. Like I said, this was always my spot. Besides, you look better sitting there anyways.”

You blushed deeply, Ignis squeezing your hand tightly once again as you passed the Astor Slough Coernix Station, and before you could open your mouth to reply, Noctis continued his thoughts. “But yeah Iris, I agree. Far too long. It seems like only yesterday since we met up with you in Lestallum after Insomnia was attacked. I remember how worried sick your brother was, wondering if you had made it out ok. The relief in his voice when you finally got a hold of you, although he was pretty pissed when you called me over him.”

“Y-Yeah, and he still doesn’t forgive me for that,” Iris said nervously, hiding her blush from Noctis. “Can you blame me though? I was so scared that day and maybe in my mind the first person I thought of was you. For some reason or another I thought of that moment the time when I was little and got lost by following that cat…I guess my brain just made the connection and I wanted to make sure you were ok too, because well, you know how everything else turned out….”

You watched as Noctis reached for her hand and squeezed it, his brows drawn together and his crystalline eyes shimmering. “Trust me when I say you won’t have to worry about anything like that anymore. Not ever again. I promise. And I want today to be a reminder of that. From now on, we’ll have better times moving forward and we are going to start making happier memories. No more sadness and tragedy like the last time, so let’s cheer up…”

_Like last time…_

Suddenly becoming very lost in Noctis’s words in your mind as the Regalia passed the highway junction near the Kelbass Grasslands, you began to put two and two together. All the stories Iris had shared with you and it was in this distinct moment it clicked in your mind the very moment of her life she had been referring to her.

“Iris, like last time you said,” you remarked. “When you were in Lestallum...”

You looked back at your friend whose somber appearance was all but gone now, and her eyes were wide with eagerness at you mentioning the city that was once your home.

“Whaaaat about it?” She asked mischievously.

You grinned, casting a glance and Noctis as well. “Ok, you guys can’t hide it from me anymore. I’ve taken this course too many times and now I know where we’re going. We’re going to Lestallum. The question I want to know from you is why. What do you guys have up your sleeves that is so special to be taking me back to my old home?”

Noctis appeared ready to bust at the seams from anticipation. You turned to Ignis who even he was grinning widely, and with the royal advisor looking away from the road for only a moment, he squeezed your hand in the most teasing of matters as he spoke. “Well, my darling. Perhaps you are just short seconds away from discerning that answer on your own.”

Having lost track for a second of where you now were, your eyes enlarged as you headed towards the northern bypass to the quaint municipal. Yet up head, you squinted your eyes, noticing the various banners that were hanging from the rafters of the tunnel.

Iris squealed with anticipation in the backseat. Noctis shifted forward and was almost hovering over Ignis as he tactician drove.

“Oh my gosh, those banners…they say…they say…”

Assassin’s Festival.

_Gods. Oh my gods…a festival! Today is an Assassin’s Festival?_

“Are…are you serious?!” You shrieked excitedly, feeling more blindsided than ever. “The Assassin’s Festival? But...but how? How-“

“How what, Y/N?” Noctis asked, and turning around you could see that he was beaming like a teenage boy all over again. “How is what?”

You had to laugh at the enthusiasm in his voice as he could barely contain himself within his seat. Finally you realized just exactly why it had been so hard for Noctis to keep his mouth shut all this time, having learned that he had been very much a fan of the video games series in which the festival in which you were about to attend was based on. However, the history of what this festival was all about was not the focus of your current inquiry. “Just…how on earth…how on earth did I know nothing about this festival? I can see why you guys haven’t said anything to me, but Holly? How come she didn’t tell me a thing about this since EXINERIS was the organization that sponsored it years ago? I work with her!”

And it was this that you were most inquisitive about. Ten years ago when you had escaped Altissia and made residence within Lestallum, you learned through Holly as well as your fellow coworkers of a glorious event that had occurred in Lestallum just prior to your arrival called the Assassin’s Festival. The games in which Noctis and Prompto were fans of were based upon a legend that surrounded the town of Lestallum; a hero of ancient’s past named Lestall once helped rid the city of the oppression that held it within its grasp. Every few years the town would hold a festival in honor of this legendary hero who saved the citizens from the tyrants that wished to destroy their freedoms. Traditionally speaking, being that Lestallum was a matriarchal town, its industry and commerce fostered by the hardworking ladies of EXINERIS, the women were in charge of manifesting the festival and sponsoring the event for tourists and festival goers around Lucis.

In light of the tragedy of Altissia, naturally all talk of a future festival was dissipated, and it was on occasion when you would head down to the basement of EXINERIS in the Lestallum office that you would look mournfully at the storage containers filled with costumes, decorations, and banners that would embellish the city. The very thought of this festival which once brought happiness to others reminded you very much of the Moogle-Chocobo Carnival that was once held in your own home city back in Altissia.  When the darkness came, these containers were lost underneath the smorgasbord of weapon supplies, emergency materials, food surplus storages, meteorshards and so forth. All mention of the festival was forgotten, the darkness and the daemons too much of a prying matter for anyone to even consider anything else.

And so now, as you made your way through the bypass, the sudden aromas of grilled and steamed foods tickling your nostrils and the strumming of guitars and the pounding of drums from street musicians filling your ears, you truly could only wonder just how Holly was able to pull off arranging a festival on such short notice.

Before any of your friends could respond to you, you stupidly recalled a very distinct conversation you shared with Holly just six weeks ago after learning that a new process was discovered to manipulate the meteorshards for more energy output.

 _“You know that we’ve got a long way to go in bringing this world back to what it once was, but man, I have to say that we’ve got a bright future ahead of us for all. And I don’t mean to make a pun there.”_ Holly had said to you. _“This makes me look forward to our celebration we’re going to have soon. We’ve been long overdue for another festival. Can’t believe it’s been over ten years since we last had one…”_

_Dear gods she DID say that she was going to have a festival! How in all of Eos could I have forgotten! But then how…still, how did she manage to pull this off so fast?_

“Perhaps you best save your inquiry for Ms. Tuelle once we park, my dear,” Ignis said smoothly as he cast you a devilishly handsome smile, “for as you can see, we hath arrived.”

And Astrals, did your eyes light up as you made your way through the bypass, for as you exited you were greeted with the gorgeous exhibits of glowing, luminous lanterns, colorful banners and streamers swaying in the morning breeze, and red, silver, black, and gold confetti fluttering through the air. Your nostrils were once more assaulted with the smells of meat skewers, carnival foods, steamed vegetables and homemade soups, but even more to your exhilaration was the sight of almost every festival goer donned in the distinct garbs of the assassins that carried on the code and traditions of the hero Lestall before them.

How on earth could you not be drawn to the massive tower erected near the Pelgar Outlook, its wooden tiers and scaffolding towering ominously in the air as daring festival goers leaped from its ledges into piles of hay below.

_Dear gods, they’re crazy!_

“Oh yeah, I’m gonna take you on once again, Leap of Faith, just like last time. Except this time, no one is going to get in my way to stop my fun…”

You turned around to see Noctis gazing at the tower like it was a long-lost friend, and as your brain was slowly comprehended all the exhibitions and sounds and smells around you, your eyes widened at another sudden realization of why this festival meant so much to Noctis.

_Astrals, how…how on earth could I have forgotten Gladio and Prompto telling me about what happened years ago?_

Before Ignis had ever even had the chance to share with you stories of his escapades in his youth, during the decade of darkness when you had once initially heard mention of the Assassin’s Festival, both Gladio and Prompto shared with you their story of their tidings of the event. The boys had shown up to the town to satisfy their curiosities and love of the legend and games for both Noctis and Prompto, only to find that their peace and fun was short lived; only a mere hour or so after they arrived at the festival, Niflheim’s brigadier general Loqi Tummelt made his appearance in the town in hopes of manipulating the EXINERIS power plant for his own needs. Holly (whom you also recall her mentioning this event briefly to you) had been captured at the hands of the magitek soldiers, and it was up to the boys to put an end to the Niflheim menaces that destroyed the peace and sanctity of the commemoration. Much to the guys’ consternation however was the implementation of the Empire’s Wallbreaker Wave device that rendered their ability to wield their weapons as useless. With the retinue taking out the general while Cindy dismantled the device, peace was soon restored to the city and everyone could enjoy the jubilee as they had hoped without the imperial bounty no longer looming over Noctis’s head.

_Gods, it’s no wonder that Noctis is so excited about this… And let the Astrals hope that today can go smoothly and peacefully for all of our sakes…_

“I see that look on your face!” Iris pealed in, pulling you from your thoughts. “See! I knew you’d be excited! I am stoked too! This will be my first time to the festival too! Oh! Ignis, look! There’s Gladdy and the others!”

And so it was true. You spotted Cindy’s massive pickup truck, conveniently next to it a parking spot intended just for the Regalia. While the grease-monkey goddess was no where in sight, most likely having had to take care of her delivery, there standing next to her vehicle was Prompto, Gladio, and Gladio’s fiancé.

“G-Guys! You finally made it!” Prompto cheered as Ignis pulled the Regalia to a park. “We were starting to get worried about you!”

Noctis hiked his hood up over his shoulders and literally jumped over the edge of the Regalia to join up at his best friends sides.

“Oh no! Were you waiting for us that long?” Asked Iris who quickly hopped out thereafter.

“Naw, we just got here maybe ten minutes ago,” Gladio said, giving his little sister a bear hug. “I think Prompto’s just busting at the seams here to play some games and so he’s anxious. Although I think my little lady here is about ready to split apart herself.”

Ignis came around and opened the door for you, taking your hand as you stepped out. Blushing at his gentlemanly gesture, you turned to look at Gladio’s fiancé who was beet-red in the face, the bombshell of a woman now suddenly seeming rather flustered for one reason or another.

You walked over to her smiling, and she reached out to give you a large huge in hopes to hide her bashfulness. “Why? Are you just as excited for the festival too?” You said, your own eagerness apparent in your voice.

The beautiful woman smiled at you, her grin rather lopsided in the most adorable of ways. “Perhaps you could say that as an understatement,” she remarked. “Gladiolus teases me about it, but I’m just as much of a closet-nerd when it comes to the _Assassin’s_ games as is Prompto and Our Majesty.”

Your eyes amplified at this as a joyful laugh escaped your lips. “Well I would have never guessed for a second, but I certainly won’t judge!”

Before you could react, Gladio bearhugged you, causing you to gasp for breath. “And it looks like you’ll get to enjoy your first time too, Y/N,” the Shield remarked, grinning down at you. “How long did you guys hold up on the secret for?”

“Long enough until her excellent deduction skills allowed her to process our subtle hints through our discourse in the car,” Ignis replied, coming to join you at your side and brush his hand against yours. “Nevertheless I can tell her enthusiasm is through the roof. Or perhaps you could say ‘scaled up a tower’.”

You rolled your eyes and laughed at Ignis, taking his hand within your own. “Would my puzzle solving skills make me a decent assassin?” You asked him playfully, raising your eyebrow up at him.

The tactician grinned, a small smirk spreading over his lips. “Along with other things, might I add….”

You blushing at whatever it was he was implying, Prompto now hugged you tightly and squished you in his arms. “Y/N, I’m so excited for you! You’re going to have a blast today!” He panted happily. “All these great games, all the food…gah! I can’t wait! Your first time getting to be an assassin too. I’m stoked beyond belief for you.”

You shook your head and laughed, and something about the youthfulness in the gunman’s heart made you feel like you were a teenager again. “I am too Prompto. You have no idea.” You pulled away from him for a second, looking around and reminding yourself that Cindy wasn’t present. “Where is Cindy by the way? She didn’t leave Lestallum without telling you, did she?”

“Naw, she met up with Holly!” Prompto answered with a grin as he scratched his goatee. “You know, those two are best buds after all. We dropped off some of the supplies that Holly needed for the festival and afterwards the two got together to help assist festival goers.”

“Which…speaking of,” Noctis said, clearing his throat, “we should probably make our way over to them now ourselves. We don’t want to waste the day away standing around, do we?”

Gladio sighed, shaking his head as he took his bride-to-be’s hand. “Can’t so no to the king now, can we?” and grinning at his fiancé, her face lighting up with childlike enthusiasm, “nor can I with my future wife, for that matter.”

“We shall retrieve our belongings from the Regalia to take to our quarters for our after party after lunch,” Ignis announced to you, brushing his fingertips over your hand before grasping your palm in his own, and just by the way he squeezed your hand you felt your loins tingle with excitement. “For now, let us do as Our Majesty suggests and make our way over to your fellow boss.”

“Psst, Specs! No ‘Your Majesty’ today!” Noctis whispered. “I’m trying to fill the role of assassin, remember? I can’t have people recognizing me!”

“What a dork,” Gladio remarked. Prompto snickered. Gladio’s fiancé giggled.

“Y-Yes, as it pleases you, Noct,” Ignis said with an exasperated sigh.

Astrals, you could not recall the last time you had seen a crowd such as this, but despite you having always been more reserved around large flocks of people, nothing brought you more joy than hearing the cachinnation of festival goers and the scurrying of children screaming and chasing after one another as they pretended to be assassins. Your stomach began to rumble as you passed several food stands, and with your eyes darting from one spot to another you were more than excited to partake in the carnival games that were offered. Around you, you lost yourself to the beautiful sway of banners and streamers in the soft breeze, and your toes squirmed with delight at the sights of Chocobo, Moogle, and Eagle plushies that were scattered about the city. Gods, how your heart beat was pounding very much like the chorus of drums that reverberated across the main thoroughfare, the musicians whom you had always loved watching perform when you once resided here now all dolled up in the appropriate attire for the occasion. Your spine tingled, each slam of the drum and shake of the tambourine sending jolts of happiness deep into your heart that felt at any second would send you tumbling to the ground.

Feeling your hand being squeezed, you turned to see Ignis beaming down at you, his expression rather spirited as he studied your reactions to all that you saw. Why he kept looking at you in such manner you did not know, but nevertheless the curve of his smirking mouth made you feel speechless.

Before you knew it, you had reached the main square, and standing there directly by the information booth was none other than Holly and Cindy. Both very much to your surprise were dressed for the occasion in the most elaborate of festival attire, and you could not recall a moment ever when you had not seen them garbed in their work attire.

Ignis took note of your expression and let go of your hand, allowing you to approach your boss and the grease-monkey goddess as the others quickly joined you at your side. “You know, ma’am, you have an awful lot of explaining to do for me, you know that? And you too, Cindy!” You said lightheartedly, giving each woman a huge hug. “How on earth did you plan this whole festival and not even tell me about it, Holly? Why, I’m feeling rather hurt!”

Your senior boss laughed at you, shaking her head as she hugged you affectionately. “Well it’s good to see you too, Y/N,” Holly began, grinning at you. “In my defense I guess I could say I didn’t want to overburden you anymore than you already are. After all, you do have a city that you are trying to put back together.”

You shook your head. “True, but even still! You know how much I love offering my help! Lestallum will always be a part of me and now I feel bad that I didn’t help set up all of this! You girls here also have just as much that you have to worry about, you know.”

“Funny thing ya mention that,” Cindy joined in, and seeing her wearing an sumptuous blouse that accentuated her perky breasts and a flouncy skirt that flattered her legs still caught you off guard. “She did get a little bit of help from the boys at the garage, but it wasn’t just us that helped out a lil’ bit. The King here would know about this too.”

You turned to Noctis who scratched his head, realizing part in his game was up. Holly decided to speak for him. “I remember telling you about how it was us at EXINERIS who traditionally speaking hosted the festival. Well, in light of trying to get this world back up and running again, we happened to get a little bit of help from across the seas.”

You turned back to Noct’s who was now grinning.

“You mean…you mean Accordo helped out?”

“Yep,” Holly continued. “About a week after the King left for Altissia we got a call from the Accordian Business Bureau. Turns out they were more than grateful that they were finally going to receive the aid that they had been so desperately in need of. We had shipped out to them some mythril and meteorshards that they needed to repair some of their factories and facilities. When they found through our conversations between ours and their business partnerships that we were in the midst of prepping the festival, several of their volunteers wanted to help us out, especially in light of the King assisting them in restoring the capital. Knowing that they would by no means be in shape to host their own Moogle-Chocobo Carnival any time soon, they figured it was the least they could do to offer some help to us. And now that their ports are up and running again and the cost of travel wouldn’t be a hinderance like it had been all these years, they thought the timing of it all was perfect. So yeah, needless to say, this is the first time in decades where everyone pulled together to put this festival together. You can especially thank the King here for that.”

“And I know that Holly and I and everyone else are more than grateful for what y’all did to help,” Cindy added, “but I don’t think that talkin’ foreign stuff is why you came here.”

Prompto beamed at Cindy’s suggestion, and you could not help but smile at the way he indiscreetly gawked at her in her festival attire.

“Which is why that now you all are here, you need to get into the spirit of the party!” Holly exclaimed with a grin. “You are all in need of a serious wardrobe change.”

“Yesss!” Noctis and Prompto said in the most anxious of ways, and with Iris laughing, Gladio rolling his eyes and smirking, and his fiancé’s eyes lighting up, you finally took note of the tent by which they stood.

“I already have lockers and keys ready for you all,” Holly said, lifting the small zipped bag she had been holding in her hand this whole time. “You of course are not required to wear the costumes but it certainly helps you get into the essence of what this festival is all about. If you head inside you can pick out what costume you want a wear and then head into the changing room. You can put your stuff right in the lockers and then head on back out to join the party.”

“D-Do you still have our costumes?” Prompto enquired eagerly.

“Oh you bet!” Holly answered. “In fact, they are specially reserved just for you. I figured I’d save ‘em for you just in case you wanted to wear them again!”

“Hell yes!” Noctis said, in the most unkinglike of ways. “Let’s do this Prompto!”

The two took their keys from Holly and rushed into the tent, and you had to laugh at how Gladio’s fiancé was next to join them. Gladio rolled his eyes, and it was Iris who now beamed at you with eclectic eyes.

You grinned, knowing very much how Iris loved having you be her model for dress up. “Let me guess: you want to pick out my attire for today?”

Your best friend squealed, grabbing your hand and pulling you away from Ignis, hastily taking your keys from Holly for your locker. The tactician laughed heartily as he followed after you into the tent, and immediately you were overwhelmed at the variety of costumes available for you to choose. Noctis and Prompto had already seemed to find their attire, having disappeared into the dressing rooms, and Gladio’s fiancé seemed to be bouncing up and down on her heels while deciding which outfit to choose. Ignis stood behind you, his arms crossed over his chest as his eyes scanned over the racks, and Iris pulled you along as she eyed up the apparel. Taking a few off the racks and inspecting them, she scrutinized each ensemble and held it up in front of you.

“No, not this one…no…no…not that one either….no, this one doesn’t do your curves justice….no…AH HA! This one!” Taking a rather gossamer-like gown off the rack, she quickly chose her own and shoved you into a dressing room. “Let me know if you need my help putting anything on, ok?” She called from her dressing room.

You laughed as you began to disrobe, your street clothes now pooling at your feet as you stared into the mirror and held up the dress in front of your body. It was a rather striking gown indeed, the attire made of the finest white cottons and embellished with accents of gold. A red sash would wrap around your waist that you noticed would show off just a little bit of your stomach, and blushing deeply you couldn’t help but shake your head at Iris’s choice, her knowing how shy you were at being slightly immodest. Nonetheless, as you sashayed into the attire you were stunned over how beautiful the white hood looked draped up over your head and how the bodice was cut to show off your breasts in the most tasteful of ways. Layers upon layers of ruffles accentuated the skirt, and with the gold sandals that sheltered your feet and the beadwork and fringe that dangled at the shoulders, you could only imagine the legends of the assassins of old inspired by the tailoring of its fabrics.

You swallowed hard, feeling rather vain at how pretty the garb made you look, and biting your lip twirled around to inspect yourself from all angles. You grinned sheepishly, feeling rather silly with yourself. “I’m an assassin,” you whispered spiritedly. “Well, I better head out. I know I don’t want to waste anyone’s time by looking at myself!” You exited the room, quickly located your locker and placed inside your clothes, and then exited the tent.

Right across the street where Holly and Cindy stood were your friends, and immediately you felt yourself girl-crushing over how stunning Iris and Gladio’s fiancé looked. Each had chosen an outfit more along the lines of classic assassin attire, very much different than your own. Both women donned flowy blouses and corsets that accentuated each woman’s tiny waist. Like yours, their skirts were billowy and layered, and from underneath the layers you took note of leather boots. You almost felt subpar in looks compared to how they were dressed, but you smiled nonetheless at how utterly beautiful and breathtaking they were.

But it was as you turned to look at your male compatriots that you immediately started blushing.

While in the ten years of darkness your heart and dreams had always been filled with thoughts and desires of Ignis, it was not to say that you didn’t admire how handsome your male friends were. Prompto and Gladio both wore attire with purposely ragged cottons in shades of cream, yellow, and red, and leather straps and belts and sandals accented the garb of an ancient assassin beautifully. You flushed, biting your lip as you found it suddenly difficult not to stare at how each of their abdominals were exposed, and the cowl in which they each wore only further flattered their broad shoulders. Prompto looked dashing and confident as ever, seeming to smile sheepishly at the way Cindy admired him, and Gladio’s rippling frame was a sight to see as ever as his bride to be squirmed anxiously in her boots at the sight of him.

_B-But where are Ignis and Noctis?_

“I have to say that outfit suits you more than I imagined it would!” Holly said with a youthful grin, and you couldn’t help but beam at her commendation.

“Wowzer, lookin’ gooooood, Y/N!” Prompto whistled. “I’m likin’ how you look right now!”

You laughed, your cheeks reddening as you walked to their sides to join them, and even Gladio was smirking at you as he eyed you up and down. “Iris, of all the outfits and you pick the one that shows off a lot of skin for the prude,” he teased, “Although I don’t think anyone is complaining (his fiancé palmed her face to this)!”

Iris giggled. “Oh come on, she looks fantastic! Besides, Y/N, you know how much I like getting you out of your comfort zone. You look great. You have no need to hide yourself at all. In fact, I’m a bit jealous at how good you look,” she added with a wink.

Prompto snorted. “Yeah, reminds of someone else who felt a little bit shy over how exposed he was the last time,” he said with a smirk. “Let’s see how well he does with the attire this time! Oh, Noct! Heyaz! Over here!”

Before you could ask what Prompto meant, almost instantly Noctis joined you by your sides, him wearing the same garb as his comrades but with the hood raised. You tried not to stare at how dapper he looked, his lean and sculpted face peaking out from under the hood. “So, how does it feel to get to be an assassin all over again, Your…Majesty?” You whispered, trying to hide your giddiness. “I think you play the part pretty well!”

Noctis laughed, grinning and smiling boyishly. “Pretty damn good if you ask me. Not gonna lie, but it would be an understatement if I said that I wasn’t looking forward to this for over ten years.” And he eyed you up and down, a sheepish smirk spreading over his lips as though thinking of something he didn’t want to share with anyone else. “You’re lookin’ not so bad yourself. I’m sure you’re also overdue for some carnival fun.”

You knew exactly what Noctis mean. It had been more than a decade since you had attended the Moogle-Chocobo Carnival back home, and so to say that the aromata, marvels, and resonances of Lestallum on this fine day made you feel like a child once more was an understatement “You bet, Noct. I think we were all overdue for some fun like this…”

“Just gotta wait for Iggy to get out and I’ll be ready to take on whatever games I can score big at,” Prompto said blissfully.

“You don’t have to wait long,” Gladio said, smirking widely as his gaze darted to you. “He just stepped out.”

You turned around towards the direction of the tent, but Astrals you were _not_ prepared what so ever for what you saw.

Like his companions, the royal advisor sported the same set of robes of the assassin of old, but it wasn’t just the notion of his choice of garb that made you feel utterly weak in the knees and flustered behind all compare under the heat of the Lestallum sun. You had seen Ignis naked more times than you could count. You had made love in more ways than possibly imaginable and had seen every little detail of his superb body, from the distinct beauty marks that dotted his arms, face and chest to the roughness of the bottom of his feet and even his acne scaring from his youth. No, it was not simply the reveal of so much of his flesh in public that made your loins tighten and your mouth go try but the _implication_ of such. Ignis had always been one to remain rather conservative with his attire when seen by the public eye, you even recalling how shocked you were that he revealed so much of his flesh when staying the weekend at the beach at Galdin Quay. Even to see Ignis wearing a t-shirt and jeans was not as common of a spectacle as him wearing his usual button-down shirts and tailored pants, and so now, to see him standing before you with his scarred abdominals and chest fully exposed for all eyes to admire left you utterly breathless. He was confident. He wasn’t afraid to expose the marring of his past that had almost lost him his life. No, he was daring and he was proud now of what those marks meant, and to you nothing was sexier than seeing him blossom in this manner.

But no, it wasn’t even just that, and with your loins contracting and fluttering at realizing that since this morning Ignis had been teasing you in the subtlest of ways with the brush of his fingertips and hands against yours, he had now dealt you the largest blow of metaphorical artillery of all. No, it wasn’t just the public exposure of his lean and lithe musculature, no, not just that. He knew very much how to get to you, for it was now that the royal advisor stood across the avenue in his natural glory, for he had taken off his glasses (gods, how did he put in contacts then?) and purposely disheveled his hair in the manner that always drove you wild in the most sinful of ways.

He spotted you, and with his emerald eyes flashing brightly in the sunlight, it was with a slow smile that spread across those beautiful lips that he knew in this instant just exactly what he did to you.

Gods, how your heart beat madly like a drum that made such an almighty sound, louder than sirens and louder than bells. Astrals, how the sight of him was sweeter than heaven and hotter than hell….

Prompto whistled. “And there’s the man of the hour! Lookin’ goooooood, Iggy!”

“Someone isn’t so damn anxious anymore, is he?” Gladio joked as Ignis made his way over to you.

Despite this growth in his self-assurance Ignis still blushed, and out of habit he reached up to his face to push up his frames on the bridge of his nose that were not there. “I see no reason to be such. One must live a little bit every now and then, correct?” He remarked smoothly.

Noctis snorted and Iris giggled, and yet all the while you simple could not pry your eyes away from him. From the corner of your eye you took note of how a group of women appeared to share the same sentiment, each lady turning to stare and talk excitedly about the sight of the advisor as they walked by. Swallowing hard and staring at this man you adored so much, you could barely formulate words as a light breeze tousled his bangs over his forehead. “I-Ignis…” You breathed at the lovely sight.

It was Ignis however who closed the gap between you, and despite the smirk that had previously been plastered on his countenance, he too was now looking at you with all the adulation in the world. “Darling, you look absolutely marvelous,” he said breathlessly as he approached you, his eyes darting from your face and lips to your breasts and belly, “and I’d say we both compliment each other rather well.”

You inhaled deeply, and giving yourself another moment to appreciate just how damn good he looked, you couldn’t help but agree; the creams, golds, and reds in your garb matched his exquisitely as if your outfits were intended to match. Iris giggled behind you, and perhaps she had chosen your outfit for more than one reason, other than that it looked good on you.

With your Adam’s apple shifting in your throat you attempted not to stare at his right nipple that peaked out from under the strap on his cowl. “I think so too,” you murmured, “and I have to say that you look more than incredible in that outfit. Consider me feeling a little bit… _slayed_ right now…”

Gladio groaned at your lame joke while Noctis bounced anxiously on his heels, him almost too caught up in surrounding revelry to notice your flirting. “Well I don’t know about you guys,” H started, “but I’m ready to check this festival out! The anticipation is… ‘killing’ me!”

“Gods damn it!” Gladio exclaimed while everyone laughed.

“Alrighty, well you kiddos go out and have fun, you hear?” Holly said cheerfully. “I think you all more than deserve it. And Y/N, not to make you do any extra work today but let me know if we run into issues today, ok? It’d be a shame to have something go wrong.”

You smiled. “Holly, that’s the least I can since you left me out of the loop in the planning process,” you replied. “I’ll keep an eye out on things and will check in with the girls and the folks from Accordo if they are having problems.”

“And this is why you are the best,” she said, patting you on the shoulder. “No go have yourself some fun!”

At that, everyone nodded and Noctis led the way towards the center square of town.

Ignis brushed his fingertips over your hand in the most subtle of ways as you walked. “Are you ready to enjoy yourself, my love?” He said smoothly with a lopsided grin on his face.

You blushed at the potentially hidden connotation of his words. “More than ready,” you replied smiling, and with the tactician now chastefully taking your hand, you followed your companions.

Almost instantly you became overawed in the most joyful of ways, not knowing where to begin in the revelry. Prompto and Noctis were the first to initiate the opportunities presented, their first game of choice a shooting range in which Cindy surprisingly was quick to join them. There was something overly surprising in seeing the mechanic get so aggressive in the game, her enthusiasm even catching the boys off guard. You had always known her to be exceptionally feisty but found yourself laughing in tears at the way she yelled whenever she didn’t hit a reclining target in time. Even Prompto who seemed to know Cindy almost better than anyone else was equally shocked, not knowing whether to let her hit all the targets so she could win or to try to show off to her with how amazing of a gunman he was. All the while Noctis was laughing hysterically at his friend’s reaction, the king’s joyful amusement making your heart soar with joy as he could barely hold his gun straight and missed nearly all of his targets.

“J-Jeese, Cindy, got anything that you want to share with us that’s on your mind?” Prompto asked shakily as he blushed a deep crimson, as she took the back of her hand and wiped away a droplet of sweat on her brow. “You’re not mad at someone, are you?”

Cindy grinned and playfully bumped into Prompto, her hips swaying in the process. “Naw, I ain’t mad at anyone. But sometimes a girl likes to show off a little bit herself, ya know? We ain’t the only ones tryin’ to impress someone else…”

Needless to say, for the remainder of the rounds, Prompto was hardly able to hit a target.

Shortly after the shooting range you and the gang perused the city, taking a look at all the vendors and their hand-crafted goods. Your eyes broadened with delight at the sight of intricate little pendants made of gold, silver, and various gems, and you were awed over display of vintage weapons likely crafted to replicate those of the warriors of old. You picked up a small dagger from one of the displays, marveling at the beautiful and gilded baroque inlays of rubies in its hilt.

“I think that suits you quite well, my love,” Ignis remarked smoothly, his words rolling off his tongue like liquid velvet as he stood at your side, and his hip brushed against yours in the most innocent of ways. “And how well its hilt fits into your palm.”

You swallowed hard, your stomach turning in aroused knots once again at the double meaning of his words. Looking up at him, you prayed the early afternoon sun was enough to hide the blush of your cheeks. “T-Thank you, although I have to say that daggers suit you much better than me. You know how much of a katana kind of girl I am, after all,” you added with a grin.

Ignis smiled, gently taking the dagger from your hand and inspecting it for its workmanship. “Don’t sell yourself so short, my love. I have seen how tediously you have trained in your journey to master such and Libertus speaks highly of your improvement as well. Besides,” and pausing, he handed the dagger back to you, his eyes darkening naughtily for just a second, “the more one wields her arm of choice, the better she becomes at handling it…”

You refrained from moaning at his inference, but thank the Astrals a sudden thunderous cheer broke the sound barrier and drew your attention to a few blocks away. Looking in the direction of everyone else’s stares, your eyes widened as you now stared not at the street level but above it, you covering your mouth as you dizzied at the spectacle before you.

“Man, I’m all about adventure but still, what kind of nut would risk making that walk?” Gladio remarked as he held on tightly to his fiancé’s hand. “Don’t these guys have to sign some kind of waver? How the hell Holly get this approved through the health and safety commission?”

“Gladio, you do realize that this is nothing compared to the Leap of Faith, which I’m soooo gonna do later,” Noctis said triumphantly.

“Y-Yeah, but that involves falling on purpose, Noct! That requires you to make sure you don’t fall and splat to your death! And I’m still mad we missed Iggy doing this last time! How do we know he’s not lying about attempting this?” Prompto added.

The spectacle in question was a very precarious one where participants stood on the ledge of one of the Lestallum rooftops and tight-rope walked their way across the other side. You were by no means a bumbling clutz, but even still, you had no idea how anyone would have the courage to do something so dangerous that required balance and patience.

“I-Ignis, you…you did that?” You said incredulously.

“Why yes,” he said most humbly. “It was no challenging matter at all. As long as one treads cautiously ahead, anyone can attempt it with the most ease.”

“Incredible…” you said breathlessly. “Absolutely incredible. And perhaps a little bit reckless,” you added with a grin.

Ignis smiled as he observed the current participant making the same trek. “Perhaps. Tact and devising has always been my style, but then again, one needs to live a little now and then,” he said with a wink. “I shall reserve my adventurous side for later however, as we have much to explore today throughout town….”

Iris took note of your rosy cheeks and laughed. “Why don’t we head down to the Pelgar Outlook and see what’s going on down there? I know it’s still early but I’m feelin’ pretty hungry already! Maybe we can grab an early lunch after we check out some more games!”

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Gladio responded, looking at his bride to be who was once again bouncing on her heels with enthusiasm.

Astrals did you feel your heart soar as you made you trek to the outskirts of town, musicians and dancers and singers performing joyfully and surrounded by patrons who relished in their music. All the while as you walked Ignis continued to squeeze your hand affectionately and press his fingertips into yours in the most suggestive of ways. You blushed at his touches, but even more so, as you passed various festivalgoers you could not help but notice the way that people stared at you. Male visitors gawked at you, their gazes flickering from your face down to your feet, and it was a moment like this that you suddenly became very aware of how exposed your flesh actually was. Even more so to your delight, there was a sense of pride in seeing the way female patrons would turn their heads, whisper, and stare excitedly as their gaze fell upon Ignis, and the EXINERIS girls who were on staff could only smile at you widely and give you a thumbs up. You bit your lip, and staring up at Ignis, his emerald eyes flashing in the sun and a peaceful smile drawn over his lips, you could not have felt more blessed in this moment to know that this man was all yours.

“Oh wow, they have the Chocobos here!” Iris shouted.

You watched her skipping excitedly down the steps to the Outlook, and with the gang catching up with her you too felt a sudden joy in seeing the adorable feathered creatures.

“Hey Wiz! What’s up?” Prompto called cheerily as you made your way over to the rancher’s stand, the man’s face lighting up at the sight of his favorite patrons.

“Well howdy, y’all. It’s good to see you here. Enjoying the festival much? And you Miss Aurum? Surprised to see you not on the job today.”

Cindy smiled. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt me once in a while to treat myself to some time off. I had ter help out Holly anyways and drop off some goods for her here anyways! How are ya birds doin’?”

Prompto and Iris rushed over the Chocobo stalls, you quickly following after them. Much more to your excitement, you unmistakably spotted your companion Crimson, looking feathery, plumper and more fluffy than ever. “Aww, how are you doin’, girl? I missed you!” You said brightly as you reached for the bird’s beak and began to stroke it.

The beautiful avian ‘kwehed’ loudly and nuzzled her beak against your hand as she ruffled her feathers. You laughed softly at the bird’s affection, her flapping wings startling the other Chocobos.

Prompto sniggered as he pet his own Chocobo in front of him. “Ah yes, a Chocobo never forgets our love,” he said blissfully as he stroked the bird before him. “And this is why they are the coolest.”

“It’s always good to see our patrons continuing to bond with our birds,” Wiz chimed in as he and everyone else came over to join you. “And especially after how these poor creatures suffered such devastating losses during the darkness, I think they appreciate more than ever having the love and attention.”

“Yeah, I agree with you there, that’s for sure,” you stated as the others began to pet the birds. “And what better way to make sure they get that attention than bring them to the festival today? I bet they are all looking forward to racing!”

“Hell yes,” Noctis said as one of the Chocobos nudged him. “I bet your assesI’m gonna win this time.”

“Don’t be so smug, Noct,” Gladio replied with a grin. “I think you’ve been more than out of practice at this point. Don’t be so damn sure of yourself.”

“Almost all of the Chocobos are ready,” Wiz continued, “except for Crimson here. She’s out of commission for a while.”

Your heart immediately sank as Crimson ‘kwehed’ loudly in your ear. “Oh gosh! She can’t race? But why, Wiz? Is everything ok with her? She’s not hurt, is she?”

The rancher suddenly burst into the brightest smile you had ever seen on his face. “Oh she’s more than fine, don’t you worry. I brought her more so for show today and didn’t want to leave her behind at the ranch without her mate. He’s currently out in a race right now. She’d be in a tizzy if she went the whole day without him.”

You raised your eyebrow, not picking on up on what he was saying. “Her mate? Well what does her mate have to –“ But you stopped your words, and turning to look back at the Chocobo, your eyes fell to the bird’s belly, your eyes widening at Wiz’s meaning. “Y-You mean…?”

“Yep! This girl here is gonna be layin’ her eyes soon,” Wiz said proudly. “Her first time being a mother too!”

Crimson flapped her wings as if she knew you were talking about her and ‘kwehed’ loudly, puffing up her chest as she nuzzled you again. “Well congratulations, ol’ girl!” You said happily, feeling yourself breathless and overjoyed at the good news while she ruffled her feathers and squeaked. “I can’t express how happy I am for you!”

“BABY CHOCOBOS!” Prompto cheered. “WE GOTTA COME BACK TO SEE THEM!”

Ignis came over to your side and stroked the expectant mother’s beak, and even he too was overjoyed. “More love in the world to go around. You shall be a fine mother…”

You smiled warmly as you watched your lover affectionately stroke the regal bird’s face, neck, and belly. But as his fingers trailed through the fluff of her feathers, you began to blush, swallowing hard as the sight of Ignis petting the bird made you think of yourself in her stead, your girlish fantasy that never failed to grace your thoughts at the most random of moments now popping into your head.

_Oh Astrals…n-not now! I’ll be too flustered! There will be a time and a place for that, but not here and –“_

“Are you alright?” Gladio’s fiancé asked, stirring you from your thoughts and grounding you. You turned to look at her, feeling very embarrassed over the manner in which she read your face.

“Y-Yeah, just fine,” you answered bashfully. “Just really happy is all. And maybe, er, I’m a bit thirsty. L-Let’s maybe race for a bit then and get some snacks, ok?”

Even the tactician who was perceptive as always took note of the pinkness of your skin, and as you all headed back over to the Chocobo stand to register for your races, you became weak in the knees over the discreet way he ran his hand down your lower back. Gods only knew how much more your body could handle his teasing, knowing especially that you would not be spared a private moment alone during the entirety of the day. Clearing your throat, you pretended to stumble on your feet, brushing your hand over his hip and very much close to his groin as you quickly dashed to stand by Iris’s side.

 _Two can play at that game of this battle of wits,_ you thought deviously as you turned around to see the advisor gawking at you. Smirking, you watched him flex his fingers as if he had something up his sleeve for revenge. _We’ll see how well you can keep up your tactics, Mr. Scientia…_

Several Chocobo races later (the majority won by Noctis who gloated and relished in his victory and rubbed it in the Shield’s face) and many rounds of Whack-A-Cactuar (you were more than astonished at how well Gladio’s fiancé managed to hold her ground in the game and almost beat her future husband’s score), lunch time finally rolled around you seated yourselves at the cafe at the outlook. You sighed blissfully and smiled happily as you lost yourself to the harmonious resonances of musicians performing their songs, the pan pipes, tambourines, and drums echoing in your ears as you began to look over the menu options.

“Aw man, I have no idea what I want to get but I know how freakin’ hungry I am right now,” Prompto said, and the grumbling of his stomach proved how famished he was. “I could eat a whole Catoblepas!”

“Unless you want to put on weight, I highly would advise against that,” Ignis remarked condescendingly but lightheartedly. “You can’ afford to get out of shape again.”

“Aw Igster, you don’t have to remind me!” Prompto whined. “I can train extra hard with Gladio this week to shed off any extra pounds that I gain from this meal I’m gonna eat.”

“Let the guy have his fun, Ignis,” Cindy said sweetly, grinning at Ignis, and even she too seemed to be curious over what options were on the menu. “It ain’t often we all get to fill our tummies like this. Come to think of it, my hunger’s got me feelin’ dizzy like I just got needled down by a Cactuar!”

“What do you think you are going to get, sweetie?” Gladio’s fiancé said softly as she leaned over to look at her future husband’s menu , and you had to refrain from giggling at the way the hulking Shield’s face suddenly turned a deep shade of crimson, “The prairie-style skewers?”

“You’re a woman after my own heart, you know that?,” The man said, beaming as he now kissed her forehead. “Maybe. I do have to say that the Garula prime rib looks pretty damn good though…”

“A-And you, Iggy?” You said tenderly, reaching your hand under the table and gently placing it on his upper thigh.

Ignis jumped slightly, his nostrils splaying at your overly direct and bold touch, and you watching his Adam’s apple bob in his throat he shifted himself more closely to the table. “Perhaps the Hornooth meat pie,” he responded, his words catching in his throat. “I am feeling a tad bit more famished that I anticipated as well…” Pausing, he took a hold of your hand and squeezed it gently, shifting it slightly up his leg to a destination that was more than forbidden to touch out in the public. “How much I will need to sate my appetite will shortly be determined…”

You held back a moan, your heart pattering like a snare drum in your chest, and although everyone else was too engaged conversation, surely by Gladio’s smirk he was aware that something was going on beneath the table.

“You know, Iggy, why don’t you get-“ He began.

“Oh gods, Astrals, there you are, Y/N!” Said a rather frantic and shrill voice, and quickly your head jolted up to see one of your fellow EXERNIS girls rushing towards you table. “W-We have an emergency! Holly wanted to come find you herself but s-she didn’t want to leave the main gate because she’s trying to keep people’s panic under control!”

“O-Oh gods, what happened?” You quickly asked, rushing up from the table and dashing to her side. “Is someone hurt? What is going on?”

The young EXERNIS girl could hardly formulate words through her heavy breathing. “A-A lot, but it would be better if we quickly got back to Holly because if we don’t get this issue resolved soon we’re going to have a huge mess!”

You turned back to your companions who looked just as wide-eyed and anxious as you felt. “G-Guys, I have to go take care of this immediately. You eat lunch and I will catch up with you later!”

Before you could take a step further, Ignis hastily stood up and joined you at your side. “That certainly is not going to happen,” he said as calmly as possible. “I am not about to let you walk away from here without my assistance.”

“Damn straight, Ignis is right,” Noctis jumped in as he slowly lowered his hood from his head. “Don’t think for a moment I’m not coming to help too. A King can’t stand by and let his people struggle.”

“G-Guys, you-“

“We’re not just gonna sit around and let you do all that hard stuff,” Cindy said, “and I sure as hell ain’t gonna let my best friend try to solve an issue on her own either. So I say let’s hurry on up and figure out what’s going on.”

Taking Cindy’s words to heart, you nodded to your former co-worker and hastily followed her. Weaving in and out of the crowds of people, your ears were quick to pick up on anxious talk that made your skin crawl and your flesh go pale.

“Can’t believe this!” One patron griped. “And I’ve been so looking forward to that treasure hunt and now it’s all ruined? What the hell?”

“That’s not even the worst part!” Another began. “Sucks for the people that can’t even pay to play the games now! I’d be pissed if I lost my money too!”

“You don’t think those volunteers from Accordo are in on this, don’t you?” Someone else murmured anxiously.

“No…how could they? They’ve been struggling enough and you’d think they’d try to thwart the festival? That’d be a dumb move on their part!”

“I know that this is an Assassin’s festival but this childish shit is going too far!” Said a rather disgruntled man. “And to think how some people traveled far and wide to come here today, only to deal with this nonsense!”

“How can you guys even be worried all about this when someone’s gone missing!” A woman cried uneasily. “The parents must be panicking right now!”

Astrals, what the hell is going on? You thought fretfully, and turning to look at Ignis as you ran, you too saw how worried he was at the clamor and rumors that were spreading about the city.

Up ahead you spotted Holly, a crowd of patrons swarming her as she tried to calm them down.

“Holly! Holly! What’s going on!” You panted as you reached the crowd.

“Everyone, please take it easy!” Noctis announced in the most kingly of ways, and one by one as eyes turned to look at you, the patrons began to gawk as they noticed their king. “We are going to get the situation under control! Please trust me. Just give me a moment to talk to Holly and we are going to take care of this!”

Without a single argument, the patrons backed away and gave you space to near Holly. “Y/N, Your Majesty, everyone!” she stammered shakily. “Gods, I am so sorry to drag you into this! And here I told you to have fun today!”

“Holly, I think that can wait for now,” you reassured her. “But what’s more important is the problem at hand! I can’t remember the last time you were this upset. What is going on?”

Holly sighed, seeming lost on where to begin. “Astrals Y/N, I called the authorities and they are looking into this as well, but you know as always that when an emergency arrives I always reach out to you because I know that I can count on you! I don’t know what the hell is going on but everything is just happening at once and I-“

“Ms. Tuelle, please calm down,” Ignis said softly. “We are here to assist you in this manner. Take a deep breath and tell us what happened.”

Ignis’s down to business mode seemed to helped ground Holly as she continued. “It seems that terrible things always happen in threes,” your boss began, “and quite frankly I don’t know who is behind all of this. Just about fifteen minutes ago one of our girls found out that the prize money for the treasure hunt has been stolen. That was a huge hefty sum of money and all the patrons who registered are now panicking that they are not going to have a chance to win it. To make matters even worse, within minutes of each other we had five patrons report to us that their wallets have been stolen, credit cards, cash and other personal information included inside.”

“Astrals, that’s terrible!” Iris chimed in, her brows knit with concern. “And no one saw anyone acting suspicious?”

Holly shook her head. “No. No one saw anything at all. The crowds today are so large and with the music and games it’s been hard to even hear at times any talk that sounded questionable.”

“I-I know that this might sound really silly of me right now but it sounds like someone is getting a little TOO much into the spirit of the festival,” Prompto interjected with a frown. “The assassins were known for their pick-pocket antics back in the day and in the game, but this? I don’t think that’s very funny to be doing something like this now!”

“I have to agree with Prompto on this one,” Gladio added, and he too was looking rather aggravated. “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye, or in this case a wallet. And this type of childish antic is only going to make you ladies and the Acccordian Business Bureau look bad.”

“That’s…that’s not the only concern,” Holly said, her tone becoming much more serious. “I said bad things come and three, and if you take a look over there, you’ll see indication of the worst news of all.”

Your eyes followed the direction of her hand, past the crowd who still hovered around your companions. Against the wall across the street were two men in uniforms, conversing with what looked like a husband and wife. The woman was sobbing, her face puffy and red and her voice crackling shrilly while her equally distraught husband attempted to calm her down. You could not understand nor hear what she was saying, but by the looks on their faces, you immediately feared for the worst.

“That couple over there? Yeah, they aren’t the only ones in hysterics right now. Two other couples were interviewed too. Apparently each of their kids who were all friends with one another have gone missing and no one has seen them in the last hour. And to make matters more difficult is that these costumes are making a challenge to identify the kids. Even with walking around a showing their kids’ pictures to festival goers not a single person has said they have seen them because they simply just can’t tell what everyone fully looks like with their hoods up.” Holly choked on her words, her Adam’s apple shifting uncomfortably in her throat.

“Gods Holly, I can’t believe this…” Iris mumbled. “Where could they be?”

“And you stated this has all transpired within the last hour?” Ignis said analytically and his countenance grave. As you stood next to him there was a distinct nervous electricity that coursed though his body that you but all had felt too often when he got down to business.

“Y-Yes,” Holly answered. “And security has been doing its absolute best trying to look for any other clues as to where these kids could have gone _or_ who took the money…”

“What do you mean ‘other’ clue?” Noctis asked, raising an eyebrow as he too tried to remain collected. “Did you find something that could help?”

“I-I was just going to get to that, Your Highness. I’m sorry! This is all just very overwhelming and we’re trying to make sense of it all before matters get worse. There was one thing that was left back at our quarters where the prize money was located. I still don’t have any clue how no one saw anything suspicious and damn do I feel terribly stupid for how easily that cash got stolen.” Slowly, Holly reached into her pocket and extended her hand to Noctis. Within Noct’s hand was now a crumpled piece of paper that looked hundreds of years old. “I showed this to the officials but I asked for it back because I wanted to show you before I officially turned it over. Knowing how you once solved the riddles to the treasure hunt all those years ago, I figured you’d have the mind for this.”

And so unfolding the paper delicately, Noctis began to read the document out loud:

_A forgotten hero of tales of old,_

_Just like Lestall, I cherish gold._

_A wiseman fails to see the truth_

_But fools strike rich where there are roots._

_I am the wiser of this faire._

_None shall my fun stint nor impair._

_You shall not find me in the crowd-filled seas._

_Look not to the towers, but towards the trees._

_Come search for that which you seek dear_

_Or hopes and dreams be lost to fear._

You all stood around Noctis, staring blankly while Noctis read the words over several times.

“That is one hell of a poem there,” Gladio commented as he scratched his facial hair. “Or a riddle in this case.”

“ _A wiseman fails to seek the truth_ …” Prompto reread. “This person obviously thinks we’re not going to be smart enough to solve this! We’ve done this before, remember Noct? And we had Iggy’s help!”

“And we shall do so again,” Ignis declared, “but unfortunately we do not have a moment to spare to dawdle.”

“N-Noct, can I take a look at the riddle?” You said, suddenly finding your brain hazily put pieces of the proverbial puzzle together. “I just want to see something…”

“Yeah, sure,” the King said, quickly handing it over.

Your eyes began to scan the document at hand, and with your eyes darting over each line, the words scribed by what looked like a master of script, you began to inspect the sing-song-sound of the rhyme scheme.

“ _But fools strike rich where there are roots… Look not to the towers but towards the trees…_ ” You murmured. “To the trees…! The trees!” You exclaimed. “Guys, unless I’m crazy, I think I already figured it out! Roots! Trees! This is telling us that we aren’t supposed to look in town but outside of it! In the woods!”

Iris, Cindy, and Noctis looked at you incredulously while Gladio’s fiancé took the document from your hands. “Well that makes perfect sense and all, but why on earth would we look there?” She asked curiously. “Is this where the kids could be?”

“ _Hopes and dreams be lost to fear_?” Prompto repeated. “Could this person be responsible for all _three_ of the cases reported? Everyone’s panicking all at once! What is the coincidence that all this is happening all at once if it wasn’t just the same person doing it?”

“Well who the hell would want to kidnap children AND steal money? Wouldn’t they want a ransom for something like that?” Gladio said frustratingly. “What kinda of hellish plan is this?”

“Something leads me on to believe that Prompto is right, although there is more to this than meets the eye,” Ignis remarked as he crossed his arms. “And by the sounds of it, this hidden ‘assassin’ of sorts _wants_ to be found by us.”

“But no one saw anything suspicious!” Iris exclaimed. How do kids go missing out of packed town and no one sees a thing?”

“That’s what we are going to find out,” Noctis declared as he passed the clue back to Holly. “I think it’s time we head out and do this search ourselves. As they say in the Brotherhood: ‘Nothing is true - everything is permitted’, but I’ll be damned to let anyone hurt someone else or disturb the peace.”

Gladio only slightly rolled his eyes, given the direness of the situation, but before he could speak Holly immediately jumped in. “Your Highness, I am so sorry about this. All the trouble you went through the last time to help me and now here I am again, completely responsible for what’s happening. I hope you can forgive me.”

“No need to worry,” Noctis cut in gently, holding up his hand. “What kind of king would I be if I stood by and did nothing when an emergency came about? This is completely my duty.” Noctis turned to his fellow Crownsguard, sighing deeply. “Guys, let’s head back to the Outlook and grab what we need. We better gear up so we’re ready for anything.”

“Um, excuse me Noct, but I’m not going to just stand around and not help out!” Iris cut in, scowling at the king.

“Yes, you are _going_ to stay here,” Gladio affirmed, looking at both his sister and future wife. “You know what’s been going on with the hunters out there. I’m not putting either of you in danger in case we run into some nasty beast that’s in berserker mode.”

Iris fumed at this, but respectively so: not too long ago she was standing by her brother’s side out in the fields slaying daemons of her own.

“I think the boys are right in this,” Cindy slowly said, “And I think that we might serve Holly some good here if we can go around and investigate and interview folks. Surely someone must’ve seen something odd goin’ on and hopefully we can help out the officials by asking.”

You turned to Ignis, your mien grave as he studied you in the most conflicted of ways. “As for me,” you began firmly, “I’m going and you’re not going to stop me. There’s no way I’m not standing by your side.”

Ignis opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the fire that blazed in your eyes in that you were not about to back down, he sighed deeply. “Very well my darling. I am very aware of your adamancy on this manner. I shall not question you, but this is all the more reason why we need to be prepared for your safety.”

“With you by my side, Ignis, I am prepared for anything.”

Looking to each of you once again, Noctis cracked his knuckles. “Well, it looks like there’s no rest for the weary, right? Let’s get to this.”

***********************************

“Awww man, guys! Where do we even begin to start looking? This is going to be like looking for a needle in the haystack! We don’t have time for this!” Prompto whined impatiently as you and your companions trekked through the thicketed forests past the northern exit of town. With your katana drawn at your side, you looked over to see Prompto looking more frustrated and anxious than ever.

“Quit bitchin’ and keep walking,” Gladio grumbled as trailed behind, his eyes darting from side to side as he scanned the parameters. “We can’t afford to complain right now.” Despite the harshness of his words, his ton was also more than worried, and the Shield who never seemed to be frazzled by looked more distraught than ever.

“Exercise due patience, Prompto. We must remain more persistent than ever right now,” Ignis added, and everything about his tone was all business. You gazed at your lover as you walked side by side, the man refusing to leave your side as his hand brushed reassuringly against yours and his eyes gazed ahead at the King who trailed slightly ahead.

You swallowed harshly, feeling in agreement with Prompto’s side of the matter. Having already departed for your search over half an hour ago, a sense of impatience washed over you as you looked around for any sign or indication of questionable activity throughout the woods. With each step, keeping your breathing as level and steady as possible as the heat of the afternoon sun further worsened the humidity in the air, you struggled to remain calm as you processed all that you had learned back in town. Prior to leaving the Lestallum municipal, you interviewed the parents of the missing children in question, taking a look at the photos of the lost subjects: a six-year old girl, a nine-year-old boy, and three thirteen-year-olds, one female and two male. The parents explained to you the behaviors and norms of their children which instantly made you question just how these kids could have gone missing in the first place. Having spent over ten years of your life residing in Lestallum and feeling nothing but safe as a resident, you could not even begin to fathom why anyone would want to cause harm to a troupe of children. Even more so, the patrons who participated in The Walk and The Leap of Faith had seen nothing suspicious nor questionable from their vantage points. Despite the clamor of music and jeering of the festival patrons, not a single soul reported anything that looked like a struggle or attempt at theft.

In short, none of this was lining up in your head as you had hoped it would.

You stared a head blankly as you gripped tightly upon your katana, and with a slight breeze blowing over your face and rustling the layers of your skirt, you couldn’t help but feel that something was off.

 _I just had a feeling_ , you thought to yourself, remembering the crippling anxiety that overtook you just twenty-four hours ago. _Gods, I’ve been so anxious and now I feel like there is more to all of this than meets the eye. Why I am I suddenly feeling so…afraid?_

Just for a second as you blinked, there within your mind was the Imperial Chancellor once again.

_“This is what happens when you let your fear consume you! This what happens when you succumb to all that threatens your very sanity! Oh why would you ever let yourself become something so utterly weak and pathetic and allow yourself to reach this point, dearest?”_

_No…stay calm. There are lives at children at stake here and now is not the time to be losing my sanity. Be brave, Y/N. You’ve got this job to do._

“Y/N, are you alright dear?” Ignis asked you softly by your side, and blinking you turned to gaze to see him staring at you with the upmost concern in his eyes. You could tell by the stiffness in his posture that he was focused in the task at hand, and yet as always, he never failed to check in on your physical and emotional state.

You smiled at him weakly, trying to remain composed. “I am Ignis. I’m just, gods, I’m just perplexed right now. I have to agree with Prompto here. I’m anxious with how long this is going to take us to search these woods. We have a lot of ground to cover and even though we’ve had more than enough experience in doing this I just have this odd feeling that time is of the essence. I’m just feeling...rather off about all of this now. Something to me just isn’t lining up.”

“This whole damn trip has been weird from the start,” Gladio agreed as he brushed past a thicket of bushes, the branches tangling slightly in the pants of his garb. “And the silence in these woods is pretty damn unnerving right now if you ask me. We haven’t seen or heard a single Saberclaw, Leukhorn or Treant since we started hiking. Something’s up.”

Your spine shivered in agreement, and it was all too true: in light of the continuing hunter reports of the various attacks on campers across Lucis, people had become more cautious than ever in wandering out too far into the woods without supervision or protection.

You couldn’t help but feel panicked over Gladio’s observation. “Yeah, I know what you are thinking, Y/N,” He continued. “What kind of crazy ass would head out here unless they knew what they were doing. It’s a suicide mission coming out here. Like I said, something is up.”

“This isn’t good at all,” Prompto said, his pistols drawn in defense as he treaded carefully. “Those poor kids. Where could they possibly be?”

“Perhaps it is best to remain as quiet as possible in our search as to not draw question in case we make an encounter that we are not anticipating,” Ignis said wearily, sighing.

Noctis turned around to gaze at you, and he too seemed more bothered than ever. “Let’s keep going, guys. They’re going to be just fine. I’ll make sure of it. And there will be hell to pay if something happens to them. There’s gotta be…some clue around here. Woods…woods…why did the clue want us to come to the woods of all places.? Heh, granted, I guess it’s a good place to go since you’ll never be found here…”

 _I just don’t understand this_ , you repeated to yourself. _What really are the odds that all of this happens at once?_

You and your comrades treaded softly farther ahead, and suddenly something Gladio and Ignis mentioned earlier clicked within your mind.

_If these kids were really kidnapped and all that money was stolen, then why would someone leave a note behind? Like Ignis said, it’s like they wanted to be found! If they were serious about committing a genuine crime, then why would they want to be found out? Why would you steal and kidnap kids and then take the time to proudly announce it, unless you had some sick delusional fantasy? Why would –_

But you stopped in your tracks, feeling like you suddenly came on to something.

_None shall my fun stint nor impair._

_Preventing them from having fun…fun…why would someone find this fun? It’s juvenile. Someone can get hurt or angry or –_

Juvenile.

_The kids. Stealing for fun and running off and not realizing you’re making everyone worry? That sounds just like something a kid would do._

“G-Guys, wait!” You said breathlessly, and instantly all men stopped in their tracks to stare at you.

“Y/N? What is it?” Ignis asked you softly. “What’s the matter?”

Your heart pattered in your chest, you feeling rather silly over such a deduction but nevertheless deciding to plunge forth with your hypothesis.

“I feel like this isn’t going to make any sense at all,” you began. “It’s a stretch. It really is and quite frankly I feel like I’m wasting my breath even saying it. But I just thought about what you guys said earlier. Someone picked a really awful day to try and commit a crime, and I feel like that is just the thing: who would want to do something like that if they really meant to cause harm? We’ve dealt for darkness for how long and people have been more than looking forward to this festival. But you all had me thinking. The odds of this all: theft while people are in costumes? Living out fantasies of legends of old and the games that retell these stories? Disappearing into the shadows and leaving behind a whimsical note filled with riddles?”

Noctis took a few steps closer to you, his brows drawn together as if he was slowly putting two and two together. “Y/N, what are you trying to get at?” He asked.

“Noctis, you can’t tell me that you didn’t want to live out your fantasies the first time you came to the festival years ago l. I bet you were so excited to get to pretend to be someone you weren’t. Doesn’t that sound an awful lot like what is going on right now?”

“Y-Yeah…but…Y/N…” Prompto murmured, his eyes going wide.

“Dearest, are you…are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?” Ignis implored, studying your face as he placed his hands upon your shoulders.

You inhaled deeply. “This all sounds like child’s play. And if I were to bet on it, knowing how I myself as a kid was very mischievous when I played in the streets with my friends, well, I want to take a wild guess and say that the missing kids are the ones who are in charge of this all.”

Gladio narrowed his eyes “Are you serious, Y/N? You think the kids are up to this? I mean, that makes a lot of whole sense but still –“

Trepidation coursed through you and quickly moving ahead to wherever your instincts were telling you to go, the boys quickly followed. “Gladdy, just think about it,” you began, “pretending is what kids do best. I know that’s what I always did when I was a child! And Iris told me so many stories about how she snuck off from your family’s residence and left you worrying sick for hours at a time when really she was fine! I just…I just have a feeling about this. I don’t know why, but my gut is telling me that the kids are actually the ones behind all of this because they’ve gotten so much into the spirit of pretending and having fun that they forgot the repercussions of making everyone else panic!”

“Bloody hell,” Ignis muttered as he followed after you. “Astrals, your conjecture is beyond brilliant but I do hope so that you are right. We cannot afford to have any travesties happening for the matter, given the notion that as Gladio pointed out the forest is ominously vacant of all life. The question that leaves us with then is where in the heavens would these children run off to, expecting someone to locate them in the depths of this forest?”

“Roots…Roots…” Noctis was mumbling under his breath. “Shit, every damn tree has roots! What kind of clue is that!? Damn, who would know about the woods around here? Do we have to find a tree with a bunch of exposed roots?”

“Wait, didn’t the parents mention something about how the kids liked running off to play in the forest, event though it was dangerous?” Gladio quickly recalled. “That could be it! Maybe-“

“Um…uh…g-guys? W-We’ve got a BIG problem here!”

You had been so lost in your thoughts trying to discern where to even begin looking when you had noticed that Prompto dashed up ahead. Quickly catching up to him and joining him at his side, you stopped dead in your tracks, hardly able to believe what you were now seeing with your own eyes.

_Oh…oh no…no, this can’t be. No, not now of all times._

“Shit…” Noctis muttered, and a rather vulgar expletive escaped Gladio’s mouth. Ignis could hardly formulate words, a growl rumbling up through his throat as he quickly gripped your hand.

 _“Are you afraid now, dearest?”_ Asked the vision Ardyn who stood at your other side, his hand upon is chin as he studied your reaction. _“Is this what you’ve been afraid of all this time?”_

_No…of all places, not here now. This just can’t be. The kids…no…what if something happened to them?!_

But Astrals you _were_ afraid. For how long now, how persistent this fear had been lingering over your heads as Ravus and Aranea and the entirety of Eos searched far and wide for its location. How tiresomely you all had searched in vain with no success, and yet, here was the answer to all of your questions as you stood within a clearing of woods that had been crushed and demolished and laid to the wayside.

For now, reposed and vacant upon the forest floor was the fifth Niflheim carrier, massive beyond compare and its lights flashing with its hatch wide open.

You could hardly breath, your heart drubbing so loudly within your chest that you could hardly hear yourself.

_It just can’t be! Not this all over again! But why! Why is it here?_

“You have to be shitting me,” Gladio rumbled, drawing forth his broadsword and steadying himself. “Of all times and places.”

“And the sick irony of it too,” Noctis groaned angrily, summoning forth the blade that once belonged to his departed father. “If this aircraft carrier is anything like the other ones, well, we all know what we are up against.”

“Assassins…” Prompto muttered.

“Stay alert, everyone. This is not the time to panic,” Ignis began as he stood closer to you and scanned the area with his eyes. “We best be prepared to strike at any moment.”

“Ignis…gods, but what do we do?” You questioned shakily, drawing forth your katana as you wracked your brain. “Those assassins are going to be after YOU guys, remember? They are after anyone in the royal line! But...we have to find the kids! Just…just, Six, I don’t understand this. This airship is huge and yet no one has seen it in months? Just...just how?”

“Calm down, Y/N,” Ignis said firmly, taking a hold of you in his arms as he gathered his words. “I…I do not know. Astrals, I wish I had that answer immediately but we just going to have to be patient. Prompto, do you have-“

“I’m already on it, Iggy!” The gunman said anxiously as he pulled from his pack a small device that looked like an external drive. “Too much has happened for me to not be prepared now. I’m going to tap into the system and see how quickly I can hack the files. Maybe we’ll get the information we need to access what the hell is going on.”

Your eyes widened, recalling the same procedure that you and Ignis had followed during your encounter with the first carrier. With your head spinning as Ignis held you against his chest, you could only hope you’d get those answers.

“Let us exercise caution then,” Ignis said, and looking down at you he squeezed you gently in his arms. “Y/N, you know how this works as always. Stay on high alert and I will have your back in an instant.”

 _Gods, why am I so afraid all of a sudden?_ You thought miserably, not wanting to Ignis to let go of you as he slowly removed his arms from around your frame. _I’ve done this so many times before. What is making this case any different?_

Now was not the time nor place to let your fears take a hold of you, because with the clearing being empty of any sign of life or movement, you remembered this instant why you were standing here in the first place.

_The kids…oh gods! We have to find the kids before it’s too late…_

Biting your lip and nodding at Ignis, you gripped ahold of your katana more tightly and made your way into the clearing.

“This is eerie as shit,” Gladio said. “Where the hell are the MTs? Explains why though the woods are so damn quiet. Animals get scared shitless around those things.”

You took careful steps, each of you scanning the parameters cautiously as you neared the open hatch. Peering inside, at first glance the interior was indeed empty with no sign of any of the magitek soldiers in which it housed.

“This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all, guys,” Noctis muttered as he took the first step inside, followed promptly by Prompto who cautiously made his way over to the control panel and began to work his magic. “This thing is huge too, and we know that is certainly not a good sign.”

“Which regrettably leads to me to believe that this carrier was housing more than just the assassin models,” Ignis deduced. “The question though is what…”

“Prompto, just how long will it take you to get into the system?” Gladio asked.

“N-Not long. Maybe a couple of minutes,” the gunman said, “Iggy and Y/N once managed to download the files with ease but I’ll be able to get directly into the mainframe right now on the spot. Hopefully I’ll be able get some info on the system’s specs and hardware and functionality. I don’t understand what Y/N was wondering either…just how the hell did NO ONE see this thing flying around all this time? Just how long has it been sitting here anyways?”

“We better find out fast because I’m starting to freak out a little,” Noctis said anxiously. “We have no idea how many MTs are out there or where the hell they are. And even worse…we don’t even know if they ran into the kids or not…”

An apprehensive sweat accumulated around your temples, and gods how you wish you had the chance prior to change out of your festival attire, the fabrics now clinging to your frame in the most uncomfortable of ways. “Iggy, I’m…I’m going to look around outside. I want to see if I can find any clues like last time, “ you announced.”

“Not by yourself, though, surely,” the tactician said as you took a step to head back outside.

You nodded to him, and both of you made your way back onto the ground. Instantly you began to scan the area once more for any sign of odd activity .With each passing second you were finding it harder and harder to stay composed, and gritting your teeth, you took several paces forward in hopes that Ignis would not see your aggravation.

 _Why am I so frazzled right now?_ _I’ve done this a billion of times!_ You thought angrily as you examined the earth for disturbances. _What about this case is making me feel so different?_

You closed your eyes to stabilize yourself, but as your eyelashes fluttered shut, it was the sudden image of the little five-year-old girl that appeared before you.

 _“Do YOU have children?”_ She asked you as she stared up at you _“Do you want to have a little kid, just like me one day?”_

You gasped as you looked down at her, her inquisitive eyes shining radiantly as she bit her thumb and waited for your response.

But as you opened your mouth to answer her the child was no longer standing there. No, it was now the little girl who dined with her parents at Taka’s dinner, her little blue dress swishing against the seat as she forked eggs into her mouth.

“ _Mommy, are you ok?”_ Asked the child from Lestallum, reunited with her mother who had almost lost her life to the MTs from the first carrier, and her little innocent mind could not truly fathom the repercussions of what could have befell her mother.

The baby Chocobos. Those sweet little babies, kwehing in the most terrified manner, feebly attempting their best to protect their injured mother who was treacherously stalked by the menacing Behemoth.

You were no longer in the clearing but were standing outside of your mailbox, holding onto the letter of the Queen of Tenebrae, and her words resounded in your head more clearly than ever.

 _“I do hope that this letter has found you in good faith and that all is well_ , the letter began. _Ravus has informed me of your recent endeavors and that I must say you are truly an inspiration to me in how you continue to fight bravely and move past your fears. The arrival of mine and Ravus’s child is nearing upon us and I must admit that I am finding myself quite anxious over the child’s advent. But just the other evening when I experienced a moment of panic, I thought of you and suddenly I was overcome with a sense of strength and courage. I just wanted to let you know that I keep you and your dear Ignis in my thoughts and that I hope to see the two of you sooner than later. I cannot wait for you to see the child…”_

But it was with one final flash of memories that came crashing back to you, a dreadful memory from ten years ago. How could you ever forget, the moment that started it all for you. Those Skeletons, scampering up through the thoroughfares of Lestallum and threatening the sanctity of life that but all tried to survive in the darkening world. Those very words you had sworn to yourself.

_“I can’t just sit back like this and let this happen...”_

You finally understood. It made sense. You knew why you were so afraid.

All this time. All these little signs. You had a job to do. This was your duty. You swore to yourself that you would fight. You swore you would never give up. You swore to protect the future of this world to be preserved for generations to come, and by gods you could never live with yourself if you allowed these kids who were in potential perilous danger to perish before their future happiness could be fulfilled.

You turned to that vision of Ardyn who stood next to you, his lips drawn into a sneer as he studied your face.

“ _Will you not give up?_ ” He asked you snidely.

 _No,_ you said to him with all the confidence in the world. _I am always going to keep fighting. I am not going to let these kids down. I am not going to let Ignis or Noct or the boys or anyone else down. But more importantly I am not going to let myself down. Ever._

And within a flash, Ardyn and your apparitions dissipated, and once more you stood back within the clearing.

You were calm. You were serene. And you knew more than anything now that you would valiantly see this mission through.

“G-Guys, I think I’ve got it!” Prompto called. “A-And I don’t think you’re going to like what I’m about to tell you!”

“What is it, Prompto?” Gladio called gruffly.

Prompto stepped out onto the hatch, huffing and puffing in the most ill-composed of manners. “I’d need more time to hack in and run a scan to get the specified specs on the models, but…we’re in for trouble. We’ve got 25 units, and even worse so? The system still miraculously has a functioning datalog of their locations. The GPS reads that…”

Prompto was hesitant, but Noctis urged him on. “Where, Prompto? Where the hell are these things?”

Prompto swallowed deeply, his chest rising and falling as he tried to speak. “They’re only a quarter mile to the north from this very spot.”

“Shit,” Gladio said, gritting his teeth has he steadied his broadsword on his back. “The damn things can probably hear us from here and we’ve been chattering all this time!”

Ignis attempted to remain as straight-laced as possible, but even his chest was undulating in the most uncharacteristic of ways. “And so close to Lestallum as well. This situation has become more dire than we envisioned. While the townsfolk are not the intended targets of the MTs’ assaults, needless to say we know that their savagery is not reserved just for the Crown. We must make haste before we lose sight of them and the children fall into their hands.”

“Damn it,” Gladio growled. “Should we have called the hunters in from the start to help us out? Nothing we can’t handle, but now with the rest of this mess to deal with?”

“It’s perhaps too dangerous, given the situation,” Ignis confirmed. “And the hunters are not as versed in handling the MTs like we are. To quickly call in for assistance would be a suicide mission for them, as if they don’t already have their hands full dealing with the camp troubles in Cleigne.”

“Then what the hell are we waiting for,” asked Noctis, scowling. “We have kids we gotta save!”

“T-The data is going to keep extracting while we’re gone,” Prompto stammered quickly. “I’m hoping that by the time we get back it will be all pulled from the system so that we….”

But all the while the men conversed, you had wandered off towards the edge of the clearing. Looking down at the ground you spotted something most out of the ordinary in the middle of the woods, and striding towards it, you slowly bent over and picked it up. Now, within your hands, was a leather wallet.

“G-Guys! I found something!” You called as you inspected its interior. “And this isn’t good at all!”

The retinue quickly rushed over to you, their eyes squinting then going wide at what was in your hand.

“Shit, is that a-“ Gladio began.

“Y-Yes,” you said breathlessly, feeling your heart flutter sporadically in your chest. “It’s one of the stolen wallets. his means that if it was the kids who took the wallets, they were here. They could have run into the MTs and-“

But out of nowhere, through the coppice of the trees reverberated a series of shouts and cries and calls, the voices of terrified youth echoing through the forest.

_No…oh no!_

“That’s them!” Noctis shouted, and with a flash of crystalline light he summoned forth once again his father’s blade. “Sorry Specs, but we have no time to sit and think of a plan of attack. We gotta move!”

“Agreed, Your Highness,” Ignis said with a snarl, and with heavy boots and sandals pattering upon the mossy earth, you and your companions darted towards the direction of the exclamations with your weapons yielded and your bodies ready for a fight.

 _Please let them be alright! Please let us find them safely!_ You screamed to yourself as you dashed through the forest, and wincing slightly as the branches lashed out against your skin and attempted to tear at your clothes, once again another panicked scream tore through the air. This only spurred you on to run faster, and with each step and your heart throbbing more painfully in your chest, gods could you only pray that you would make it in time.

“T-This way! We’re close!” Prompto called. “They should all be up head. They should-“

And you reached another clearing, this one a shallow ravine in which stood a ginormous tree that surely was several hundred years old, and at its base it was grounded by the thickest of roots that you could have ever thought imaginable.

_Roots…Roots!_

But your own cry of despair and fear left you as your eyes laid upon the horde of magitek assassins that surrounded the base of the tree, and with your hunter’s instincts kicking in, your eyes quickly darted up through the thick branches to spot several bodies huddled deep within upon their ledges.

_The kids! They’re trying to hide from the assassins!_

“I’m going all out!” Noctis cried, and so very much unlike the stealthy assassin in which he had pretended to be all afternoon, the king darted out into the clearing and charged his foes head-on.

“N-Noct!” Prompto called, immediately following suite, and with a swish of his garb the gunman plunged head on into the ravine to join his best friend.

“Let’s make this a little bit of a competition!” Gladio roared, the third in line as the large man leapt gracefully after his cohorts. “I’m gonna take ‘em all out!”

“No room for error, Y/N,” Ignis said analytically as he cast a protective glance at you. “I am at your side!”

“R-Right!” You replied shakily, nodding to him. Simply seeing the glint in his eyes you suddenly felt more confident than ever, and with brandishing your katana in front of your body, you and the tactician plunged into the ravine to face your challengers.

Despite their intended purpose of manufacture for stealth and assault, magitek assassins were certainly more than caught off guard as they eerily twitched and turned their heads towards your direction, your entourage mere strides away from them as their innerworkings started to react. Several of the MTs screeched, seeing your approach, and in turn now charged in your direction.

“Let’s get this done!” Cried Noctis, and with a mighty growl he lifted his blade and warped within a flash, the spectacle catching you off guard as the assassins began to disperse around the clearing. As one of the assassins neared towards you, you watched with wide eyes as Noctis reappeared in a glimmer of light and slammed into the MT, tackling it to the ground and driving his blade through the throat of the cyborg. “One!” Cried Noctis. “Take that, Gladio!”

“What? You’re shitting me!” The Shield snarled as he charged into an MT with his shoulder and sent it sprawling onto the ground. Leaping into the air he drove his broadsword through the core of machine. “No way you are going to win at this game!”

Suddenly you began a deadly dance with an MT in front of you, its serrated blades swiping through the air as you dodged each slice as best you could. Had this situation been less dire, you would have laughed, finding yourself lost for breath as you watched your companions begin to competitively annihilate the menaces one by one. With the magitek leaping into the air, you quickly rolled to the side, the swipe of its blade floating right past your left ear, and before the machine could turn around you kicked its ankles and sent it toppling to the ground. Bracing yourself upon one knee, you lifted your katana and carved through its throat, the assassin twitching and screeching as it perished, and you coughed as its remnants of miasma dissipated into the air.

“Most splendid, my dear!” Ignis called from not too far way from you as he swiftly kicked his own foe square in the chest and flipped backwards to steady himself in his stance. “More and more do I see how your training with Cor and the Glaives has further improved your skills!” You almost blushed at his compliment as you watched his battle, and hustling towards him to support him, you became rather breathless as you watched him swiftly kick his daggers towards the MT to take it out with ease. “I do say that is a point for me as well!”

Gladio laughed harshly as he struggled with two MTs who lashed at him from both sides, and it was Prompto who now rolled into the scene and summoned forth his Gravity Well. “H-Hey, don’t you think for a second I’m not going to get up on this score board!” He called. Aiming his weapon at two charging assassins who screeched at the top of their metallic lungs as they approached him , Prompto shot a blast into the air that summoned forth a rotating sphere of energy. Shrieking, the MTs were pulled forth into the field, slamming into one another and crashing to the ground. Prompto then beckoned forth a cannon from his armiger, aimed the artillery at the assassins, and sent them exploding into oblivion. “And that’s two for me!”

“Well what the hell!” Noctis cried as he warped across the field, leading several of the MTs towards his direction that hovered beneath the tree. “That’s cheating, Prompto! You’re taking the easy way out of this!”

“Says the dude who can warp wherever he wants to!” Prompto called back as he took a shot at one of the assassins that pestered Gladio. “You can’t do that either if you want to make this fair!”

“I don’t think this is the time to worry about ‘cheating’!” Ignis cried as he swept in by your side to protect you from a mass of three rather lofty assassins that clambered towards you. “Take out the threats as soon as possible to save the children: that’s the plan!”

“On it!” Called Noctis who wrapped to Gladio’s side, and with your eyes widening, you watched as the King leapt off the top of Gladio’s shield and helped the big man take out the assaulting MTs. “Tied now!” Noctis said with a grin, and Gladio playfully pushed Noctis to the side as he rushed towards a cluster of four that neared Prompto.

“Nice one guys!” Prompto yelled as he expertly shot at each of the assassins who charged him, but his bullets did little to stop the cyborgs from halting their advances. You could only watch them in utter fascination as you and Ignis dodged your own assailants, the tactician swiftly blocking the daggers of his threat with his own. Using himself as leverage, he helped you kick at the MTs in an almost pirouette motion, knocking the attackers off their feet.

“A-Are you alright?” You asked Ignis breathlessly as you landed on your feet and braced yourself against his back.

Despite how sweaty his face was and how battle-driven his eyes blazed on, Ignis still managed to pull forth a smile as he blocked an MT that threatened to slash at your arm. “I am most alright, my dearest, although I certainly wish to ask the same of you!”

“I-I’m fine, as always,” you replied, stabbing at one of the asassins and piercing it through the chest. “And it looks like I’ve upped my score as well!”

“Hmm, well let me see if I can be the change of that,” he replied smoothly with a huff. Kicking at the two other assassins and sending them sprawling backwards, his daggers disappeared within his hands. Curious over what he was doing within the heat of battle, it was immediately that you your eyes widened as he summoned forth a new weapon that you had never seen him wield before, and within an instance you couldn’t help but feel more impressed and slightly aroused.

It was a long broadsword, nothing quite as hefty in which Gladio wielded, yet nevertheless, the sight of it in his nimble and skilled hands left you all the more speechless.

Suddenly your mind fluttered back to months ago as you and Prompto dorve towards Insomnia to make a surprise visit to the tactician.

_“You should see Iggy with a broadsword though. Holy crap. I thought Gladio was only strong enough to wield one of those heavy-ass weapons, but man, was I wrong. Iggy’s strength has really increased as he’s much stronger than he used to be. The big guy better watch out for Specs!”_

Surely all those practice sessions paid off, for it was now that Ignis used his powerful legs to vault himself into the air and land viciously upon the assassins, slaying them simultaneously in one swipe.

 _Astrals, h-he’s incredible!_ You though, hardly able to turn your eyes away from his motions as he lifted himself from the ground and wiped the sweat away from his forehead and face. Slinging the heavy weapon up over his shoulder and back that was glistening with sweat, he turned around to face you, his eyes blazing and his stance poised and collected, and with the rise and fall of his chest the armiger disappeared in thin air. A lopsided grin spread over his lips as he surveyed your face to see your reaction. “And another two for me, dearest. I think I have you beat once again…now let us join our companions and put an end to this nonsense.”

Astrals, you could hardly breath as he waited for you to react, and with the most impure of thoughts fabricating in your mind at the most inappropriate and dire of times, you nodded to him and hastily followed after him towards your friends who were engaged in battle.

“Three more for me!” Cried Gladio as he growled and rammed into a screeching assassin, and from behind him Noctis drove his blade through the MT’s torso.

“And one for me! Damn it, I can’t have you beating me!” The King replied with a smirk.

“Well you better step up your game, ‘Your Highness’,” Prompto playfully mocked as he sniped an assassin right in the center of its forehead with his rifle. “How does it feel to be tied with your ‘commoner’ best friend right now?”

You and Ignis joined the fray, and keeping up as best as you could you watched with complete and utter awe as your companions worked flawlessly to take down the menaces. With your heart slamming in your chest as you were surrounded one by one by the assassins who struggled to take you down, it was with a flash of crystalline light and Noctis now wielding the Hammer of the Seeker that your eyes truly widened to the spectacle before you.

How long had you known these men. How long had they been your friends and support systems and like family, yet it was only in this despairing moment of heated struggle as the assassins fought more valiantly than ever against you did you realize that this was the first time you had ever watched all four brothers fight side by side in the same vicinity. How your chest ached at the very thought, these companions working like clockwork as one by one they terminated the forces that threatened the lives of the kids you fought to save.

Astrals how your mind raced with such vivid thoughts.

 _All these years_ , you mused as you dodged a magitek. _All these years later and they still are standing side by side. After all that was lost…after everything they struggled through, they are still here, working hand in hand to protect our future. Regis, oh Regis, I never met you but I know you would be so proud of your son and his friends to see what they have grown up to become. You should be proud, knowing that they are carrying on your legacy and are fighting for the future that you could only have hoped to save…_

With a roar tearing up through your throat, your emotions seeming to get the best of you as the men dropped several assassins to the ground, you destroyed the last accoster in the struggle and watched it collapse to the earth in a cloud of miasma.

You were all painting and heaving heavily as the MT screeched is last breath, and looking at each other all was silent for just a moment. Noctis’s eyes were glued to the shell of the machine that was at your feet, and with the king kneeling down in front of you and picking up the helmet of the assassin, he closed his eyes and sighed.

“Resquiescat in pace,” he murmured quietly as he sat the helmet on the earth, and standing up and giving you all a look, he suddenly began to mull his thoughts over in his mind. “Twenty-two…twenty-three…twenty-four…shit…”

“N-Noct?” Prompto said, tilting his head to the side as he too surveyed the decimation around you.

Ignis’s hand grazed against yours as looked about the scene with gritted teeth. “Curses,” he said. “W-We could not have miscounted, could we? Surely we have been keeping track with each take-down…”

Gladio hastily cast his eyes towards the direction of the tree where the children hid, and from where you stood you could see that they were trying to get a look at you as they started calling to you.

“W-What are they saying?” Prompto asked anxiously as you all attempted to hear them from this height.

“-hind you! Behind you!”

_Oh…oh no…_

With a loud crash of trees snapping and plummeting to the ground, you all quickly turned around, Prompto gasping and Gladio cursing as you watched with lumbering steps a towering mech approach you with its guns arched in your direction. You had only fought so many of these machines in your lifetime while out in the fields and every encounter always left you feeling unprepared, especially with the foe that stood before you now. With a cock of its gun and a creak and shriek of its engine, the fearsome Max-Angelus-0 that threatened the safety of all was ready to strike.

The game your companions played no longer mattered as Noctis took a step forward and clenched his jaw. “No…this is over. This ends now, and I’m not taking any more of this crap for one more second!” Before anyone else could move, Noctis’s body burst into a flash of silvery blue light, and his arsenal of his fourteen armigers now orbited him like crystals phantoms.

You were speechless. The Angelus model could hardly detonate a single shot as the King of Lucis warped around and assaulted the mech like a horde of angry Killer Wasps, slicing and hacking at the machine’s framework. The mech launched two rockets in attempt to defend itself, you and your companions avoiding the line of fire and rolling to the ground as they exploded around you. Covering your head to protect yourself from flying debris, you lifted your head and could hardly pull your eyes away from Noctis as he savagely unleashed his arsenal of weapons upon the Angelus that didn’t stand a chance. With a final swipe of his blade and a swirl of his Armiger, Noctis struck the final blow to the automaton, warped away from it, and joined you at your side as you all hid for cover and watched the machine explode into a fiery ball of shrapnel and gears.

Noctis was breathing heavily as the dust in the air slowly cleared, and it was all you could do but gape at him. Surely his companions had witnessed this spectacle on more occasion than one could count on two hands, but for you it was the first time witnessing such a show. “Noctis, that was incredible!” You said breathlessly. “I don’t even know what to say with how awesome that was!”

The King smiled at you, his breathing heavy from exerting so much energy. “T-Thanks,” he said slowly with a grin. “Although I have to say that I wasn’t expecting having to bust out that technique today…”

Ignis’s placed his hand upon your back, causing you to jump. Shifting yourself on the ground, you looked at him to see his chest rising and failing rather unsteadily for his usual composed self and his emerald eyes glazed with concern. “Are you alright, Y/N?” He asked you softly,

With the commotion finally having died down your nerves began to settle and your body eased to the ground at his touch. Scooching closer to him, you rested your head upon his dirtied shoulder and the feel of his flesh upon your forehead almost instantly soothed you.

“Y-Yeah, I’m alright, and you, Iggy?” You replied gently, placing your lips upon his skin and not caring whether his friends saw your sign of affection.

The tactician’s breathing hitched most discreetly and his lashes fluttered shut at the touch of your lips. As if he had been holding his breath, he finally let out a sigh. “Most fine, my love. What unexpected trouble that surely was though…” His hand brushed over your lower back, the touch of his fingertips once again teasing you, although surely his intentions were meant to sooth you.

Thank the Astrals your friends did not notice the flush of your cheeks, for they all now stared ahead at the giant crater in the ground and the metal fragments strewn over the ground.

“These damn Nifs and their sick games, still pestering us,” Gladio said gruffly as he slowly maneuvered himself onto his knee. “I’ll never get sick and tired of this bullshit and-“

But before he could complete his sentence, a chorus of cheers echoed through the air. Your eyes widened, realizing what it was that you heard.

“Oh s-shit!” Prompto said suddenly. “The kids!”

And most certainly he was right. With each of you looking to each other, you hastily rose to your feet and rushed over towards the colossal tree that towered above you. Standing at the base of the trunk, you could hardly make out their faces from below, and as you stood beneath you had only now observed that the ground was scattered with cash and several wallets. Surely in their haste to escape the MTs, the prize money had fallen from their grasps and was discarded here.

It was Noctis who spoke first. “Are you guys all ok up there?” He called, his kingly persona now enveloping him once again.

“Y-Yeah, we’re fine!” Said the voice of what you presumed to be the eldest boy. “Those things caught of us guard while we were playing here, but thank the gods we’ve had enough experience climbing trees to get away from them!”

Ignis crossed his arms over his chest as he angled his face upwards to get a better look from vantage point. “You made it up there with ease, all by yourselves?” He called. “Would you like our assistance getting back down?”

“I-I think that’d be nice!” Now called the eldest girl. “Not that we can’t on our own but our youngest brother and sister are so scared that they can hardly move on their own!”

“Let me come up and get you guys!” Noctis called in return. “I think this will be the quickest way to get you all back down!” Before any of you could say anything, Noctis disappeared in a flash, a slight groan of pain echoing in the air as he crashed into a branch from above. You winced at the sound, but to your amazement, one by one he brought down each of the kids to ground level. Keeping your breathing level as you watched, you quickly surveyed each of the five kids, their own assassins attire dirty and ragged from being torn from the tree branches. With each kid brought to their safety, you could finally allow yourself to relax, a deep sigh escaping your lips as the friends were safely gathered before you.

Much to your surprise, it was the second thirteen-year-old boy who spoke first. “You guys…thanks for saving us. We have no idea how this all happened. One second we were running to the tree to hide before anyone found us, and the next thing we knew, we saw that giant airship drop behind us. We got curious and went to check it out, not realizing that all those Nifs were gonna be inside.”

“It was so terrifying!” Said the eldest girl. “We were just trying to have some fun! We didn’t realize what we were getting ourselves into, and then we found ourselves up that tree not knowing how to save ourselves! But you all came along like heroes and took out those bad guys!”

“A-Are…you’re thing King, aren’t you?” Spoke the other eldest child. “Only the King is capable of doing something so awesome. And you saved us! Thank Ramuh you kicked those mech’s asses when you did! We watched the whole time as you all fought! That was so badass!”

Noctis crossed his arms, and despite him seeming to want to brag about his prowess, his kingly shone through. “And we’re happy that we managed to find you guys when we did. However, I think it’s you that has some explaining to do…”

The little six-year-old girl looked as though she was about to burst into tears, and with her eyes widening at the sight of you of all people, she rushed over and plunged into your arms, her tears now streaming down her cheeks. The eight-year-old boy looked at you, blushing deeply as it was he who surprisingly spoke next. “We’re so sorry,” he said in his small voice. “We didn’t think any of this would happen. We just wanted to have fun. We were so excited about the festival and we wanted to pretend to be assassins!”

“We thought it would be fun to try and put our assassin’s skills to use,” continued the elder girl. “We had been practicing our pick-pocketing skills for a while and wanted to test them out at the festival. When we found where the prize money was being held, we just couldn’t help ourselves and thought it’d be fun to try and take that too.”

“And the moment we had our hands on it, we quickly wrote up our message and made a run for it. We were going to go hide in this tree where we would always play and hang out and see how long it would take for someone to find us, but…we never expected for anything to turn out like this,” said Teen Number Two.

Ignis gazed at you as the little girl cried in your arms, and for just a second his chest tightened as he looked at the way you held the child. He cleared his throat, turning his attention back to the teenagers. “And so you crafted the note, all by yourselves. How utterly clever and elaboratively written, if I say so myself. Yet, I do hope you are aware of how utterly despaired of a state you left your parents and the patrons in by putting forth this game of yours.”

The teenage girl blushed, casting her eyes to the ground. “W-We’re so sorry! We really are! We weren’t even thinking about all of that! We’re so sorry! We really are!”

Prompto and Gladio sighed deeply, the two men having remained silent in this matter as Noctis took charge. The King knelt down in front of the kids, looking them over seriously. “We can worry more about you telling your parents what actually happened when we get back to town. And I think you owe EXINERIS and all those people you stole from a big apology over the mischief you caused too. What matters the most though is that you are all safe and sound and nothing bad happened to any of you.” Noctis sighed again, turning back to look at each of you. “I say let’s get the kids to round up all the cash and then we can head back to the aircraft to retrieve those files. We’ll have a lot of explaining to do once we get back to town and we need to clear everything up and make our call back to the Citadel and talk to Cor.”

“S-Sounds like a plan,” Prompto chimed in. “I’ll get right on the files ASAP!”

“Hope Holly doesn’t mind us wrecking her costumes too,” Gladio added, and surely enough, the Shield was right; currently you all looked a tad worse for wear.

“We’ll get it all taken care of, guys, don’t you worry,” Noctis finally remarked. He turned back to the kids and each child tremored with excitement at the thought of being in the presence of the king. “Alright guys, let’s pick up around here so we can get you all back home. I’m sure you don’t want to miss anymore of the festival than you already have…”

“R-Right!” They all squeaked, and rushing around like baby Chickatrices the began to mend the errors of their ways.

But you, you could hardly move, for this whole time, the six-year-old girl could hardly let go of you for one reason or another. Looking at Ignis, you flushed at the way he stared at you, an indescribable heat in his eyes as he observed the way the child clutched onto you for safety and buried her face in your breasts. You swallowed hard, angling your face down to look at her as the tactician kneeled next to you. Suddenly the wide-open space of nature in which you stood felt rather small, Ignis’s hand now coming to rest upon your shoulder and the little girl’s knee. You looked at him with rosey cheeks, his green eyes flashing and his chest rising and falling in a manner that you couldn’t put into words. “It’s ok, sweetie. Everything is fine now,” you said quietly, stroking her golden wavy locks in the most maternal of ways. “Everything is fine. You’re safe with us. L-Let’s get you back home to your mom and dad so you can be safe and have fun again, ok?”

She lifted her face to look up at you and then Ignis, her sparkling blue eyes brimmed with tears, and sniffling, she nodded to you with a bright smile upon her face. Standing up as best as you could, you gasped as Ignis wrapped his arms around you and helped lift the two of you, him pressing the girl gently between the two of you for but a moment as he carefully maneuvered the child out of your arms and into his. You could hardly breathe at the sudden sight, this well-trained warrior covered in dirt and caked in sweat with his sandy hair tousled about on the top of his head now cradling this darling child in his lean and muscular arms. You inhaled deeply, your entire frame suddenly tingling and burning and every nerve in your body on fire as your loins twisted excitedly, and biting your lip, you were suddenly stopped in your tracks as a voice spoke in your ear.

_“Do you want to have a little kid, just like me one day?”_

You turned to face behind you for just a second, the vision of that five-year-old Insomnian girl holding the drawing of you in her hands and smiling up at you.

Your heart clenched, and for a second your gaze darted back to Ignis who had joined the rest of his companions and looked at you with the most adoring gaze conceivable.

You turned to the vision and took a few steps towards her, biting your lip and casting all fears to the side.

“Yes, one day. One day I hope I will too.”

And while the unexpected fiasco of today left you weary and worn, as you and your companions made the sojourn back to town, you knew for certain that in some shape or form today’s good deed would surely not go unnoticed.

**************************

Another hour passed as the day’s proverbial mess was swept to the shadowy back alleys to forever remain unseen by the assassins of the past, present, and future. The parents of the children were more than grateful for the safe return of their children, the sight of their youngsters safe and sound bringing them to hysterical tears.

“You have no idea how much you worried us!” Cried the mother of one of the thirteen-year-old boys, and the kid was certainly more than flustered in the way his mother held him to her frame. “I can’t even be upset with you right now over what you and your friends have done today and the ruckus you caused here. I’m just glad to see that you are all safe and sound.”

With the wallets returned and the prize money for the treasure hunt reinstated, the winners of the competition were finally awarded the accolade for their analytical thinking and mastermind puzzling solving.

“Y/N, and once again, you come along and save my ass. I can’t thank you enough,” Holly said when you had returned, giving you the largest hug imaginable, and by the look in her eyes you could tell she truly meant it. In fact, she looked beyond overjoyed that the chaotic day had finally come to its end. No more words were even needed to be exchanged between you and her, as if ten years of personal bonding said all that needed to be said.

The EXINERIS woman now turned to the King and his Crownsguard, and from behind Holly Cindy, Iris, and Gladio’s fiancé were beaming in the most congratulatory of manners. “You guys once again saved the day,” Holly began, shaking her head in the most apologetic of manners. “How many times have you pulled through for us when we needed it here the most. That’s one thing that I can say has never changed about you gentlemen: you’ve always gone above and beyond to help common folk such as us in need and you haven’t asked for one thing in return. And thanks to you,” she said, pausing and motioning around at the happy clamor that returned to the city as the patrons no longer feared for the unknown thief and the families were reunited, “we can celebrate in peace like we’ve waited so long for. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for your kindness.”

Noctis crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t think I could ever ask for anything in return. You holding this festival is good enough for me. Besides,” and the King smiled in the most humble of ways, “one should always take pride in doing good deeds, even if they go left unseen. What matters to me is that everyone can enjoy themselves like they surely deserve.”

At this, you and Ignis smiled at one another, and in the most discreet of manners, the tactician and you brushed fingertips over each other’s hands.

“And a good deed you did indeed,” Cor said shortly after as you and your retinue finished clearing matters with Holly and called the Marshall on the phone. “And thank the Six that you were all there at the right time and place. I cringe to think of what would have happened had the MTs traveled too far south to the city had you all not been there.”

“You received the file transmission just fine, correct?” Noctis said rather seriously.

“Yes,” the Marshall replied. “Everything was received just fine and we already have Prompto’s team and the Glaives in the process of encrypting and extracting each of the files from the ship’s database.”

“I still wanna know just how the hell that damn thing was flying around all this time and not a single soul saw it,” Gladio said gruffly, shaking his head in frustration. “You need to see it with your own eyes, Cor. The carrier is pretty damn hard to miss.”

“We’re going to be sending a team out to the location once the festival concludes to properly inspect it for its interiors,” Cor replied, his own voice laced with inquisitivenes. “Through that we hope to gain more intel on just exactly how Niflheim has been able to hide this information from us for so long and so tactfully. But as you know, that is what the Empire does best. We’re going to have our hands even more full now considering we’ve made no progress today on the Anima Project.”

You swallowed hard to this, feeling another upsurge of apprehension wash over you, but seeing your distressed countenance, Ignis took a hold of your hand and squeezed it gently. “Marshall, are you most certain that you do not wish us to return to the Crown City tonight?” He asked. “Is there anything more that you wish for us to do to aid you in this matter at this moment?”

The Marshall sighed deeply. “I would say stay put for tonight, Ignis. You all have done more than enough today and it would be late by the time you returned for the evening. And besides,” Cor said pausing, and he chuckled lightly as if hearing a joke for the first time, “I don’t think His Majesty would let me hear the end of it if I ruined his rare moment of fun. You all enjoy the remainder of your evening. I will call you if anything immediate emerges.”

To that the King smiled, exhaling a sigh of relief at the mention of some well-earned peace. Looking around at your friends, you could see that they too were more than pleased to know they could finally let their weary bodies relax.

And so after refreshing yourselves and cleansing your bodies of the grime and sweat that had soiled your bodies during your battle and with bellies full from a more than well-deserved meal, evening had finally arrived to allow you and your companions to partake in the festivities in the manner in which you had all originally hoped. Noctis finally performed the Leap of Faith several times (much to Gladio’s and Ignis’s disapproval, but Prompto still cheered his best friend on), Ignis was able to impress you with The Walk (much to everyone else’s censure, as Prompto bit his nails anxiously the whole time), and without the weight of any more worries to burden you, you yourself allowed your mind to melt to ease as the last glimmer of sunset glimmered over the horizon, emblazoning the sky with deep hues of purple, red, and gold. You and your companions sat upon the stone walls as you gazed into the star-filled sky that shared its space with fireworks that shattered like gemstones of every color of the spectrum in the atmosphere.

The sultriness of the night air certainly cooled down, but that did not stop the heat of Lestallum from soaking into your flesh. Yet, this was a different kind of warmth that enveloped you as your legs dangled over the ledge of your perch and you watched the liveliness about you. Families, friends, and lovers laughed and hollered and cheered with each magical explosion in the sky while pan pipes whistled softly in the background. You smiled happily, and for just one moment you felt yourself reminiscing of many months ago where you would sit upon these very stone walls during a hot afternoon, indulging on ice-cream and other goodies sold by the street vendors as you heeded to the local musicians play.

 _I still can’t believe that all this time has gone by_ , you thought to yourself. _It feels like only yesterday since I was here on my own, having no idea what my future would actually bring me. I had no idea what was in store for me, nor did I really understand how my life would change so drastically. And despite that sense of not knowing? Well, I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world…_

A solid frame shifted next to you as you sat, causing your head to shift slightly upon the shoulder in which it rested. You slowly lifted your head to see Ignis smiling at you with his eyes sparkling in the most breathtaking of ways. You grinned back, blushing deeply at him and becoming rather bashful at the way his hand resting behind you began to trail lazy circles softly down your lower back.

“H-Hi, Iggy,” you said breathlessly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as you nipped your lower lip.

The tactician chuckled softly as he leaned down to press the most decadently chaste of kisses upon your forehead, causing you to swoon. “Well hello to you too, Y/N, my dearest.”

You laughed, the evenness of his words rolling of his tongue sending the most delightful of shudders down your spine. Looking away from him for just a second, you spotted your friends situated about the town square in their own seats, Gladio’s fiancé seated directly upon the Shield’s lap and Prompto and Cindy and Noctis and Iris seated far too closely to one another to be considered on the terms of friendship. Up above, a fiery red firework crackled and sparked in the night sky, lighting up each of their joyful faces, and witnessing their jubilation warmed your heart. Around you the chorus of patrons “oohed” and “ahhed” as paper lanterns gleamed all around you and the smells of simmered meat and vegetables and sweets graced your nostrils. You turned back to look at Ignis, scooching more closely to him upon your seat.

“You know, we somehow have a tendency to get ourselves in trouble, don’t we?” You said wistfully as you rested your hand upon Ignis’s knee, and your touch caused the man to shift slightly forward upon the wall in which you sat.

The tactician raised an eyebrow, his grin rather lopsided. “Trouble? Why whatever do you mean, Y/N? When have we ever once found ourselves in the center in toil as we tried to enjoy one another’s company?”

You laughed out loud to this as a green firework burst into the air, further illuminating the lush shade of his eyes. “You’re really funny, you know that?” You said teasingly, brushing your fingers over his leg. “You never fail to make me laugh or smile, especially when you are purposely acting aloof.”

The tactician chuckled, and moving his free hand from the ledge of the wall to the top of yours, the electric energy of his touch that you had come to love and know oh well now coursed through your body, you shivering with exaltation as he placed a soft and teasing kiss upon your bare shoulder. “I only jest, dearest, but I certainly more than know precisely what you mean. It appears times never change, as the gentlemen and I back in the day had more than enough turmoil’s and tribulations to endure through in our own escapades. Astrals know how trouble never fails to follow Noct around.” At this the advisor grinned as if the younger part of himself decided to make himself welcome. “But as I have said on more than one occasion, I do not think that I would wish for it any other way. Although the storms may rage across the lands and threaten all that seek shelter from its wrath, it is always more than certain that the sun shall illuminate the world after the darkness shortly after.”

You smirked at this, repressing a giggle. “Hmm…spoken quite quizzically and mysteriously like an assassin,” you remarked sheepishly. “I think you are also finally getting into the spirit of this festival.”

Ignis’s eyes flickered for a moment, his orbs darkening at your words, and you hastily pondered what you had just said to receive such a response. Brushing his fingertips over the top of your hand ever so lightly, he was now smirking at you in the most roguish of ways. “Oh, and in perhaps more than one way I am feeling the spirit,” he said rather seductively. “But that is a riddle that I wish for you to decipher…”

Your eyes widened at his remark as his other hand brushed down your spine, causing you to fight back a moan against his touch. Biting your lip you remained as composed as you could amongst the presence of the civilians who continued to cheer as each silver and gold shower of sparks irradiated the sky. You swallowed deeply, struggling immensely to find your words.

“Y-You know, Ignis,” you began, combatting with yourself to keep your thoughts chaste, “I want to thank you once again as always for today. For having my back, for having faith in me, standing by my side as you always do, but even more importantly, keeping me levelheaded. I guess you could say that…you’re my ‘roots’ that keep me bound to the ground. And seeing you and the guys fight today really helped make me find that strength in myself.”

Ignis’s chest heaved at such words, and smiling softly at you he reached up with his hand and cupped the bottom of your chin to angle your face upwards towards face his. “And I shall always and forever remain as your roots, my love. Never forget that. Your bravery and wit today as always inspired me as well. I could say that perhaps my own roots are entwined with yours. I shall never part with yours and I shall always be there to ground you whenever you falter. Please never ever forget that, not even once…”

You inhaled sharply, your eyes shimmering with a sudden onslaught of tears that you did not anticipate. Feeling an imaginary presence watching you, you turned your head away from Ignis for only just a second, looking out at the sea of patrons who smiled and laughed as they watched the fireworks spectacle. With a clench of your heart your eyes spotted one individual in particular, one you had done all you could today to prove wrong.

There standing within the crowds was the visage of Ardyn, leaning against a tree as he watched you, his mouth drawn into a smirk and his eyes gazing at you resentfully with a sense of temporary defeat.

 _Do you see me faltering now, Ardyn?_ You asked him as you stared back at him. _Am I so incredibly weak like you thought I was? I proved you wrong today, and I’m going to keep on fighting until I die to make sure you never forget that._

Turning back to Ignis, you palmed his face, kissing him softly and catching the tactician temporarily off guard.

The Imperial Chancellor halted his breathing, his face blanking as he watched you kiss the man you devoted your life to, and looking back towards his direction you could see that he was less than pleased. But still, Ardyn Izunia slowly broke into a sick smile and bowed to you.

 _Until next time then dearest_ , he said in your head as he watched you _. You have yet to show me your worthiness_ …And with one more bow and a tip of his fedora off his head, Ardyn turned into the crowd and was gone.

“D-Darling?”

Your gaze quickly scurried back to Ignis who was suddenly looking more flustered and amorous than ever, and finding yourself blushing and tucking your hair behind your ear you smiled. “S-Sorry about that,” you said embarrassingly. “I suppose I’m feeling rather caught up in the moment right now.”

Ignis raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat. “I beg your pardon, but did you just apologize for kissing me? Do you honestly think that such an action should warrant justification?”

You were flushing more crimson now, his scrutinizing and spirited gaze getting the best of you. “Well n-no, but I-“

“But what, dearest?” He cut in as he tilted his head to look at you, a silver firework illuminating the beauty of his scared face as he grinned at you.

You finally let yourself go and laugh. “I just…well…I love you, Ignis. Simple as that…”

But just as the royal advisor opened his mouth to reply he was interrupted by the seas of people who cheered in ovations. Turning your heads in the direction of the sound, a gathering of musicians had centered themselves in the middle of the square and began to slam upon their instruments, a sudden chorus of drums and bongos now reverberating through the air. Two acoustic guitar players seated themselves next to them while a panpipe player stood beside them, and impatiently people rushed around them and began to start moving jovially as the music intensified. After several measures of drums, the guitar players struck their chords and began to perform the most jubilant of music, the panpipe player following suite.

Your eyes illuminated and you smiled broadly, and once again you were taken back to those memories of those steamy Lestallum nights that you had always enjoyed so much.

“Y/N! What are you doing just sitting there? C’mon!”

“Huh?” You said as you were pulled from your daydream, and now standing right in front of you were Iris and Prompto who grinned widely at you.

“You aren’t just going to sit there, are you?” Iris asked. “C’mon! Get up and join us!”

Prompto took a hold of your hand and gently yanked you off the wall, causing you to gasp from laughter as he led you into the crowd that jumped and twirled and danced to the rhythm of the music. Grabbing ahold of your hands and swirling you around, Prompto and Iris lead you in a dance that caused your head to dizzy but nonetheless make laughter leave your lips.

 _Such an almighty sound_ , you thought as you gradually let your body lose itself to the pounding of the drums and the heavenly pitch of the panpipe, and you couldn’t help but giggle over how even Noctis and Cindy decided to join the dancing frey, you having never seen the two let loose in such a manner. You beamed and blushed deeply as you watched Gladio in a manner unlike his usual self become less reserved in his mannerisms as he scooped up his fiancé and twirled her to the beat of the music.

Louder than sirens, louder than bells, sweeter than heaven, and hotter than hell…

You shut your eyes and smiled as the sounds of the drums reverberated against your chest, and delightful laughter tumbled out of your mouth as you bumped into the patrons around you who all too lost themselves to the festive music.

“Woo hoo! Go Y/N!” Prompto cheered as he clapped his hands, and with each slap of his palms you picked up your rhythm, lifting your arms above your head and dancing upon the balls of your feet. Your skin burned, sweltering like the steam that coursed through the Lestallum pipes, and with each strike of the drums your heart resounde in your head, the mighty sound sending you into a frenzied and graceful motion as you threw all fears and cautions to the wind.

Sweater than heaven and hotter than hell…

“Go, Y/N!”

“Woo hoo!”

The music consumed you. Louder and louder did the drums chorus through the air. You were breathless. Flushed. Louder and louder. You laughed as you danced with your companions beside you. Pure joy exuded. All fears gone.

But it was with a strong pair of hands that now gripped softly at your waist and spun you around to face a towering and lean frame did you all become utterly breathless to the gaze that captured your eyes in his, and the proximately of his heated frame was all too much for you to bear.

“I-Ignis!” You gasped breathlessly as his eyes locked to yours, and by the flame burning in his eyes did your limbs instantly weaken to the way his large hands held onto your waist.

“Aw yeah, Igster! Time to join the party!” Prompto called from somewhere to your left, and Noctis suddenly burst into a fit of jovial laughter.

But with the tactician pressing his frame tightly to yours and smiling at you in the most roguish of ways, you could hardly keep your wits about you as he took your hand in his and began to move with you across the pavement.

_Astrals, oh Astrals above…_

Sweeter than heaven and hotter than hell…

The drums thumped louder. Cheers and song resonated through the streets and the fireworks continued to radiate in the sky, but nothing compared to the drumming of your heart and the heat that engulfed you as Ignis sashayed you and twirled you and dipped you in his arms. This was not the first time you danced with him, no not at all, and immediately your mind wandered back to the very moment in which this all began, the very moment you first touched and he asked you to dance with him the night of the royal ball. His grace. His sophistication and his poise and the way that he maneuvered his feet while he led you like the grand master of dance. Yes, you felt it all in this moment as he lifted you with ease. But this time, there was something much different. Something that could not be put into words but only actions. There was a passion not to be compared as he gripped at your waist with all the restraint in the world. He held you closely and pressed his forehead to yours, his exposed flesh glistening with sweat in the heat of the Lestallum night as the swarms of people surrounded you. This was a man unraveled, a man lost to his passions and incited by the scent of your perfume and the musk of your pheromones that tickled and teased his nostrils, and gasping for air your body raged with heat at the way his fingertips pressed into the small of your back.

“Hell yeah! Go Iggy!” Cheered Gladio from somewhere, but you were blind to all else as this man embraced you, his pulse throbbing in the side of his neck as he lost himself in your eyes.

Louder and louder. The drums deafened you, but that paled in comparison to the thrashing of your heart in your chest and the throbbing of your loins deep in the depth of your core.

“Y/N,” he whispered softly, and now you were gone, gone to caress of his voice. How long could you withstand yourself any longer to the salaciousness of his tone, the sound of your name rolling off his tongue swallowing you whole and drowning you in this sea of people. “Y/N,” Ignis whispered again, and seeing nothing else but him, you gasped with surprise and your spine singed painfully as he let go of your waist and took you by the hand, leading you away from the masses. You could hardly walk upon two feet, your unstable legs pliant like melted rubber as step by step the sounds of revelry slowly died away, and with only a few random stragglers of Lestallumnites wandering the side streets and giggling in their own mischievousness, you found standing in the secluded alleyway right outside of your old apartment.

You were hardly given a moment to process why you were brought here as Ignis pressed you gently but resolutely up against the brick wall just right outside of your apartment, and his lips descended to your bare shoulder and began to kiss the exposed flesh in the most sensual of ways.

“I-Ignis!” You squeaked and gasped, moaning softly and trembling against him as you threw your head back against the brick.

“Hmm, yes, Y/N?” He panted between his peppering of his kisses, and shifting the fabric of your collar slightly, he moved his mouth to the base of your throat and continued his sinful motions of his lips.

You gasped more harshly, whimpering as your body began to instinctually gyrate against his, and with your eyes snapping fully open your loins twitched and tightened at the sudden feel of the rock-hard protuberance of his shaft through his pants pressing against your belly. “I-Ignis, I…I…”

Ignis chuckled, taking note that you could hardly formulate your words as his lips grazed over the side of your neck. Pulling back to gaze at you, he suddenly gripped ahold of your buttocks and lifted you into the air, your back now fully pressed against the brick behind you and his groin grinding directly against your heat. Feeling utterly breathless at his overly bold gesture in a not-so completely undisclosed location, you wrapped your legs around his waist squeezed with your thighs, your arms wrapping around his neck for support.

“Yes, my dearest?” He cooed in the most teasing of ways with a grin on his lips.

You swallowed hard, finding it impossible not to laugh at his intended and feigned aloofness. “Y-You know, I’m rather surprised by you r-right now,” you managed to say, your throat constricted and your mouth completely dry. “S-Someone can surely see us if they walked by.” You smirked spiritedly, shaking your head. “It’s very unlike you to be so… public about your advances towards me, although I am not going to complain at all.” Blushing more deeply, you felt your stomach flutter with delight over the thought of how the during the entirety of this day he had done nothing but tease you with the most subtle of touches. “You’ve been very playful all day long. What’s gotten into you today?”

The tactician tilted his head to look at you, and him pressing you more firmly against the wall to help steady you, you gasped harshly as his length poked at you through the cottons of his pants. His expression softening and his smile becoming more innocent, he pressed a delicate kiss to your lips and rested his forehead against yours. “F-Forgive me for my raillery, my love,” he murmured sweetly, cupping your chin with his hand and pressing a second kiss to your lips. “My mind has hardly been able to concentrate on anything but you since I’ve awoken today, save for our perilous escapade earlier on. I was feeling rather distraught over how troubled you were yesterday and I’ve so desperately desired to rid you of what plagued your mind. But unfortunately, my plan was thwarted with our misadventure today. And seeing the way you handled yourself against the assassins and how you helped soothe that child in her time of need? Perhaps you could say you further ignited a passion deep within my being. Needless to say, the moment all was squared away I only wished to help rid you of your qualms. And so thus, what better way to do so than to catch you off guard in the manner you may least anticipate or perhaps handle...”

Your heart tightened and your stomach fluttered at the tenderness of his words, your hand now touching the sides of his face as you looked him deeply in the eyes. You nibbled your lip, feeling your blush deepen as the heat of his loins pressed directly into yours. “W-Well let me say that you are going above and beyond in succeeding in making me forget once again like you did last night. Just what exactly happened again today that was making me worry so much?”

Ignis chuckled, nipping your chin and smiling at your joke. “This pleases me greatly,” he murmured, kissing you again. “And perhaps…well…”

You raised your eyebrow at his playful undertone. “Perhaps what, Mr. Scientia?”

His eyes darkened and his nostrils flared, and the once sincere smile that was one his lips was quickly replaced with a devilish one. “Perhaps if you allow me, I would like to make you forget anything else that is still lingering in the back of your mind and replace it with one thing only.”

You nipped your lip, knowing very much what he was implying by the manner his shaft pushed against your heat through his pants. “And that is…” You mewled.

“How to say my name and my name only, my love.”

Once more the drums slammed and reverberated in your chest and ears, and somehow you found yourselves standing within the quarters of your old apartment. Astrals bless the tactician for carrying a spare key on his keyring, because before you knew it you found yourself within your old bedroom, Ignis’s back pressed down upon the mattress as your body snaked over his and you kissed each other with a passion and fervor that was ready to explode like the very fireworks that continued to erupt over the Lestallum rooftops. Wanting nothing more than to feel his lithe and solid flesh against yours fully, you began to shakily unwrap the cloth of your blouse when Ignis stopped you gently with his hands.

“I would…like to try something with you tonight, my love,” he uttered softly, his syllables rolling over his tongue like honey. “Do you trust me to continue to lead you in the dance?”

You were shaking. Trembling. Your heart was pounding so deafeningly that you could hardly hear a word he said. “Astrals _yes_ , Ignis. You know I’d trust you with my life.”

The advisor blushed and smiled in the most devilish of manners, and leaning upwards he kissed you deeply on the mouth once again. “I must admit though: I do not want to draw too much suspicion from our companions once we rejoin them later, and so thus would like to cut to the ‘chase’, if you will. Consider this your appetizer for future indulgences…”

You couldn’t control the moan that tumbled out of your mouth, and swallowing hard, you fluttered your lashes at him in the most bashful of ways. “Then continue to lead me in this dance, Ignis. Show me how you want me to move…”

Ignis’s nostrils flared and, and situating himself upon his knees he took a hold of your waist and maneuvered you upright. You gasped as you quickly found yourself upon your hands and knees, and already feeling your blood pump to the tips of your extremities, you began to anticipate what he was about to do. Feeling him situate himself better upon his knees behind you, the distinct clink of a belt and the rustle of leather and fabric caught your attention in the most wonderful of ways. Turning your head around you whimpered to see that he removed the heavy cowl that sat upon his shoulders, exposing his lean and toned frame that glistened with a slight sheen of sweat, and pointing upright and swollen with blood was his exposed shaft that managed to escape from the restraints of his pants.

He was grinning at you, and your cheeks and neck hurt so badly with how intensely you were blushing. But realizing that you were still fully clothed but situated in a rather provocative position, you surely began to put two and two together. He was going to continue to tease you and drive you to madness, even this far in his game.

But even more so, as you stared at the length of fabric that once was wrapped around his torso and he now held within his fingertips, your groin twitched at the premise of what he was about to do.

“You surely trust me, right, my love?”

_Yes, oh gods yes…_

“More than anything, forever and always…”

With that Ignis shifted himself behind you, pulling you upright for just a second as he slowly wrapped the fabric around the front of your face, instantly shrouding your eyes and leaving you in the dark. Astrals, how your heart was hammering in your chest as the cotton blackened all that you saw, and with careful precision and soft fingers did Ignis tied the shroud at the back of your head, taking special care not to get your hair caught in the knot.

You could hardly breathe, the sound of your heartbeat getting louder and louder as you felt Ignis press soft kisses to your shoulders and trail his fingers down your back to the exposed part of your spine from your cropped blouse. You gripped at the bedsheets, the sudden loss of sight leaving you in the physical and proverbial dark, and you quickly realized that you would have to rely on your sense of sound and touch to anticipate what he was about to do to you next.

“Are you alright, Y/N?” Ignis asked you in the most tender of ways, and gulping you found it almost impossible to formulate words as you felt your skirts being lifted up and draped over your waist.

You shivered at the sudden exposure of your skin and blushed even more so at the more than obvious scent of your arousal suddenly permeating the air. “Oh Astrals yes, Iggy,” you murmured, and whimpering you arched your back as his fingertips brushed over your exposed thighs.

“Tell me if anything becomes too much or hurts and if you need me to prepare you more,” you heard him say, and gasping for air you felt your panties being tugged to the side and his fingertips suddenly pressing to the entrance of your heat. Ignis groaned, his hips bucking forward against your behind as he sifted his fingertips between your sopping folds. “A-Although by the feel of it, I would assume that you are already _more_ than ready…”

You could have sobbed over the incredibly sexy timbre of his syllables that graced your ears, and tugging at the bedsheets you could no longer keep your wits about you as he gently pushed a finger inside of you to ease the tightness of your passage. You threw back your head to the ceiling, arching your back and moaning while his other hand snaked its way under the fabrics of your skirt and gripped at your waist. “Ignis, gods,” you began to plead as his finger rhythmically pumped in and out of your heat. “Please…please…please don’t tease me any longer. I need you. Now.”

With his breathing hitching, the tactician groaned as he slowly extracted his finger. Brushing his hands over your waist, buttocks, and thighs, he pressed the head of his shaft to your entrance and slowly sheathed himself inside the depths of your heat.

You cried out as the royal advisor instantly began a deep and steady pace inside of you, his hands gripping firmly at your waist as he penetrated you from behind. You were gasping and sobbing with delight, the lack of being able to see all but hear everything sending you into an erotically blissful state of being. The heated and heavy moans that that left your lover’s lips were like a heavenly chorus and the slapping of his flesh against your folds reverberated in your ears like the snapping of a chorale of snare drums. You tore at your bedsheets between your fingertips, you bucking your hips as your body shifted harmoniously against his. “Ignis…Ignis…” You gasped, tossing your head back towards where you thought the ceiling was, and with the tactician growling deeply at the sound of his name being said, you felt him shift behind you so that if felt that he braced upon one knee as he took you from behind. His left hand leaving your waist, you whined with delight as you felt him take a hold of your wavy hair between his fingertips and tug ever so gently while his shaft moved slickly in and out of you.

“Y/N, my darling,” he choked, and what you would have given for a second to see his face as he uttered your name. “Astrals, how I love you. Gods, how I want to make you forget your fears and I will not stop for an instant until you do.”

He quickened his pace ever so slightly, his thrusts reaching deeper into your depths and sending your knees sliding forward as you held onto the bedsheets for dear life. “I-Iggy, I love you too,” you moaned between your fervid cries, your skin burning like the fires of the Infernian as Ignis stretched you and filled you to completion. “I want you. I l-love you. I want more…”

The tactician growled at your request, and with his hand gently letting go of your hair he reached underneath and softly gripped at your breast to pull you upright against his chest. His hand reached under your chin at your throat and held your face in place, his other wrapped around your belly as he continued his deep pace, and crying out with absolute pleasure you whined and moaned as he nipped at the side of your neck and peppered soft kisses over your cheeks in the most adoring of manners. Struggling to steady yourself as best as you could you reached with your hands behind you and grabbed ahold of his frame.

“My darling…Y/N…” He moaned again, and by the way he uttered your name you could tell he was gritting his teeth. Grazing his teeth over your ear, he angled your face to shower kisses all over your forehead while his other hand snaked underneath your skirt and began to play with your bud, the extra added sensation almost too much to handle as you could only envision how lust-ridden his eyes blazed as you called out each others names.

Ignis never stopped. With each thrust and with every shout of his name you forget one by one all your fears, all your worries, each assassin you slayed today and every horrible vision that plagued your mind as he made love to you.

You could hardly hear your own moans over the slamming of your heart like a drum in your chest, the pulsing of blood in your veins louder than sirens and bells, and with each passing second you only became more and more lost to the indiscernible pleasure that washed over you like a flood. Ignis maneuvered you in every which way you could imagine, his body pressed to yours from above as you were doubled over. From the side and with your leg raised high like a tower in the air. From the edge of the bed as you braced your feet as sturdily as you could, the tactician never failing you for a second as he lead you in this private dance, and with each passing second it was truly only his name that you could remember how to utter.

Now you felt yourself positioned upon his lap, the strategist’s hands grabbing at your waist as he lifted you up and down on his shaft while he glided into you from a seated position. You buried your face into his chest, sobbing with absolute pleasure as you wrapped your arms around his neck, and with each thrust that sent you jolting upright, what you would have given to look into his eyes with your own.

Louder were your cries, and you knew that at any second you were bound to lose control.

“I-Ignis…Ignis…” You muttered and sobbed with exhalation as you gently sunk your teeth into his shoulder to ground yourself. “Please…Please…I…I want…”

“What do you want, my love?” He asked through choked words, and with each powerful thrust you could tell that he too was almost at his wit’s end.

“I…I want to see you…please…You’ve lead me through the shadows. N-Now let me see you in the light…”

Ignis hissed as you nipped at his shoulder, but with him pressing his lips to your own, you felt his hands place themselves on the back of your head to undo the cloth which blinded you. Feeling the fabric loosen around your face, it was with a sigh that you could now see again, your eyes instantly locking to Ignis’s whose eyes shined with adulation and affection and all the lust in the world for you.

“My beautiful love…” He murmured, pressing his lips to yours and tangling his hands within your hair, and it was now that his assault within your heat left you utterly speechless and screaming out with absolute pleasure.

Louder. Louder. Louder.

Gods, you couldn’t hold on any longer.

Words weren’t needed to express your ecstasy as you buried your face into Ignis’ neck and cried out, your walls clenching and throbbing and pulsating around his length as you reached your peak. Your body twitched and your toes curled as you sunk your nails into his back to brace yourself, his name tumbling out of your mouth uncontrollably as he didn’t stop his gesticulations for one second. Even Ignis too became lost, your clawing at his flesh and your praise of him only spurring him on further, and with a powerful thrust that sent you jolting upright he too reached his climax. You gasped and sobbed for air as his hot seed began to spurt and coil into your depths, the fluid burning your insides in the most delightful of ways. How much he came astounded you, and with your walls gripping at his length and soaking up every droplet of his seed, you could only whimper at how truly full you felt of him. With each pulse of his shaft Ignis muttered your name over and over again, his lips pressed to your clavicle as he whimpered uncontrollably. After a few moments passed, both yours and his climaxes subsided, and in pure exhaustion you plummeted to the bed beneath you, Ignis’s frame falling on top of yours.

Ignis immediately enveloped you in his arms as you both steadied your breathing, and looking up at him you felt your heart flutter at how completely unraveled and disheveled he looked. With wide eyes, he gazed down at you, his cheeks flushed and his lips slightly swollen, and before he could open his mouth you pressed your fingers to his lips to silence him.

“L-Let me ask you first this time,” you said breathlessly, trying not to laugh at how utterly flustered he seemed to be. “Are _you_ alright?”

Ignis suddenly grinned and laughed, resting his forehead to yours. “Alright is quite the understatement, my dear,” he said shakily, still seeming to ride on the high of the moment. “Consider me… ‘slain’ right now, if you will…”

Could this man possibly be any more adorable in such a heated moment.? You giggled weakly at his response, reaching up to touch his face and pressing your lips to his. “Then consider me equally deceased. What did Noctis say earlier? What do the assassins say? ‘Resquiescat in pace’? Yeah, I might need a bit of a nap after that…”

The tactician chuckled, brushing your hair away from your face in the most affectionate of manners. “And leave our companions wondering why we never joined them at the Leville for our festivities tonight?” He asked, smirking slightly. “Do you wish for an onslaught of teasing, especially from Gladio? We still in fact need to retrieve our belongings from the car…”

You laughed softly again. “Fair enough,” you began, “although you are certainly to blame when I can’t formulate coherent thoughts around them. But…not that I’m complaining about that at all…” Now, as you looked up into the advisor’s eyes, you felt your heart tremor and your lungs become breathless at the beauty emanated from his orbs, feeling suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of sentiment. “Ignis…thank you…Thank you as always, just like I said earlier. I’ve…I’ve had a lot going on in my mind as of late, but as always, you know exactly what to say and do to set me at ease. And I just hope, well…I just hope that with whatever challenge meets us next, I can be there for you to support you just like how you support me. I have a feeling more than ever now that I can’t let you down…”

Ignis’s expression softened as his eyes began to shimmer with tears, and cupping your face he studied you intently. “You never will, my love. You never have let me down and you never shall, for as long as we both live. And whatever it is that you fear, I shall bear with you as my own burden. I love you in all that you face, Y/N, forever and always…”

“Forever and always, Ignis…”

And soon enough, that promise would need to be held fast to more than ever…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The soundtrack to the Assassin's Creed DLC was very inspirational for the writing of this chapter. The song that everyone is dancing too at the very end during the fireworks is actually the song "Man on a Mission" from the FFXV Volume 2 soundtrack! The sound captures very much the feel of what I was trying to go for in the ending scene and I know that it definitely makes me want to get up and dance!
> 
> *I'm having a ton of fun with the idea of the Reader's visions and dreams becoming more physical in form. I was skeptical about her having the conversation with Ardyn again like she did in Chapter 21, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that he truly is the embodiment of everything that has been frightening the Reader Really when you think about it, if it wasn't for Ardyn and his manipulation of the Empire, a lot of the tragedy that has fallen Eos may never have happened.


	24. Leave My Body

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry. So so sorry. Words cannot begin convey how utterly sorry I am that I have kept you all waiting with an update after this hiatus. I used to be so prompt and thorough with updates, but life in the last few months has hit me hard and made things more difficult than I could have imagined for me to handle. Depression and overwhelming fatigue and lack of self love made everything a chore for me, and nothing is more frustrating than when one of your greatest passions is stinted by your own mind. I hated every moment of it. However, I have been working very hard on getting my mind set right once again and back on track to where I feel like myself . I'm getting there for sure and I'm starting to be happy again.
> 
> While I know that life comes first and one must take care of themselves before anything else, even still, I have felt so sad in knowing that I was unable to produce content due to my own ability to see past my personal walls. I feel horrible in promising you all that I would be more frequent with my updates after my previous hiatus, but like I said, my own inability to stay focused and awake and feel confident in myself hindered my ability to write. I hope you all can forgive me, and while I am under no obligation to have x amount of chapters produced at a given time, more still, I felt it was my own personal obligation in my heart to do what I love doing the most. This story is so precious to me and I want to see it completed. I can't let Reader's and Iggy's story go left unfinished.
> 
> Thank you all so much for your understanding and patience with me.
> 
> With that being said, after this chapter I am going to do a major reread to help me get back on track with where I am going with my ideas. I need to make sure that no stone has gone left unturned as well as make sure that no minor plot elements have gone left unexplained, and so again expect there to be a delay in my next update. I think refreshing my brain on what has happened so far will certainly give me some ideas to help string together what I have in my head more coherently. If by some miracle I can get a chapter out sooner than I had anticipated, than Astrals bless me! I hope chapter 25 will be out sooner than later!
> 
> Again, thank you all.
> 
> Anyways, onto the chapter itself! ^_^
> 
> Last we left off we concluded with the assassin's festival, and boy did it end with a bang! The tone of this chapter is very much the polar opposite of the last, but that's in a good way! What new adventure awaits our lovely couple on the upcoming horizon, you will just have to find out, and I most certainly hope that this chapter will be worth your long overdue wait. ^_^
> 
> As always, your comments (especially now more than ever) are more than appreciated, and gods how much I missed hearing your thoughts and conversing about this story! Let me know what you're thinking! ^_^
> 
> *You can find me on Tumblr as missyunie!

_I don't want your future_

_I don't need your past_

_One bright moment Is all I ask_

 

_I'm gonna leave my body (moving up to higher ground)_

_I'm gonna lose my mind (History keeps pulling me down)_

_Said I'm gonna leave my body (moving up to higher ground)_

_I'm gonna lose my, lose my mind (History keeps pulling me, pulling me down)_

_Pulling me down_

_Pulling me down_

_Pulling me down_

_Pulling me, pulling me down_

_-Florence and the Machine – “Leave My Body”_

********************************************

_Wednesday, several days after the festival…_

Bliss and tranquility can enshrine a soul with their presence at any moment and hour of day, but their anticipated embrace has never felt more exceptional and desired than in the early waking hours of the dawn. Almost dreamlike in state and ethereal to the touch like gossamer fingertips stroking the bare spine of one who seeks shelter from the qualms of the world, as you lay within the dark confines of your bedroom you prayed to the Astrals that they would never let you part with the heavenly caresses of solace that currently graced you in your own personal paradise. You sighed peacefully, the cool morning air coursing in through the open window helping you placate every worry that had festered in your mind during the duration of the last few weeks as its cooling touches tickled your back. You tightened your grip gently, a blithe smile spreading over your rosy lips and cheeks as you rested your head upon the warmth on which you lay, and within this very moment you would have never been able to discern if you reposed in heaven or on earth.

But in the grand scheme of the world in which the Astrals fabricated with their bare hands, nothing else in this universe mattered at this moment. No, not a single affliction or torment plagued your soul as you brought your lips to the base of the shaft of your lover and his fingers plunged achingly slowly into the depths of your inviting heat.

“I-Ignis,” you sighed gaily as you rested your head on his inner thigh, the tightness of his digits massaging your passage and causing your spine to burn in the most wonderful of ways. You hissed and gritted your teeth and an expletive left your mouth as he plunged his fingers into your depths and rubbed your bud with his knuckle, and whimpering and wiggling your behind towards his face you could only begin to beg and plead for more of his touches.

“Y/N, my love…” He whispered in the dark, and yet this man needed no sight to guide him as he withdrew his fingers from your passage and situated both hands lightly on the curve of your behind. Pressing his fingertips into the mounds you suddenly found your grip squeezing more harshly at his length as you heard him lift his head from the pillow and bring his mouth to meet your wet folds. You threw your head back and cried out, your lips drawn into a contended smile as his expert tongue began to lap within the folds of pink and sweet flesh and flick at your bud.

“Ignis, Astrals,” you choked, and Six how ashamed you felt that you could hardly focus on your own task in hand that was red and tumescent and throbbing to your touch. Inhaling sharply you mustered your composure as you lowered your head and brought the tip of his manhood to your mouth again, your tongue lapping at the tip and relishing in the bitter and salty flavor of his apparent arousal. He moaned as you began to swirl your tongue around the head, your other palm cupping gently the soft sacks of flesh that carried his seed. His resonations of pleasure were all you needed to advance your motions, and with your eyelids fluttering shut you inhaled deeply before drawing his length into the back of your throat as far as it was physically possible.

A loud groan escaped the tactician’s lips again as he gripped more tightly at your buttocks. Removing his mouth from your womanhood for just a second, he placed doting kisses upon your behind and rubbed his nose against your folds to deeply inhale the scent of your arousal.

“G-Gods, Y/N, you’re exquisite,” the strategist murmured, and his praise made your loins twitch with delight. No, this surely was not the first time you pleasured one another in this manner. In fact, over the course of time, Ignis learned to relish in these moments where you would awaken each other to the gesticulations of each other’s hands and tongues, and there was no more glorious of a way to greet the dawn than by tasting his seed that trickled down your throat while your loins quivered to the manner his tongue delved into your passage.

You surely couldn’t speak to offer him praise in return, for now your eyes were watering as his length hit the back of your throat and caused you to gag slightly, but Astrals you could care less at the slight discomfort. What mattered more to you than anything was letting this man know how much he was loved and how much he deserved to be worshipped in your hands.

You whimpered and moaned as his mouth resumed its ministrations, and with each passing second it was getting harder for you to remain composed. You were trembling on both knees and your toes curled with elation to each flick of his tongue, and had your cries not been muffled by the velvety length that sought shelter in the confines in your jaw, you would have sworn that Shiva herself in the heavens would have heard your cries and pleas to seek release.

 _Astrals, never let this pleasure end_ , you prayed, but as Ignis became more fervid with the undulations of his tongue, his hands holding you like a vice in place as to not allow you to escape from this pleasurable prison in which he never wanted you to flee, you could only bear the indiscernible delectation that burned though every nerve, fiber, and tendon in your body for so much longer.

He too needed to feel just as heavenly as you.

Your breasts pressed firmly into Ignis’s belly as you began to move your mouth more rapidly over his length, your cries of pleasure now mingling with his own as the temperateness of the tenebrous bedroom enveloped you in this private little heaven. You braced one hand upon the bed by his hip as the other gripped at the base of his shaft for support, and with his fingertips pressing into your buttocks as his tongue licked relentlessly at your bud and he sucked up every drop of your arousal that dripped from your heat, you began to feel the tell-tale signs of your impending climax that was bound to send you sobbing with ecstasy.

 _Ignis, oh gods, how I love you_ , you tried to say but could only ruminate as your mouth and throat resounded and vibrated around his length, and the sensation of your muffled syllables humming around his manhood only seemed to spur Ignis on in a frenzy. Tears of the pinnacle of pleasure streamed down your cheeks, and not able to withhold your cries of pleasure any longer, you removed his shaft from your mouth with a loud pop and buried your face into the softness of his inner thigh. You gripped his shaft and pumped your hand up and down the length mercilessly, and with his own growls and groans rumbling against your folds and sending you seconds closer to your apogee, you once more prayed that the imminent release could refrain itself for just a few seconds longer.

“I-Ignis…Ignis…” You cried as you fastened your eyes tightly, sheathing his length into your mouth once again to help steady yourself with the coiling and twisting of your loins.

“Gods, Y/N,” was all Ignis managed to utter, his own animalistic moans tumbling out of his mouth uncontrollably as you felt his shaft twitch within your jaws.

Seconds. Just a few more seconds.

_Oh Astrals…yes…_

Eight. Seven. Six.

 _Release with me, my love,_ you thought blissfully.

Five. Four...

_Almost…_

Three. Two.

“RING RING RING RING RING.”

Your eyes snapped open and you choked on Ignis’s member, for the sudden unexpected pealing of your phone caused your heart to jolt unpleasantly within your breast and your body to go excruciatingly numb. Even Ignis was startled as he lay beneath you, his chest heaving erratically and his breath heavy and fluttering against your folds, and not knowing what to do in this instant, your body screamed at you to ignore the call and resume your moment of privacy with your lover.

But with the clock reading 5:13 in the morning and with the distinct shrilling ringtone that you had set for this particular caller, your heart began to race for new reasons. No, not out of the lingering, immense arousal that was interrupted unexpectedly to your dislike but for a different matter; this call was received at such an unnatural hour before you even were to rise for work, this call by a friend who knew very well not to disturb a companion at such a time.

“I-Ignis, g-gods, I’m so sorry, but I have to…I have to answer this right now. I don’t know why she’s calling a-and it could be an emergency,” you choked breathlessly as you scurried off of his body.

“I-It’s alright, darling,” he stuttered reassuringly, and yet, there was something despondent and worried in his tone before you even picked up the phone.

Snapping on the lamp by your bedside and blinking to the sudden brightness that illuminated the room, you scampered to and sat on the edge of the bed and shakily grabbed at your cellular, your lips curled in a vexed frown as you answered your caller.

“C-Cindy, hi! Is everything ok?” You asked hastily, trying to catch your breath and mask any hint of apparent lascivious activity that just occurred within these quarters. And yet, your apprehensive tone betrayed you as you spoke, and thank the Astrals that Ignis now sat by your side and placed his hand on your knee to help steady you.

“Oh thank heavens you answered!” Cried Cindy on the other line, and immediately your chest tightened by the tremoring of her words. “G-Gods I am so sorry to be callin’ so early and I know that you’ve got so much on yer p-plate but I’m so damn s-scared right now and I knew that I’d feel better if I called ya and-“

“C-Cindy, please calm down,” you interrupted quickly as your heart pattered nervously in your chest. While Cindy was certainly no stranger to danger as seen by her perilous escorts in which she had embarked on during the ten years of darkness, in all of these years of knowing the woman you had never heard her sound so utterly distressed. Immediately, you suddenly started to fear the worst. “W-What happened? You have to remain calm and tell me.”

The grease-monkey goddess let out a slight sob on her end, the sound of her despair making you panic even further. “I-It’s absolutely terrible, Y/N. I only just got to the garage about 10 minutes ago to see what happened and by gods was I terrified beyond belief when I arrived! I g-got a call from Taka who was tryin’ to prep for the morning crew’s breakfast menu, sayin’ that Hammerhead was attacked! T-Thank god n-no one was hurt but I don’t know what the hell to do right now!”

All color drained from your face and all oxygen left your lungs as you tried to keep yourself composed. Next to you, Ignis stared at you with wide and troubled eyes, his hand upon your knee now shaking as he listened in carefully to Cindy’s unsteady voice on the other line.

“Cindy, o-oh gods, I am so sorry! Thank the Six indeed that n-no one was hurt but did anyone see what happened?”

“No!” The woman cried. “Not a livin’ soul saw a damn thing. B-But I was fortunate that when I called the local officials and the hunters HQ Dave Auburnbrie was able to immediately contact one of his hunters who just happened to be minutes away on the road. They are here with me right now but I’m still so damn scared because it’s hard to really see in the dark to see all that happened. Our lights got damaged and so we have ta use flashlights and spotlights right now!”

You were almost in tears at hearing your friend’s anguish, but for Cindy’s sake you fought with every ounce of your mental fiber to remain strong for her sake. “Cindy, don’t go anywhere and keep yourself safe. I-I’m going to call the EXINERIS girls to get a few others down there to assess the situation and I am going to leave as soon as possible so I can try to help you figure out what happened!”

“Oh Six bless you, Y/N,” Cindy cried with a sniffle. “I-I don’t know what I’d do without ya. You know how I’ve always trusted you all these years and I’d feel worlds better knowing that you were helping out.”

You bit your lip, knowing that in this moment you couldn’t let sentimentality get to the best of you. “Just hang in there, Cindy. I’ll be right there.”

And with pressing ‘end call’ on your phone, you hung up on your friend and the room was silent once more.

You could hardly breathe. Your stomach churned nauseatingly within your belly and you hastily stood up on shaky feet as you tried to steady yourself and process everything Cindy had said.

_No…no…this can’t be…this can’t be happening. Everything…everything has been relatively peaceful, minus the assassins and those few camp attacks. Everything was so quiet and normal and now this happened and-_

“Ignis, no, this can’t happen. Hammerhead!” You proclaimed as you gripped at your head at a loss. “Nothing bad can happen to Hammerhead again! Not like all those years ago! What are we going to do? Cindy and Takka could have been hurt and-“

“Y/N, look at me,” Ignis said softly, and with a gasp you startled as he stood up and placed his hands upon your shoulders. You turned around to look at him, and while his face was blank and somehow collected you could tell that by the quiver of his pupils that he himself was trying to remain as unruffled as possible. “Y/N, it’s alright,” he added feebly as if reading your mind. “Get yourself ready and I will be there with you.”

You could only stare up at him as you tried to process his words. “B-But Ignis! You had the council meeting today! You were supposed to meet with Noctis and the council to go over the findings of the airship and-“

“Do not worry for one moment about that,” Ignis replied calmly as he grasped at the sides of your face to anchor you “I will take care of that. I shall call Noctis to make sure he is aware of this emergency and Iris to have her fill in in my stead. She is more than proficient in studying the notes that I prepared. Right now the Hammerhead matter is the most pressing and imperative issue at hand. I have known Cindy for over ten years and I too know that I have not witnessed her in such a hysterical state. If she too is this worried, then I cannot stand back and not assist you in aiding her plight.”

“I-Ignis…” You choked breathlessly, placing your hands upon his chest as a panicked tear trickled down your cheek. “I…I…”

“Prepare your gear and I shall too call Jeanne to inform her of that you shall not be on schedule at the office today as well as Holly to inform her of the circumstances,” he said as levelly as possible. “Do not fret, my love. I will help you see this through.”

With the royal advisor placing a quick and reassuring kiss upon your forehead, you bit your lip and nodded at him. With adrenaline suddenly coursing through your veins and your fists clenching with determination, you readied yourself for the adversity that would soon rear its hideous head.

**************************************

Not a single word was exchanged between you and Ignis as you sped across the bridge away from Insomnia, and for the first time in what felt like eons it was actually you at the foot of the wheel, charioteering one of the EXINERIS vans that was brimmed with equipment of all sorts and varieties. You had no idea what to anticipate once you arrived at Hammerhead, and with the horizon barely glinting with the sheen of the rising sun, it was going to be more than enough of a trial to assess the incalculability of the situation in what little light you had.

Your hand clutched tightly at the steering wheel, your knuckles whitening as your mind whirled with a million thoughts all at once. Somehow, despite the panic coursing through your veins, your eyes remained focused on the road ahead of you. Soon enough, you would be where you had to be.

 _Astrals please…let this not be as bad as I’m imagining everything. Please let Cindy and Takka and everyone be alright,_ you thought helplessly as you choked anxiously on your thoughts. How many times now. How many cases of these turbulent attacks brought upon by the forces of nature across Lucis. Once again, there was another. How many more would have to be endured?

 _The Malboros in the Balouve_ _Mines_ , you began, your brows furrowing further at just the thought. _It started for me there._ _The Coeruls at the Prairie Outpost, the Behemoth at Wiz’s…what else?_ You took a deep breath, your exhaustion from being awoken so suddenly this morning vehemently combatting your unsettled and raging mind. _The Wyverns at Veritas. The Sahagins out at the Vesperpool. Crestholm. All these camps….and now Hammerhead? Hammerhead of all places? What the hell is going on here? What is causing all of this to happen? What-_

Immediately your thoughts were halted as Ignis’s warm hand lay upon your thigh, and the sudden contact of his gloved digits pressing reassuringly into your leg almost made you jump. You cast your glance to him, his emerald orbs gleaming with concern and the strands of his slicked-back hair already loosening themselves from his haste of getting ready this morning.

“I know what you are thinking right now, Y/N,” he vocalized quietly. “This is all most disturbing. One more case on our enumeration and yet we are not one step closer to uncovering the rejoinders we wish to seek. Despite the uncanny connections between these incidents, we have yet to discern what is the root cause of it all. I know that you are most worried right now, but please, let me reassure you that we shall work every step of the way together as we try to determine what has caused the devastation. I promise you that we shall work through this together.”

You could only gawk at him for a moment as you responsibly turned your head back to the road. Once more he never failed to read your inner disorder, and so sighing deeply you removed one hand from the steering wheel and placed it on his own. “Ignis, thank you,” you responded breathlessly. “Thank you. Thank you as always. And gods, am I more than grateful that you are going to be with me today by my side to help me through this all.”

Ignis squeezed your hand gently, a weary sigh of his own escaping his lips. “I would think nothing else of it, as I always express to you, my love,” he replied softly, his eyes too focusing on the road ahead, and from the corner of your eye you could see that he was now frowning. “Noctis himself is most displeased with the whole scenario as we speak. He loathes to think that he can’t assist us himself today, and so he shall be sending several of the Glaives in his stead to collaborate with us. Prompto dispatched me an approximation of their arrival time, which should not be much later after us.” Ignis paused as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “Astrals, how Prompto is beyond his wit’s end over this matter right now. He could hardly keep himself rational on the phone this morning when I called him. He wished more than anything to assist us but I assured him he needed to be by Noct’s side today in the examination of our collected data from the carrier. Both of them feel more that indebted to Cindy for all she has done for us in the past. This is the more reason I hope we can resolve what we shall face as promptly as possible.”

And surely this was not just the case for His Majesty or the gunman. How you as well felt more than indebted to the grease monkey goddess for all that she had done over the course of the last ten years, and even though you had risked your life for her on more than one occasion at the expense of keeping her business and services afloat to the survivors bunkered down in Lestallum, you certainly would put your life on the line time and time again if that meant keeping her safe.

But it wasn’t just you and your companions who felt this strongly for the gorgeous mechanic and her cohorts at Hammerhead. As you neared closer to the rest stop, you began to tremble with an indescribable mix of indignation and fear at just the thought of what you were to witness when you arrived. Hammerhead wasn’t just any old outpost. It was the service station that brought Lucians across the land together. People traveled for miles just to have their cars serviced and inspected by Ms. Aurum and to indulge in the savory goodness of Takka’s cooking. Hammerhead was where patrons felt loved and respected by those who provided them such top-notch services that you couldn’t find anywhere else. And so, with your hands gripping painfully at the steering wheel once again, you could only grimace in disgust over the thought that any living thing on this earth would seek to destroy the very place that brought Lucians together as friends.

Suddenly you gasped, and the words of Ignis from just mere moments ago reiterated themselves inside your head.

_“One more case on our enumeration and yet we are not one step closer to uncovering the rejoinders we wish to seek. Despite the uncanny connections between these incidents, we have yet to discern what is the root cause of it all.Your eyes widened. Connections. Uncanny connections.”_

_Astrals, has Ignis even realized what he just said?_

Your heart began to hammer within your chest, your mouth suddenly desiccating like arid sand. You couldn’t believe it. Why was it only taking until now for you to realize this after _all_ this time? After all these months? Could it truly be so obvious?. “I-Ignis. I-I just thought of something,” you uttered shakily, angling your head to look at him. “You just said something and I really think you are onto something big.”

“Pardon?” The advisor said naively as if confused. “And what is it that I’m onto?”

You would have laughed had it not been for the gravity of the moment. How could the brilliant strategist not be seeing the genius of his own words?

“I-Ignis,” you began excitedly, despite how afraid you were just moments ago. “You don’t even realize what you just said and now I’m feeling ridiculously stupid for truly just grasping this all myself. You said ‘connections.’ We’re dealing with just another case like we’ve all been dealing with for months now. Connections. Just…look at all of the reports and think about how they are all connected.”

Ignis’s eyes slowly widened, and for a second he removed his visor from his face as if in disbelief. “Bloody hell,” he muttered, he too now seeming more hoodwinked than ever before. “How am I only just discerning the similarities at this moment as well? The reports…the reports of each case have shown similar bits of evidence at each scene of the apparent crime. Each…each landmark showcased similar acts of destruction. The power…the power…”

“E-Exactly,” you cut in softly, almost unable to keep your hands stable on the steering wheel. “Except for the cases at the campsites which are likely due simply to the nature of them being so far away from civilization, at each site, the power has been cut. The beast at hand purposely sought out the very source of the means to keep the place fully functioning to its full potential.”

How the sudden cold irony of this all. You had worked so hard to restore the light to Lucis. Now? You fought back against the forces of nature that sought to destroy all the hard work you accomplished with your blood, sweat, and tears.

How cruel life could be sometimes, couldn’t it be?

Ignis’s grip was painfully squeezing your leg, and just by the touch of his fingers you could sense exactly what was going through his head. “Y/N, you do realize what this all means, yes?”

You swallowed hard, struggling immensely to find breath. Were you really one step closer to making sense of all the madness that had encumbered your life since the light had returned? “Ignis. Something…something is making these animals go _specifically_ for the power. These beasts are driven by something to act this way. This isn’t all random like we used to think. Something-“

But your words were cut off and you gasped for air as you stared at the road up ahead.

_Hammerhead…!_

Ahead, the rest stop glared luminously, not from the usual light poles that cast their warmth across the plaza, but with spot lights that had been brought in from Six knows where, lit by bulbs for warding away daemons. Their incandescence cast an eerie light across the pavement in the early morning air, and for a moment you could only wonder if you were caught amidst a terrible nightmare. You were trembling now in utter disbelief at what you saw, not just at the mere sight of what damage you could perceive from your stance on the highway but with the amount of motor vehicles and trucks that lined the road along the highway.

 _Dear gods…all the activity here_! It was as if everyone awoke from their slumber to cast a glimpse at the horror that had ensued in the dark. Pushing your foot down on the pedal more harshly as if not even abiding to the speeding limit, Ignis’s hand never leaving your leg all the while, you hastily reached the rest stop and pulled the vehicle into park along the road where you could even find a spot. Quickly ripping the keys out of the ignition, you jumped out of the truck with wobbly feet, Ignis hastily exiting the vehicle to join you at your side as your mind failed weakly to comprehend all that you saw.

_Gods…no….oh no…._

Your hand covered your mouth as your eyes took in the sight of the revolt before you, the light provided by the spotlights delivering just the right amount of illumination for your eyes to adjust to the dimness of the oncoming dawn _._

_No….this can’t be…how….how is this even possible? What the hell could have done this?_

Through the heavily crowded sea of what appeared to be patrons as well as investigators and other locals, your eyes quickly scanned the plaza for traces of the revulsion that left Cindy so panicked, the area ribboned with bright yellow caution tape to prevent anyone from stepping past dangerous boundaries. The destroyed light pole at Wiz’s? The wiry mess in the depths of the Balouve Mines? All of your previous cases paled in comparison to the current destruction. Not too far to the left to one of the central parking areas near Takka’s, a jeep had been turned upside down and had skidded towards the front entrance of the restaurant as if kicked like a ball by the Archaen himself. Throwing your glance upwards, you saw that the lofty towering light pole emblazoned with the Hammerhead name and logo that greeted travelers as they neared or passed the highway was utterly demolished in every sense; several of the light fixtures were either sparking precariously or were blown out as if smashed with a bat, and the very metal infrastructure that kept the tower upright was now squeezed in, crushed, and bent sideways as if choked by the hand of Ifirit. The hammerhead shark which accented the structure had been completely ripped off and fallen to the ground below, cracking the cement in the pavement. Takka’s Pit Stop itself was completely black on the inside, and you quickly assessed that in some shape or form the power supplied by the generators from behind the restaurant had been sabotaged. The remotely newly renovated minimart that you had worked tiresomely months ago to install new power outputs and wiring into was also left in blackness, and swallowing harshly you could only assume the worst that all the hard work you had done was now left for a naught. But even worst of all, as you took one feeble step forward and continued to examine the catastrophe of Hammerhead, you were suddenly assaulted with the noxious redolence of gasoline. With a light cry of despair leaving your mouth, there too was one more atrocity of just another act of structural massacre, the newer gas pumps you helped institute all those months ago now torn up from the cement like roots of a tree.

There were no words. You were frozen in your boots in the perplexity of your stupefaction as to what could have caused such travesty. You were trembling, no, _quavering_ like an earthquake of the gods, and covering your mouth, you fought back a tear that threatened to burst forth from your tear duct at any second.

_Cindy…Takka…everything that she had worked for to establish this place and keep it running, now destroyed. Everyone here….gods, someone could have gotten hurt! Someone could have been killed!!!! But what…what…_

But through the clamor of all the voices that ran about Hammerhead like frightened and mystified Anaks, it was the sudden hiss of Ignis’s voice that suddenly startled you the most. Turning your head to look up at him, your tear-brimmed eyes widened at the sight of his mien, his jaw clenched tightly and his teeth bared as if those pearly whites would shatter at any moment. His brows were furrowed so deeply on his forehead that you would have sworn his eyes had completely turned back, or even worse yet, it was as though his gaze burned like the infamous purple flame that once haunted your dreams.

He was angry. No, he was _irate_. Affronted, suddenly appearing ferocious like a lupine and barbaric beast, and with his fist clenched at his side you could not name the last time you had ever seen him looking this enraged in your entire life.

You were trembling at how this was all suddenly so much beyond what you would have anticipated, and so before proceeding any further with your investigation, you slowly placed your hand over the advisor’s gloved-fist.

“I-Iggy” You breathed softly, your syllables tremoring as you spoke. “Iggy…are you….are you…”

“I’m alright, my dear,” he choked, his words barely audible, and in a rather perturbed manner unlike himself he quickly grabbed your hand as if for reassurance. The tightness of his fingers over yours was almost painful, but quite frankly you could care less if that meant helping the always commonsensical man ground himself. “It’s just that….I…I….l-let us locate Cindy first before anything else, alright, Y/N?”

You could hardly speak as the palpitating electromagnetism of Ignis’s aura seeped into your hand and surged through your body, and with following his lead, you made your way towards the face of the garage where you assumed your friend would be. With each step you passed through crowds of frazzled patrons as well as men dressed in construction uniforms, Cindy and Takka having likely called in their emergency distress to more than one source. Making your way over to the garage, the virulent smell of gasoline tickling your nostrils, you also took note of several men and women in rugged fatigues, and by the glinting of the dog tags around their necks, you quickly discerned that Cindy had made the logical choice in her desolation to call in the other experts.

“Y-Y/N? Astrals, is that you? Oh thank the gods above you’re h-here!”

And there was Cindy, standing at the head of the garage with an oversized jacket wrapped around her petite frame and her eyes brimmed with tears as she watched you approach. There, standing next to her side, much to your immense relief was none other than Dave Auburnbrie, the head of the hunters having likely been more that desperate to see the damage with his own eyes.

You had barely approached Cindy when she hastily stepped towards you and wrapped her arms around you. “Oh gods, I’m s-so glad ya made here so quickly,” she murmured shakily, and the disheartened tone in her voice was enough to make you want to sob. “I c-called in as many folks as I could ta help because I simply didn’t know what to do first, but seein’ you and Ignis here right now is makin’ me feel a whole lot better and safer…”

You squeezed her back tightly before pulling her away to study her face. You had known Cindy to always be an early riser, but even in this case with the sun now slowly starting to break over the horizon, you had never seen her looking this utterly exhausted since the darkness plagued the earth. “C-Calm down Cindy, it’s ok,” you said as reassuringly as possible. “Gods, I’m so glad you are ok. I’m so sorry about all of this that is happening to you right now.” You paused, remaining strong to keep your wits about you. “Y-You did the right thing, and I am so glad that you called in Dave and the hunters for back up. Ignis and I tried to get here as soon as possible, but I still feel better knowing that you were not alone when we were on our way.”

The grease monkey goddess was trembling and sniffling in such a manner unlike you had ever seen, but taking a deep breath, she finally seemed to be calming down as she nodded to you in response.

“Cindy, I am most relieved to see that you are alright and that no one was hurt,” Ignis chimed in softly as he took a look at Dave who nodded back to him. “For obvious reasons you had to be more than prompt with us on the cellular earlier. Could you please inform us now of what has happened here in more detail? We…we are most grieved to witness what has transpired, but we need to be provided with as much minutiae as possible in order to evaluate how we approach this issue.”

Cindy took another deep breath before looking at Dave who reverentially remained silent during this time. “L-Like I told ya earlier on the phone, Takka always gets to the restaurant mighty early to start settin’ up for the morning crew, even way before I start workin’ in the garage. He arrived around his usual time of 5:00 to witness what you yourself are seein’ now. He called me immediately once he knew that he himself was safe and I got here as fast as I could, but he didn’t see a damn thing and that’s what left him speechless. The poor man is still so scared that he can hardly even talk, less than he usually can, and right now he’s in the back of the garage still talkin’ to the local officials so they can help calm him down. But when I got here myself I couldn’t believe what I saw and I was immediately shakin’ and quiverin’ like a Flan at the thought of what on earth coulda done this.” She sobbed on her words, and now she finally turned to Dave next to her as she hugged her jacket more closely to her frame. “Thank the stars that when I called Hunters HQ that some of Dave’s men here were able to get here within ten minutes, and he himself showed up shortly after with several other of his guys. They’ve been surveying what they could ever since, and well…”

Cindy’s voice trailed off and her eyes widened, and it was almost as if she had lost all ability to speak at the expense of her trauma. Taking note of her distress, Dave cleared his throat.

“We immediately made sure once we got here that the area was secured, but as Cindy here said, it was hard to fully tell the extent of the damage, especially since the main lighting source for this complex here had been damaged. We called in the officials who managed to get some spotlights in since we knew our flashlights wouldn’t just do the trick like we wanted them to, and well, let me tell ya that we weren’t happy with what we say beyond the first glance…”

You and Ignis cast a nervous glimpse at each other, the blaze in Ignis’s eyes having never faltered this whole time. “A-And….just…just what exactly did you find?” You asked the head hunter, as a droplet of sweat trickled down the side of your face in this chilly morning air.

Dave simply grimaced. “You…you’re gonna wanna follow me so I can show ya…”

Cindy continued to quiver but nevertheless nodded in agreeance, and so with you and Ignis following Dave, you made your way past the streams of caution tape and the hunters, officials, and construction workers who continued to examine the damage. As you trekked past them and headed in the direction between the eclipsed market and Takka’s dinner you shuddered at the thought that something had caused such a wreckage to make these structures void of power. But now, as Dave lead you to behind the edifices, you immediately gasped and stopped dead in your tracks at what you saw.

The wiring and power generators both had been completely shredded and torn and ripped from their connectors, but by what which would have done so was essentially and wholly indiscernible at first glance. Shaking with an oncoming sense of fear, you and Ignis began to walk around the dynamos for closer inspection. One of the machines in question was completely obliterated, the apparatus quashed with the weight of the mystery perpetrator. What kind of teeth or claws or weight of such a beast could have caused the defoliation, you were not sure of, but wracking the hunter side of your brain as quickly as you could, you began to ruminate every single option that you could.

 _What in all of Eos could possibly have done something like this?_ You thought anxiously as you crouched down to further examine the power chords that sparked precariously. Casting a glance up at Ignis who was analytically studying over the generator that was left to flatten shards, you swallowed hard as a shiver ran up your spine. _Something of size. Something that could tear or shred or rip with immense strength._ You instantly recalled the Hammerhead light post whose metal was bent at a dangerous angle and was scrunched like foil. _H-Hell, even climb! What could have done that? What creature has that kind of power all the way here in Leide?_

All herd beasts were immediately out of the question as well as crustacean and arthropod species such as Stoneshears and Reapertails. Unless a rogue Behemoth decided to make its unpleasant visit to Hammerhead or a reclusive Bennu elected to rear its massive wings in the presence of civilization, you were completely stuped and at a loss at all deductions.

“Err, Y/N, that isn’t all that you need to see though….”

Dave’s voice startling you, you stood up and looked over at his direction, and with Ignis standing by your side, the tactician hissed in shock over what you and he were now looking at.

Just a good ten feet away was the flattened and demolished fence behind the Hammerhead facilities, the width of the gap in the fence at least a good fifteen feet wide. With you and Ignis hastily making your way over towards the spot, you gasped to see that wasn’t just the fence in which was obliterated and several barrels and crates were smashed askew; the earth leading away from the destruction was hallowed out, a tubular indentation impressed within the dusty ground.

_Astrals…what…what the hell has done this?_

But something in your hunter instinct signaled a red flag. Looking out towards the rolling plains of the Weaverwilds, your eyes followed as best as they could in the dark the indention left as proof of the beast’s guest appearance at Hammerhead. The immense size of such a thing….how could no one not witness such a spectacle, even for such early hours in the morning? Had no early bird traveler saw the perpetrator?

But there was more to this than just that. Just one set of marks. On trail left behind by the criminal at large. No other path leading out.

_Could that mean that…._

“Bloody hell,” Ignis growled as he stared at the mutilation, but before you or Ignis could make a remark, one of Dave’s hunters came darting around the corner and towards your direction. “D-Dave! The EXINERIS girls and some Glaives just showed up! They are going to want you to give them the run down of the hunter report ASAP.” The young hunter looked specifically at you, his body shaking with a nervous energy. “Y/N, right? And Mr. Scientia? You two especially are wanting to be seen.”

Dave made no waste in waiting around and immediately followed after his comrade without a word. Ignis cast you a glance and nodded, his lips wordless and his expression fierce and resolute, and he quickly grabbed ahold of your hand and squeezed it. Nodding in response, you squeezed his hand back, and hand in hand your both hastily followed after Dave.

You had hardly taken a few steps out onto the main plaza when you spotted from across the way two more vehicles that had just arrived, you hardly believing your luck at the simultaneous promptness of their arrival. But it was as you spotted two glaives you had only known by face who began to survey the scene as Dave approached them, it was another individual whose arms were wrapped around the Hammerhead goddess in the most sisterly of embraces.

“H-Holly? Holly!” You called anxiously as you spotted your senior boss hugging her best friend frantically in her arms.

Holly pulled back for a moment to see you approach, and even in the dimness of the morning you could see that her eyes were brimmed with tears and that she was shaking in a manner unlike her usual professional persona. “Oh Y/N, Ignis, gods, I can’t tell you how happy I am that you are here right now,” she said breathlessly as she too pulled you in for a hug and cast a glance at the shaken Cindy. “The girls and I got here as fast as we could. Jeanne managed to get a hold of us even before Cindy here did, and thank goodness we were already on the road to do some maintenance out at the Astor Slough Coernix Station this morning. Jeanne and some of your girls are on their way now too to help us take care of the mess. I just…” And Holly paused, the utter distress in her voice causing your throat to tighten. “I just can’t believe this. Hammerhead…In my whole life I never would have thought to see something like this happen again. Gods, I’m glad we’re getting the help today because this is going to be one hell of a muddle to take care of. Cindy, I…I’m just so glad you are ok, and I can’t believe that you have to deal with this of all things…”

Holly’s words trailed off as she stared at her best friend, and you could only imagine the pain that festered in her heart in this moment. Holly and Cindy as bosom buddies surely had their fair share of tragedy and heartaches during the years of their friendship, and for Holly to see with her own eyes what could have happened to her best friend had she been here at the wrong time and place made the most sinister and hair-raising of shivers course down your spine.

All the while Ignis was gripping tightly at your hand, his expression stone-faced and pensive as he gazed at the two friends, but before he could open his mouth to speak, Dave and his small team of hunters as well as the two glaives who would be joining you approached your conversation. In seeing this sudden gathering of warriors from all walks of life, you could not have thought of a time you had seen such company looking this positively grave and forlorn. This was all so much, this sudden joining of said parties like something fabricated in an action film when the world was on the edge of falling apart.

The glaives finally looked to Ignis , their eyes wide with a sense of reverence at seeing the royal advisor standing there amongst everyone else, and with a bow one of them spoke slowly. “M-Mr. Scientia. The damage here. The hunters just showed us and-“

“I’m aware,” Ignis gently cut in with a glower on his face. “This is much worse than I have foreseen, but I am most grateful that His Majesty was able to export you out as quickly as possible. Thank you for your promptness.”

“The King wasn’t happy when we left,” said the second glaive cautiously, also scowling and shaking his head with repugnance. “Hammerhead….it was our last safety checkpoint before we were able to make grounds back into the Crown City before the King’s fight with Ardyn. I never thought I’d see it in shambles like this again after how hard it was to restore after we had used it as a base.”

Cindy could hardly utter a word at her own disbelief as if reminded of a terrible past, but it was next Holly who looked at Dave and sighed heavily. “You can say that again,” she said sadly, “and we are going to all need to work together through and through to get this taken care of. I’m glad we have the hands on deck here because there is no way that just a few of my girls could get this underway.” Holly cast you a meaningful look as if addressing you personally before she turned to Dave. “Dave, just what on earth do you and your guys think did this?”

The hunter predispositions in your mind had failed to come up with a theory on the spot and so you were more than curious to hear what the real expert had to say. But with a despondent countenance of sadness and frustration spread over his lips, the head of the Hunters HQ equally appeared at a loss. “Even in my experience I’m questioning myself on exactly what the hell I think it is, but somethin’ is tellin’ me that we ain’t dealing with something of the ordinary for the region. As you all know with our past cases in the last several months, this most certainly hasn’t been a good thing.”

 _Dave…even he is having doubts now too!_ You msued anxiously as you continued to wrack your brain for other possible ideas. _Shit, then what the hell are we going to do?_

“Then it appears as though we must tackle the matter head on and blindly, best to our judgment right now,” Ignis said rather analytically, and knowing him to always be a man with the plan, surely this was not his best proposition for the situation. “Needless to say, I too agree with Holly in that I am more than beholden that we have myriad hands on deck so that we can tackle two Zus with one stone.” The tactician turned to Cindy, and you were still more than surprised that Ignis had never let go of your hand this whole time. “I think it is best that now since the sun has risen a tad more, we began to formulate our course of action for this day. Two parties perhaps: one to remain at base and begin working on the reconstruction, the other to head out and seek out the fiend that has brought you this distress.”

Cindy’s lips quivered as she attempted to remain composed. “I…I just don’t how I’m supposed to thank you all for helpin’ me like this,” she began with a tear strolling down her cheek. “This is such a burden that you all hafta bear now because of me and it’s breakin’ my heart because I wasn’t here to see what happened. That woulda made life so much easier for all ya’ll if I could have put a stop to this!”

You opened your mouth to interject but it was Holly who silenced her best friend. “None of that Cindy. Had you and Takka been here sooner? You both could have been killed. We wouldn’t need that tragedy. What matters is that everyone is safe and no one got hurt.”

“And by the size of what we’re gonna be dealin’ with, well, let me say regretfully that you wouldn’t have stood a fightin’ chance against it,” Dave added remorsefully.

The thought alone caused your stomach to lurch as a brief silence washed over your companions while the hustle and bustle of the Hammerhead plaza continued about you. You swallowed hard as the frantic voices buzzed in your ears like Killer Bees, and casting a glance around you, busy hands were already at work in surveying the cost of the damage and trying to clean up the muddle.

Holly spoke next to break the silence. “Well, I’m gonna get started now that it’s a little bit brighter out. The girls and I need to start inspecting the rest of the damage fully so we know exactly what needs fixing in order to get the power up and running again. At least your garage was sparred, Cindy, so let us hope Takka’s and the Mini Mart won’t be so bad either.” The woman sighed heavily as she looked over at her parked EXINERIS truck. “I just hope I have enough on board on the truck to fix what we have to fix. Jeanne said she was packin’ more than enough supplies, but that still isn’t a guarantee we’ll have all the necessities. Hopefully the construction companies have stuff on hand too. And just moments ago, I got a message from the King’s council that we’re getting an LC-X sent out here too to make things a little easier.”

Your eyes widened. An LC-X? Perhaps, just perhaps Hammerhead could be restored to its destined grandeur sooner than you hoped.

But where did that leave _you_ in all of this?

_Do I stay behind and help fix this mess? Or do I go out and help find what did this?_

_What do I do?_

“I-I am grateful for however you help me. You know that, Y/N,” Cindy said quietly as if sensing your inner turmoil, and she approached you slowly and wrapped her arms around you, the blond bombshell shaking tremendously as she held you against her frame. “I’ve always had faith in everything you do. Just you bein’ here right now is enough to make me feel at ease. T-Thank you as always, Y/N.”

Your throat muscles tightened at the sincerity of her words, and letting go of her petit form, you slowly turned towards, Ignis, Dave, his hunters, and the Glaives. After a pause, it seemed like your mind was made up. “I want to go out and help,” you announced slowly. “I know Holly and the girls are going to be just fine taking care of the damage while we go out and search. I just don’t want to risk any further the idea of having that thing come back for whatever reason, or even striking some other place before we have the chance to take it down.” You gazed intently at Ignis, the tactician’s chest rising and falling somewhat uneasily yet his heated eyes somewhat pacified by the confidence of your words. “I am anxious as all hell now, Ignis, and I know that we might want to think this through, but I simply feel like we can’t waste anymore time in sitting around waiting to decide our next course of action. And with the sun finally rising, at least we’re going to have some light to work with.”

After a moment of silence, the strategist sighed deeply and once again engulfed your hand in his, and you still couldn’t get over his sudden need to touch you in such a manner of all times. “I agree with you, my dear,” he declared, “and I will be with you each second as we solve this matter.”

“I’m gonna leave half of my team here to keep an eye on the EXINERIS girls as they start workin’,” added Dave. “I’m gonna help ‘while we continue scannin’ the rest of the perimeters. Some of my guys here will take charge in my stead as you set out as they’re some of my best.” You were not surprised at Dave stating he would be remaining behind in the least. While he still had possessed the ability to fight, by the looks of his guys that walked about the plaza they appeared to be more fit and in shape for the rigor you were about to endure. “I think you’ll be good to go with the team we have. Some of the guys scouted out remnants of what looks like ‘tracks’ of sorts which look like they headed straight up north, but we won’t see just where exactly they lead until we start fully trackin’ them. The van is already to go and so you can head out right away and follow the marks.”

Everyone suddenly looked to Ignis as if he was their leader, despite no one having ever proclaimed that he was in charge of the operation. Regardless, the tactician nodded to Dave then looked to the glaives and the hunters who stood by his side. “Very well then. Let us best be prepared for anything and everything. We haven’t another moment to lose.”

With your lover squeezing your hand one more time for reassurance, you headed towards your own vehicle to gather what you needed, and set out for the perilous endeavor ahead.

**************************

Rumbling loudly, the hunters’ van rolled languidly over the dusty dunes and flats of the northern Weaverwilds as you carefully observed the plains from your seat. With squinted eyes, your gaze never once left the path of marks left behind by the enigmatic beast, and all the while as the van bounced awkwardly you could not help but feel anxious over observing how the evidence of the treads of its body dug deeply into the sandy earth; in all of your years of hunting escapades you had never seen anything of the likes.

But what was more horrifying was the notion that not a single paw, claw, or hoofmark was left behind. Could this perhaps be a tail that erased away any trace of its presence?

Or perhaps its body.

 _I don’t like this at all_ , you said to yourself as you wiped away a droplet of sweat that clung to your forehead, and glancing over to your right you saw that Ignis too was intently studying the marks as the van continued north. The vein in his left temple was pulsating sporadically and his jaw was clenched so tightly to cause the tendons in his neck to strain, but all in all he remained his classical composed self. Swallowing hard, you remained silent in not wanting to disturb his focus in following the tracks, and almost out of nervous habit you reached up to your throat to finger the skull pendant that dangled at your clavicle. Feeling the metal in your fingertips help pacify your nerves for just a moment, your eyes trailed down to the seat to the leather cuff that peaked out from the sleeve of Ignis’s jacket. With your heart swelling at the sight of the gift, it was just enough to give you a sense of comfort to help placate your uneasy mind.

Taking a deep breath you glanced at the other members in your retinue, and for a fleeting instant you couldn’t help but feel rather self-conscious over the notion that you were the only female in this party of rather rugged and rough-and-tumble men. The two glaives whose names were Crixus and Laius hung over the edge of the van and scanned the horizon for any other potential signs of disturbance in the field (save for the Reapertails that scuttled away at the sounds of the vehicle vibrating against the earth and some Daggerquills soaring in the sky above), while the hunters who accompanied you named Marcus, Fredrich, and Elijah drove the van and readied their rifles respectively. With your katana prepared at your side and with your pack of curatives and magic spells situated in your pack between your feet, you took a deep breath once more and continued your examination of the landscape ahead.

 _How eerily quiet_ , you mused as your spine prickled. _It’s like the other animals know something is up. They are scared, and by what happened to the likes of Hammerhead this morning, I can’t blame them._

Your retinue continued to drive on soundlessly when suddenly the hunter named Fredrich shifted with a start. “Look! There! Up ahead!” he shouted abruptly as he stood up in his seat and pointed up ahead, and quickly everyone’s eyes snapped in the direction of his finger. Your eyes widened, and with the others standing up cautiously to get a better look while Marcus continued to drive, immediately you found yourself speechless to the most peculiar sight up ahead.

The northeastern Weaverwilds had always been scarce of trees and other lush fauna, but as the van proceeded forward and followed the line of tracks, there, up ahead, was a large tree that had been knocked over and uprooted completely from the earth.

 _That…That tree could have fallen over naturally from a weak root system or a sandstorm_ , you justified to yourself, but as the vehicle cautiously neared the scene and reared to stop, your face blanched as you processed just exactly what you were looking at. No, surely this tree did not fall down on its own from a natural cause; its branches would have snapped from toppling naturally, but in the tree’s current state, you knew this was not the case. Every single major branch on the tree appeared as though it was purposely snapped one by one or if they had been intentionally squeezed and crushed just like the tower back at Hammerhead, and here now the once majestic tree lay entirely reduced to a pile of shattered firewood.

“What the _hell_ on earth did this?” Remarked Crixus before you could even speak, and surely enough he shared the exact same sentiment as you. The glaives who were trained to handle any predicament that were thrown at them certainly did not have the same level of expertise in assessing such strange phenomenon as the hunters, and so surely you couldn’t blame the man’s bewilderment.

“I would say at first glance that this was some pretty nasty lightening bolt that did the trick,” Elijah answered with a scratch of his head, “but Ramuh sure as hell knows that this thing would have likely set on fire from such impact. There are no ashes or burn marks anywhere.”

“But why the hell would anything want to destroy a tree?” Asked Laius as he ruffled his hair, his frustration over the matter rather apparent. “What purpose would that even serve for this beast to do that?”

“If we knew what we were dealing with I could give you a better answer to that,” Marcus chimed in as he sighed. “It is not uncommon for animals to show agitation or aggression to their natural environments when under distress. Certain species as you know may act destructively for the purpose of finding nesting resources or digging or tunneling to create burrows for their dens, but in this case with this tree out in the middle of nowhere, I am failing to find any logical answer off the top of my head. Unless the thing was just pissed or something.”

“Or if it saw the tree as a blockade in its rampaging path,” Ignis added, and turning to look at him you could see that his eyes were directed north of the tree where the tracks continued. “And for whatever reason it sought to attack Hammerhead, it most surely did not like its objective being hindered in the slightest. But why not maneuver out of the way to avoid such, I wonder…”

Your eyes fell to the disturbed sandy earth around the tree, taking note now of how several rocks had been kicked up and tuffs of grass had been flattened by the weight of this beast’s hefty frame. You shivered, finding your bewilderment even more of a reason to feel perturbed, and while you never in a million years would abandon your cause that you set yourself out to do here today, the dismayed part of your brain couldn’t help but envy your friends who were currently back at the safe haven of Hammerhead.

But as your eyes continued to look at the mess of the tree that was the stuff of nightmares, it was as your eyes followed the path north towards Cotisse Haven that a startling revolution came to mind. Recalling from earlier the discomfort you felt over examining the destroyed fence and the peculiar tracks that led away from the Hammerhead establishment, you knew you were in for a rough and unpleasant fight.

“Guys…” You verbalized aloud with brows knit together. “We had to have missed something. Something just isn’t right here at all!”

Ignis cast a bemused and curious glance at you, his hand extending out to place itself upon your shoulder. “Dearest, what is it? What is on your mind?”

You felt embarrassed for even giving your input in the presence of such experts, but still, having more than enough experience in the department yourself, you couldn’t let your ideas go unsaid. “I would never doubt Dave in a million years. I would never doubt a single thing you hunters do and your expertise. I’ve seen you in action. Hell, I’ve been there myself. But I…I just don’t get it. We’re only seeing one set of tracks. Just _one_ way…The question is, where are the other set if the creature had to get to _and_ from Hammerhead?”

The men looked at you with blank expressions, once more leaving you feeling utterly self-conscious. Had no one else noticed this? The glaives could only sit in silence for a moment while Elijah cursed, but it was Fredrich that now gasped as if your words suddenly made sense. “S-Shit…we….we didn’t notice that earlier when we were checkin’ stuff out! I gotta message Dave now. But no, you’re right. There aren’t a second set of tracks to follow, which means…”

“The damn thing had to have snuck in from elsewhere out of the main line of site of the road and treaded carefully,” Elijah cut in, “Or..”

“It could have burrowed,” Markus said shortly.

There was silence.

Burrowed? Underground?

And from all your years of experience, you knew for a fact that anything that hid out of sight was never a good thing. You had spent countless hours between your shifts at EXINERIS during the years of darkness studying bestiaries and hunter reports to learn as much as you could on how to handle such meddlesome foes upon the field. It was always more than imperative for you to get a better sense of how to handle whatever was in store for you, as each and every creature had their own distinct patterns of behavior and attack and required special handling in their extermination. But now, with such a sudden revelation coming to mind at who or what could be your perpetrator, the implications of WHY something as such would be here of all places left you further unsettled.

_Shit…But…that…that can’t be…Just how…how…_

“I have a sense of this now,” Ignis cut in shortly as if almost reading your thoughts, “and I think it would be best if we continued our trek forth to see if my conjectures are correct. Onward I say…”

Ignis grasped carefully at your hand and nodded forward to Marcus who continued to drive once again, the van roaring to life and lurching forward. You and the cortege powered forth across the dusty sands of the Weaverwilds and soon shortly passed the soothing glow of the runes of Cotisse Haven, and you could all but wonder just how much longer your search would endure in the vast expanse of the dessert.

 _Breathe, Y/N. Just breathe. This is all going to be just fine,_ you said reassuringly to yourself as you subconsciously gripped Ignis’s hand. _You’ve been tellin’ yourself this over and over again. It’s going to be just fine._ With Ignis returning the squeeze of your hand in the most reassuring of manners, you took a deep breath, finding within yourself that little bit of confidence you needed to see this through.

How long you continued to drive across the barren lands with your eyes glued to the marks of the beast, you did not know, and every second that ticked by seemed to lag on like hours on end. You had always prided yourself on your patience, knowing that dire matters such as this took time and persistence, and for an instance you could not help but recall your very first case with Ignis in which you ventured into the Balouve Mines together, the task which you had been assigned having been more than daunting and grueling. You looked over at the man that shared that struggle, and he continued to survey the vista for any viable signs of where you were to go next. But with the subtle squeezes and caresses of your hand as you sat patiently, waiting for any sign that your party was on the right track, you could almost sense that Ignis too was sharing the same thoughts as you.

What was it that you were suddenly feeling? A cold tremor shivered down your spine, causing the hairs upon your arms to prickle upright, and tugging your jacket closer to your body you bit your lip as a sense of peculiarity washed over you. You shut your eyes for a moment, and while you were by no means experiencing a form of vision or dream in this instance (and for once in your life you wished you could be visited with another nightmare to give you a clue of what was to come), you still could not help but think back to your conversation on the road with Ignis earlier this morning.

_Connections…connections. I’m…I’m getting a feeling that something is going to happen here, almost like I DID have a dream. I just know it. And just like in the Crestholm Channels, I am feeling that this is going to be no ordinary hunt. Something big is coming. I just know it…_

You felt as though you were jarred out of a deep sleep as the van rocked forward and came to a rather sudden halt. With your eyes flickering open, your glance stared forward to where Marcus had stopped the vehicle, the hunter now on the edge of his seat while Crixus and Laius immediately jumped off the side of the van and ran ahead.

“Well shit…it looks like we’re not goin’ any farther by vehicle, but _damn_ it we sure as hell know we have come to the right place…” Laius grumbled.

“Ya gotta be kiddin’ me,” Crixus growled as he summoned forth his kukris.

“W-We better get the big ones for this if we want to stand a fighting chance!” Fredrich declared as he swiftly disembarked from the van and rushed to the trunk to begin retrieving his weapons. Marcus quickly removed the keys from the ignition and he and Elijah briskly joined their friend at his side, their cursings muted under their breath as they hastily gathered their essentials that consisted of several heavy-looking knapsacks and rifles.

“Bloody hell…” Ignis murmured next to you as he stood up fully and removed his visor from the bridge of his nose. “Un-utterly believable…”

Gripping at the door handle, you too slowly stood up and gaped, unable to believe the sight with your own eyes.

Malbadooms. Behemoths. Bandersnatch. The Jourmangund. You were no stranger to slaying beasts of monstrous capacity and magnitude and yet time and time again you never failed to find a sense of impending doom and the realization of your own mortality grace you when you faced such enormous creatures. You swallowed hard, taking in the sight of what exactly seemed to be causing your companions such distress and frantic movements. Where once stood the solidified barricade that safeguarded the northern Weaverwilds from the forces of nature was now a giant, no, _massive_ hole the circumference of a freighter truck that severed the wall, and a mere thirty feet away into the hillside directly behind the barricade was the most colossal of tunnels dug out from the earth. How far or deep into the earth this tunnel was excavated was left to be determined, but as you stood there gaping in awe, you were startled to see that Ignis was now standing by the edge of your side of the truck and was opening the door for you. Looking up at you, he extended his hand, and managing to pull your eyes away from the scene at hand for just a minute, you reached down and grasped his hand where he helped lift you down from the van and place you safely onto the ground.

But as your mind reeled with anxiety over the thought of approaching that tunnel, another stark realization came to your mind as you stood with your feet planted into the earth as you stared up at the tactician. His hands were placed firmly upon your waist as if he was holding you upright on feeble legs, but as his hands gripped gently at your sides and held you in place, it wasn’t the insinuation of such an intimate gesture in all times and places that left you feeling slightly frazzled but the fact that now, spread over his lips for the first time since you awoke this morning was a _smile_ , the softest and most reassuring of smiles over his beautifully scared lip.

“I-Ignis?” You murmured, feeling rather puzzled over this unexpected tranquility that possessed him, and realizing that your comrades were not too far away from you, you felt a ball of heat formulate deep within your core as he brought his hand up to your face and caressed your cheek. “Ignis, are…are you ok?” You asked him. He had been nothing but agitated since this morning, and so now to see him looking so untroubled left you rather quizzical .

“More than fine,” the tactician replied quietly as he discreetly trailed his gloved hand over your lower lip. “Just suddenly feeling rather inspired and reminiscent at the sudden reminder of our very first time working together on a manner familiar to this.” He gestured towards the entrance to the tunnel where your teammates began to assess their equipment. “I often think back to that moment in Balouve where uncertainty met both of us head on,” he continued. “I know you are anxious, and I can tell just by accessing the look in your eyes, my dear, but let me assure you: just like that fateful day that brought us one step closer together in each other’s lives, I know somewhere very deep within my crux that we shall meet today with equal triumph. Despite my initial reservations of what this day would bring forth for us, I…my instincts are telling me there will be more than meets the eye when we descend into those depths…”

You were speechless, and without having even realized it both of your hands were now grasping the sides of Ignis’s faces. Your thumbs delicately brushed over the scars on his cheeks, and swallowing hard, you had to fight back a sudden tear over the notion of his words. Astrals, how could you ever forget that day that solidified you and Ignis as partners on so many levels, and to think that in this very moment he too was channeling those memories to set his mind at ease gave you all the more reason to love him more fervently. Taking a deep breath, you too now managed to find a smile spread over your once quivering lips, and reaching up on your tippy toes, you placed upon those beautiful lips of his the most chaste of kisses.

“Ignis, I…” You began, struggling to formulate words at the weight of his speech. Feeling that no tirade of words could ever truly express or justify how you were feeling in this very apprehensiv of moments, you lowered your hands from his face and placed them on top of his instead. “Thank you, Ignis. Thank you. I think I’m going to be ok now, thanks to you…”

The royal advisor carefully removed his hands from your hips and squeezed your hand one last time before reaching up into the van and dragging out your necessities from the backseat and his own from the trunk. Quickly joining your companions who had waited patiently while they scouted the land and the entrance to the cave, you immediately found yourself at a loss for breath when you approached the tunnel and witnessed how utterly massive its entrance was, now that you were standing directly in front of it.

“That…that’s a big hole,” you blurted out in the most uncouth of ways in your astonishment, and despite the weightiness of the situation, you couldn’t help but notice out of the corner of your eyes Laius and Marcus smirk at the double entendre of your words.

Grimacing, you turned to Ignis who was inspecting the depth of the hole, and thank the Astrals at least he didn’t have his mind in the gutter over your remark. “Indeed it is,” he replied, and taking out his cellphone for a minute, he took several snapshots of the entrance to the chasm and began swiping and clicking on the screen. “I had informed Noctis of the situation prior to us leaving Hammerhead and he kindly requested that we keep updates of the circumstances as we proceeded our endeavor,” the advisor announced to the group. “I just sent these images to His Majesty to make him aware of what we up against.” He placed his phone securely back into the cargo pocket of his pants, and with an heavy sigh, he turned to look at the glaives. “Are you gentlemen prepared? Ready to set forth into the abyss?”

“I think we’ll be able to manage this just fine,” Crixus said with a confident smirk as he adjusted the clip light on his uniform. “We’ve certainly had our fair share of these kind of nasties in the last ten years. What’s one more?”

“You got that right,” Elijah said as he slung his pack up over his shoulder and patted the rifle at his side. “And with these babies I bet this nasty won’t stand a chance…”

But you had hardly gave attention to what your male compatriots had just uttered, for this whole while once again that sudden sense of peculiarity engulfed you and brought you standing several steps closer to the edge of the crevasse than best suggested. What was pulling you into the darkness you didn’t know, but as you took several steps more closely to the entrance and lined your boots up to the edge of the drop off, _something_ deep within your gut told you that you couldn’t’ wait any longer to take the plunge.

And perhaps nature ordained the same for you. As you shifted your weight to angle your head downwards to see what you could discern in the pitch-black chasm below, the soil beneath your feet crumbled and gave way, and before you knew it your body began to tumble and plummet into the blackness below. But as you fell weightlessly against your will, your cries of shock were masked by a loud gasp as a pair of strong arms wrapped around you protectively while your body tumbled down the steep incline. You shrieked in absolute pain with each rotation of your body and slam into the gravely decline, but it was the sound of grunts and groans of none other than Ignis who held onto you for dear life as you tumbled that made your impending fear of potential fatal injury and even death itself more bearable to face.

“I-Ignis!” You tried to call as you toppled, but your words were subdued as all of a sudden your bodies revolved one last night and slammed with a thundering thud on the flat of the dark earth.

Astrals, you hadn’t felt such pain in a long time, and with your skull pounding and throbbing with blood and every limb in your body feeling as if it had shattered into a thousand bone fragments, you whined painfully as you attempted to adjust yourself in the dark. But even more so, despite the aching twinge searing through your body like hot iron, it was the warmth of Ignis’s body pressed against yours from behind that had helped protect and soften the impact of your fall that made you slightly forget just how much pain you actually felt.

“Y-Y/N, S-Six are you alright?” The strategist stuttered in the obscurity, and adjusting his body against yours for just a second your eyes flickered uncomfortably at the sudden illumination of the light from his clip light in the darkness of the gulch.

Struggling to get your lungs to function, you managed to take in air as you answered. “Y-Yes, I-I’m ok,” you answered shakily, your hands fumbling in the dark to touch him in response. “A bit worse for wear as you would say, but I don’t think anything is broken.” You now clutched at his hands around you, blushing at the way he was gripping onto you as if afraid he would lose you. “B-But what about you? Are you ok? You aren’t hurt either, are you?”

Ignis sighed with relief at your response, and yipping slightly at his sudden shift of his body behind you, you felt his hands brush over your chest to feel at the light on your breast, the flashlight now flickering alive. “I am alright, my love,” he said with a deep breath, and from behind you he kissed you gently on your ear lobe, the sudden heated sensation causing your spine to shiver. He suddenly chuckled, the sound of his apparent amusement causing you much bewilderment in the current despairing moment. “Although I must say that I think I have… ‘fallen’ for you once again, Y/N.”

You couldn’t help but laugh now, even if your pain seemed to override all else, and squeezing at his arms around your waist, you angled your head back towards him and nudged his head. “Snarky as ever, I see, even when we almost die. I appears though I may have fallen in love with you all over again too at just the thought.” You sighed painfully, feeling slightly panicked as you two lay in the dark. “B-But seriously, Ignis, are you sure you’re ok? God, that was a really nasty fall and that was pretty much my fault. I…I shouldn’t have stepped so close to the ledge like that. And you as always? Well, once again you protected me and came to my rescue.”

For a moment, Ignis shifted behind you and removed one hand from around your waist as if to reach for something in the dark, and feeling his hand brush against your leg, you deduced that he was reaching into one of his cargo pockets. With him lifting his hand above both of you, you saw in the light that you were provided that he was holding onto a mega potion, and crushing it within his large hand within seconds the healing properties of the medicine slowly began to eradicate the sharp tenderness that coursed through your body. As the potion evaporated into thin air with a mystifying glow, Ignis’s arm resumed its position around your waist as he adjusted the two of you into a semi-seated position, and with a sigh he rested his head upon your shoulder.

“And I would save you a million times over if I could, not that I would ever want you to come into harm’s way,” Ignis answered with a hiss. “Bless the Astrals I grabbed you in time, otherwise we might be facing a whole new tragedy on this most unpleasant rendezvous…”

You swallowed hard, and just like the case of the Balouve Mines, Pepetouss Keep, and even the Prairie Outpost where Astrals only knew what would have happened had Ignis not been there to watch your back, you were more than indebted that he was by your side this very instant.

“S-Shit! Y/N, Ignis, are you two alright?” Cried the sudden distressed voice of Fredrich, and with his and the clamor of voices echoing down from above, you realized that too many moments had passed since you had fallen into the cavern.

“W-We’re alright!” You called up shakily as you shifted against Ignis. “A bit of a nasty fall because of the decline but we’re ok! You guys need to be careful on your way down here!”

“That won’t be a problem!” Called Marcus as you heard his voice sounding slightly closer than his friends’. “We’ll take easy steps down! Don’t you worry!”

Finally clarifying with your comrades that you were alright, you turned yourself around to fully look at Ignis for the first time you plummeted into the cave. Even in the dark you could never imagine someone as handsome as him, and despite the fact that his cheeks were dusted with dirt and his pompadour was utterly a mess, you truly did in fact find yourself falling in love with the sight of him all over again. Brushing the messy tresses of his sandy hair back into place away from his forehead, you couldn’t help but smile at the way his cheeks blushed at your care of him in such a moment. But as Ignis was about to reach out to you to touch in return, his eyes shifted past your face and widened, ever so slowly.

“B-Bloody hell…”

What was it that Ignis managed to see in the dark you did not know, but before you knew it the tactician hastily pulled you to your feet and pointed in the direction of the cause of his apparent alarm.

Even from the light of your flashlights it was still a challenge to initially discern just exactly what it was that you were looking at, but as your eyes slowly but surely adjusted to the dimness of the tunnel and you took a few steps forward, your eyes broadened at the very sight of what exactly it was that was spread over the floor of the chasm.

_Is that…skin???_

“Ignis, holy shit, is that…”

“Yes, my love. That is exactly what you are looking at…”

In all of your years you had never seen anything of the likes. With your eyes following the expanse of the shed skin, you began to quaver over the sight of just how incredibly extensive the body must have been to whatever had molted such an impressive carapace. Shivering over the manner the skin’s dried up scales glistened ominously in the dark, you swallowed hard and hastily assessed that the membrane had to have been at least one hundred feet long.

Or even longer, much to your dread.

From behind you heard the scuffle of gravel and the grunts of burly men adjusting their footing on the unstable ground, and for just a brief second a burst of crystalline light flashed through the cavern and illuminated the walls and ground. You turned around to now see Laius and Crixus approaching you and Ignis, both men having warped their way down safely to join you while Elijah, Fredrich, and Marcus made their last few balanced steps down the steep embankment and stepped onto flat ground. Huffing and puffing, they brushed their hands off and walked over to your side, each of their faces masked in apparent aghast over what you were looking at.

Fredrich let out an expletive and gritted his teeth while Marcus merely scratched and shook his head. Crixus and Laius began to walk up and down the length of the withered skin, while Elijah turned to look at you knowingly as if reading your mind.

“I think you know what we’re up against,” he said as he crossed his arms. “But the question is why. Why is it here? What would drive something of this magnitude all the way from Cleigne and out of the comfort of a wet climate?”

“Beats me,” Marcus replied as he continued to tread along the expanse of the casing. “But if this is what we’re thinking what it is, this is not the first time that specimens of this species have shown uncharacteristic behavior. Remember years ago when the hunter reports documented that a knot of these suckers was reported out by the Maidenwater Basin? Convergence of these guys is not common at all. So yeah, I guess with all this shit going with the climate rifts we shouldn’t be _too_ surprised by such unpredictable behavior and all…”

“Then why the hell would the thing come all the way to Hammerhead just to attack a bunch of buildings?” Laius asked as he knelt to inspect the scales more closely. “That’s a pretty freakin’ huge hike and it’s not even like it showed signs of searching for prey. Why make the risky flight towards civilization when you can head up north towards the mountains to hunt?”

You and Ignis only looked at each other, your exchange from earlier popping into your mind oce more as your companions around you continued to ponder their answers. But just as Ignis was about to open his mouth to speak his concerns, you heard Crixus gasp harshly in the dark. “Uh, guys? You might want to come look at this! This isn’t anything I’ve ever seen before!”

Without hesitation you and your companions rushed towards Crixus, and you too were standing agape. Where you all stood now was at the head of the remnants of the body, what once was its bulbous and flattened neck a large expanse of dried scales covering the cavern floor. You could see exactly where its eyes once were, the globular impression within the skin sending shivers down your spine and the roundness of the ridge of its mouth causing the hair on your arms to stand on end.

But this of course solely was not what made Crixus so distressed. Lined along the edges of the upper spine of the membrane of the beast was a silky golden fur like that of lion’s mane.

_What…what the hell?_

Crixus was right. Ever since you departed from Hammerhead you had conjectured in your head that you were likely dealing with a member of the Midgardsormr family. What other creature in Eos was known so well for the tubular shape of its body, the only beast that could leave behind such impressions in the sand of the Weaverwilds. But now, standing here within this dark abyss to see that what you had assumed to be purely reptile now displayed characteristics of a mammal, you began to question every journal and hunter document that you ever read.

“Did this…did the damn snake mutate?” Marcus asked as he ran his hand down the silky fur of the skin’s spine. “Never in a million years would I have imagined something like this. We’re not actually lookin’ at a Jormungand here, are we?”

“No, there is no way,” Fredrich commented as he kicked slightly at the underbelly of the skin. “This is way too short to be a Jormungand, not to mention the body is much slenderer here.”

“It’s gotta be a mutation,” Elijah finally declared. “What else could it be? A lot can happen in ten years of darkness for the things that go bump in the night to start going ‘bang.’ Six, just think here: if this snaked could have evolved or mutated than what the hell else in Eos could have done the same thing…”

Fredrich once more cursed under your breath while you cast Ignis a nervous glance. The tactician’s mouth was drawn into a fine line and a slight sheen of sweat now covered his forehead. Nevertheless, the tactician placed his hand upon your shoulder and gave your flesh a gentle squeeze as if reassuring you without even saying words. He too seemed to be at an equal loss.

“Gentlemen, Y/N, I think it best we be on our way to hunt this thing and take it out,” he announced evenly, and taking a hold of your hand for a second to give it a gentle squeeze, he made his way over to his knapsack that had fallen off his back in the tumble down into the cavern. “If this creature exhibits any characteristics of its potential Midgardsormr counterpart, I think we can fairly assume that we have all the experience and experience necessary in besting the little beastie. However, as I mentioned before, we must exercise due caution at all costs, as we truly have yet to know what we are up against. Are you gentlemen ready?” Ignis paused, turning to look at you specifically. “And you, Y/N? Are you ready to tackle this on like old time’s sake?”

The faint shimmer of his eyes behind his visors gave you all the reassurance you needed to appease the anxiety that coursed through your heart, and swallowing harshly you nodded at him. “Yes, just like old times,” you replied to him softly with a smile. “Just like our very first time…”

The men within your company only looked at you two as they witnessed this sort of unspoken conversation between you and your lover, and without wanting to interrupt the moment, they began to shift about in the dark as they readied their curatives and spells and drew their weapons at their sides. With one more squeeze of each other’s hands, you and Ignis now grabbed your packs. Casting a glance at your companions and to the endless tunnel that only the Astrals knew where lead to, with a deep breath you set forth further into the abyss.

***************

During your hunting career, very seldom were you employed in cases that required you to hunt in the depths of the earth. While the darkness that pervaded the world for ten years surely didn’t give you any respite what so ever in feeling a sense of hope while you partook on precarious hunts under the darkness hazy night sky, nevertheless, you were more grateful that you yourself did not often have to greet your mild form of claustrophobia head on while other hunters took to the nadirs of the earth to slay the monstrosities that threatened what remain of human life. Right in this moment, there was something so utterly daunting over the prospect of being shut out from the natural light of day as you descended deeper and deeper into earth’s crust, and so, as you and your male compatriots plunged further into the winding tunnels of the Weaverwilds, you prayed more than anything this task would end sooner than later.

 _Gods, how long have we been descending_? You mused to yourself as yours and your comrades’ flashlight clips flickered somewhat sporadically on your shirts with each gravely step _. And even worse yet, just how much farther are we going to have to go before we find what we’re looking for?_

A rather unsettling chill tickled your spine as you walked, your hand readied at your side to wield your katana at any moment. While the Leide region of Lucis had been known for its somewhat insufferably blistering and dry climate, as you yourself proverbially snaked your own way deeper throughout the tunnels, you were met with a rather stark (yet logical) observation of how utterly frigid and damp the tunnels were starting to feel as you made your way deeper into these caverns. While your initial discovery of what you assumed to be a Midgardsormr subspecies left you feeling rather perturbed over the fact that it had developed a fur-like covering over the hood of its neck, even still, knowing that this reptile family had a proclivity for wet climates, perhaps finding such a beast in a domain such as this wasn’t as odd of a discovery you initially thought.

“Maybe we are dealing with a variation of the Grootslang species,” Elijah had said a little while back as you made your trek downwards. “We did after all at one point believe that they were an extinct species. Who’s to say that maybe one of the stragglers had indeed mutated into what we’re going to be up against now?”

“Seems pretty legitimate if you ask me,” replied Fredrich who had his rifled and scope ready at hand for any moment to strike. “Who the hell knows though. We could even be looking at some new variation of a Hvitromr as well. Crestholm isn’t very far away from here so who is to say that some of them haven’t migrated from the area during the world of ruin to come up a little bit north?”

You had shivered just at the thought of the Crestholm Channels, and as you continued your examination of the tunnels and followed the path of what appeared to be freshly upturned dirt and the remnants of what was left behind from the shed skin of the beast that was likely still stuck to its frame, you couldn’t help but think of Libertus back in the Crown City.

 _Libertus, gosh, I wish you were here with us right now_ , you mused as you looked ahead at the glaives Crixus and Laius. _I know we are more than capable of handling this right now, but still, I’d feel a little bit better knowing that you were here by my side with Ignis and I right now._

And surely by the strained countenance of Ignis, you had wished more than anything that the tactician could have an extra set of hands on deck to assist you all in the task at hand. Intelligence shared back and forth between Prompto and Ignis had been rather sporadic, not just due to the gunman’s chaotic continued pursuit of trying to crack the Viewbliss files this very moment as well as Noctis’s current engagement with disseminating any new information that could be pulled forth form the aircraft carrier, but simply put, reception and communiqué this deep underground was too intermittent. Certainly Ignis was more than headlined on the inability to apprise His Majesty on the current turn of events. In turn, what exactly was transpiring in Insomnia this very moment you could only wonder, and Astrals how hard you prayed that maybe, just maybe, your friends could uncover the slightest bit of information that could bring you one step closer to cracking the very mystery of the reason why you were in such a dangerous pursuit to begin with.

You narrowed the gap between you and the strategist, and very smoothly, you took a hold of his hand and squeezed gently. The man who was so attentive on his sight ahead jumped slightly at your impromptu touch, but as Ignis turned to look at you with a slightly surprised expression upon his face, even in the dark you could see a slight hint of warmth in his cheeks, despite the cold of the crisp air of the lapidarian grotto.

“H-Hey, are you ok?” You asked mutedly as you looked at him with concern. “You can’t fool me right now. I’m pretty sure I know what’s on your mind, and well, I want to let you know that I’m just as worried as you.”

Ignis was almost taken aback for a second, him clearly not expecting you to get so straight to the punchline on his musings. Opening his mouth to speak, clearly he was at a loss for words and sighed as he squeezed your hand in return. “Yes my dear. I am alright. Perhaps a tad harried at is all. I do hope that Noct and everyone else are making out alright on the surface.”

The genuine concern in his tone tugged at your heart strings. “I’m sure they are, Ignis,” you replied warmly. “You know how capable everyone is, just as they know how capable YOU are too. Although, I think we are the ones they are more worried about. But we’re gonna be fine, alright?”

Ignis was about to open his mouth to reply when suddenly Crixus and Laius unwarrantedly dashed forward and hastily stopped in their tracks.

“Well damn Ifirit to the hell he came from,” Laius growled irritably, and quickly you and your other companions caught up to his side to see what the matter was. Within seconds it took no time at all to discern just what the issue was, for now, now presented before you was a distinct fork in the tunnel.

Which way to go: left or right?

Fredrich once again cursed under his breath while the other men began to inspect the parameters.

“Ah, two roads diverged in a pebbly hollow,” Ignis expressed as he too began to scout about, “and sorry indeed that I could not travel both in this moment.”

“Well, this is gonna complicate things only slightly,” Marcus replied as he knelt and examined the soil beneath his feet carefully. “In this light it’s looking rather hard to determine which tunnel has seen more activity recently.”

“Um, that’s not what I would like to hear,” you remarked as you joined him at his side. “Maybe with an extra bit of lighting we can get a better look? We don’t have the time to spare with looking down both paths, and splitting our party would essentially be suicide at this point with the size of the creature we are dealing with.”

“I agree with you, Y/N,” Marcus replied as his hand grazed along the ground for any signs of disturbance in the soil on the left path. “But our lights only give us so much, well, light! We have some extra flashlights in our bags but I still don’t think it would be enough.”

You noticed Ignis’s glance shift to Crixus and Laius, and abruptly it was as though some greater epiphany washed over the glaives. With their eyes lighting up rather mischievously, the two warriors looked to one another, and before you could process what was happening, a flash of blazing red light ignited into massive flames in the palms of the gloved hands with the most graceful precision you had ever witnessed. They began to caress the air as mammoth orbs of fire illuminated the fork of the tunnel, and surely now there was more than enough light for all to see with clarity.

_Holy shit, why didn’t I realize they were mages! How incredible!_

Ignis crossed his arms and smiled with gratification. “That surely most did the trick. Good work, gentlemen. Now to determine the path most traveled by…”

Crixus and Laius moved themselves to each respective inlet of the tunnel while the rest of your troupe began to analyze your surroundings. Surely with the dampness of the channel the soil would show recent signs of imprint, but perhaps if was the very nature of this rather gravely ground that made your task a challenge.

However, no sooner than you began your inspection, you heard Fredrich cheer to himself which caused you and your companions to seek him out in the right tunnel. “Found it right here!” He said, standing up from his kneeling position and holding a chunk of shed skin in his hand. ”And there slightly down the path is our trail again.”

“Then let us waste no more time,” Ignis declared as he pushed his visor back up upon the bridge of his nose.

With you and your companions continuing the hike once more, once again a sense of fantasticality pervaded yours spirit with each and every step that you took, and with your heart fluttering in your chest and your footsteps echoing ominously down the dark, stony corridors, you felt as though you were almost being pulled forth as if your throat was sheathed with a collar being tugged by a master. Moving hastily, you took the lead of your entourage with uncharacteristically heavy steps, and with your senses deaf to all else but your sight, you could hardly hear the others calling your name as you quickened your past.

_We’re close. I know we’re close. I don’t know why but I have a feeling. I just know it. I just –_

“Y-Y/N! Hold on! You must be careful! What if-“

_Yes. Just a few steps closer. We have this. I know we do. We found it. We-_

And there you were, bursting forth from the constriction of the icy tunnels, and with your eyes adjusting to a new sense of darkness, you found yourself gasping at what your eyes forsaw before you.

Gods, just how far down in the earth’s membrane _were_ you, you pondered as you squinted in the darkness of what you presumed to be a massive cave all on its own. And yet, by the Astrals’ miracle, _somehow_ , someway, light was able to pierce its way down into the depths of this uncharted territory through small cracks in the vast ceiling that loomed above. Miniscule beams of light scattered the floor and gave you rare traces of what the soil beneath beheld, but overall it was almost unfeasible to discern just how big this subterrane actually was, let alone what waited for you within its chamber.

But as heard your companions approach from behind, save for the random drips of water that cascaded from the stalagmites above and plummeted into pools bellow, the stray pebble that dislodged itself from the cavern walls and tumbled to the floor, and with the whirling of an eerie draft blowing past your ears, all was utterly silent.

The men finally joined you at your side, huffing and puffing and their boots scuffing into the rough surface as they stopped around you and attempted to scan their surroundings in the dark.

“Astrals, damn it Y/N, why the hell did you run off like that?” Fredrich groused, and while his words themselves were harsh his tone was more concerned than anything.

“I-I’m sorry guys,” you said rather apologetically, feeling rather imprudent now that you put yourself at potential risk. “I just…I don’t know what came over me. I just…had a feeling, and I almost couldn’t stop myself.”

Ignis put his hand on your shoulder, drawing your attention to him, and as you looked up into his emerald eyes you could see that they were wide with apprehension and disquietude. He swallowed hard as he struggled to dissect the meaning of your behavior.

“Darling, did you…did you have another-“

“N-No, it wasn’t a dream or a vision,” you cut him off softly, realizing that your companions were unaware of your penchant for dreams, “b-but it was a feeling. I’ve been feeling this all day Iggy, and in that moment back there I felt I was being drawn here. Question is, I have no idea why…”

Ignis inhaled sharply while your companions began to scan along the parameters as best as they could.

“Well shit,” Marcus began quietly. “I can’t quite get a good read on this place, but I got a feeling that the big nasty is hiding in here somewhere lurking in the shadows this very moment and out of our fancy sight.”

“Unless it’s hiding in another tunnel and it’s about to blitz us at any second,” answered Elijah, “and if that’s the case, I ain’t takin’ any chances.” With the man gritting his teeth, he now brandished his rifle, all ready for a shot, and his companions followed suite.

“Nothin’ I’m afraid of,” Fredrich growled as he cocked his rifle. “Let’s get this shit taken care of so we can get out of here…”

But all the while as the men bantered, you still could not shake the bizarreness that tugged at every hair upon your arms that were standing straight up, and as you cast your glance into the cavern below, you gasped harshly and covered your mouth.

Surely you were imagining things in your paranoia, right? Perhaps it was your fatigue? A brief trick of the eye or maybe a glint of light reflected off the rifles of your friends?

_No, it couldn’t be…_

For just a brief second, only a tiny, minuscule second did you see a solitary flicker of a tiny red light, almost invisible to the eye.

The flickering red light of not anything manifested by any beast upon this planet, but most surely made by man.

_…what?_

“Uh…g-guys,” you stammered as you tugged on Ignis’s sleeve, and your heart was now pounding in your chest so painfully that you started to feel faint in the damp air.

“L-Love, what is it?” Ignis replied rather anxiously as he grasped you gently, a sudden worry in his voice now apparent as he watched your stance waver.

You gulped harshly, and with the men sensing your sudden apprehension, they too began to once again cast their eyes into the depths below.

“Our bounty isn’t the only thing that’s down there. Unless I’m going out of my mind, I just saw something light up, and by no means possible was that light made by any animal…”

There was a sharp intake of breath on all the men’s part as they could only look at you in complete silence, and with Laius and Crixus stepping along the edge of the ravine to take a closer look themselves, they too now seemed to be scanning the darkness for any indication of what you were talking about.

“A-Are you sure you weren’t just seeing things?” Marcus asked apprehensively as he triple-checked to make sure his rifle was fully loaded and then joined the glaives at their side. His tone was by no means condescending, but even still, part of you was feeling rather frustrated that he had a slight hint of doubt in your assessment of the area. Had he forgotten that this wasn’t your first hunt?

“I-I’m positive,” you said shakily as you heard in the distance the gritty sound of pebbles tumbling down a ledge. _Or at least I think I am…._

Another gravely noise echoed around the cavern, sending tremors down your spine that left you feeling colder than ever before.

For a moment no one said anything, but after a few more seconds of reticence, Ignis placed his hand upon your shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. “I trust your judgment as always,” he began quietly before turning his focus towards the ravine. “This surely would be the most bizarre of atmospheres to experience such a trick of the eye and-“

But before Ignis could finish his statement, he too huffed, and the sound of his ostensible surprise made everyone jolt with a start.

“Bloody hell…”

“Ignis, what is it?” Elijah enquired nervously, the waver in his voice evident, and you too were starting at the tactician like an Anak in headlights.

“I-I just saw it too. The blink of red light,” he breathed slowly. Ignis turned his gaze back to you, his green eyes wide behind his visors in the dark. “Y/N, Astrals, I just saw it too,” and he pointed outwards towards the gulley. “I do not know how large this cavern is, but my senses are instructing me that the light source comes from somewhere in the middle of the cavern.” The tactician turned to his men at hand, his teeth gritting together as he adjusted his pack on his back and flexed his fingers. “Gentlemen, I am not sure what it is that Y/N has found but I have a feeling that we now have a second objective on hand. This is most peculiar to see something as such this deep in the chasm. We mustn’t waste any more time now. Slay the beast, investigate the light source, and then let’s be done with this riff-raff so we can resume helping our comrades back at Hammerhead.”

“Then let’s get this shit done indeed,” Fredrich announced proudly. “I’m seeing a natural incline here to the right. Hopefully the way down won’t be too much of a challenge.”

“Proceed with caution as always,” Ignis remarked.

With the glaives nodding to one another, once more they summoned forth their fire magic, and your path down the icy cold cavern was irradiated with floating torches of fire. From the looks of it, Fredrich’s assumption was correct, the walkway down into the ravine appearing like a complete cake walk, as winding as the path was. With cautious steps, your company slowly made their way down the walk, and something most disconcerting began to manifest you. This was easy…TOO easy, and after several minutes of trekking down to the ground level where you were met with an uneven and gritty surface of gravel, you found that even the minute beams of light that trickled down from the vast and high-up ceiling did little to assuage your sudden impending anxiety that caused your flesh to prickle. Now that you were down this far you could better make out the pools of water that Astrals only knew how deep they actually were, and casting your eyes up to the endless roof of the chasm, the piercing and jagged points of the stalagmites made you anxious that one would plummet from the ceiling at any moment.

But as you descended deeper, step by step, and the fire of the glaives’ magic cast an almost daemonic luminosity on the rocks as you maneuvered slowly through the cavern, it was your next observation as you passed through a series of shadows and the fire light illuminated the floor that made you stop dead in your tracks.

Shed skin. Another casing of shed skin like the one from before.

But not just one. _Piles_ of them strewn about with chunks of the silken fur accompanying the dried scales.

_Oh shit…oh no…well we’re certainly in the right place…_

Somewhere within this chamber you heard the scuffing of stone, and through instinct you instantaneously drew your katana at your side, your heart now thumping in your breast as your head snapped around to the direction of the sound. Ignis brandished his own daggers and scowled, him immediately stepping closer to you to protect you from the unknown assailant that surely was lurking within the dark.

The hunters raised their rifles and began to scan the darkness while the glaives flourished more of their magic, sending forth fragments of light that hovered around the grotto.

Silence though. Not a single reverberation of sound nor movement at all, save for the trickle of water. Rocks and mud and water everywhere but not a living being to be seen.

 _I don’t like this_ , you thought as you watched the glaives’ orbs of fire float within the air, and slowly but surely your eyes began to better adjust to the dark chasm around you. But still, even with the tiny rays of sunlight that spectacled the cavern floor, it was still almost impossible to discern where the walls of the cavern began and ended. For how many minutes passed did you walk in silence with while you searched for the culprit at hand, and for you there was something entirely disconcerting about the pregnant silence that pervaded the room while you investigated.

Worst of all however was the cadaver-like quietude of Ignis as he took precise steps forward towards the direction in which you both spotted the light, and while you had always known Ignis to be calm and liberate with his tactics, you could not help but notice that something was off in his current demeanor.

 _Something isn’t right in his mind_ , you thought as you trailed closely behind him as a cold sweat caked your skin, despite how chilly you felt at this moment. _He’s faced so much worse than this. Then why such a face on him right now? Is he scared? Frustrated? Something is bothering him more than I’m lead on to believe. Just what exactly is he thinking?_

But as you thought back to where you stood upon the ledge to this cavern and caught a glimpse of that solitary flicker of red light in the shadows of these walls, your eyes widened as if you suddenly understood.

_No…he’s not scared of the monster. He’s not scared of that at all. He’s scared of what that light is. We have no idea what it is that we saw and -_

_Sccccciiiiiiiiiiirtttttttt._

_Hissss…_

Like beasts lured by the scent of blood, complete hunter instinct compelled Marcus, Elijah, and Fredrich to whip their heads around and point in the direction of the inhuman noise that slithered across the cave. With your chest painfully clenching as you gasped for breath, you raised your katana as Ignis took a step closer to you, and the Glaives cast forth more power into their elemency to keep the flames going bright to provide you sight.

But as you stood by your companions and failed to level the breathing of your fear-ridden lungs, there was still no sight of your soon to-be challenger.

 _Gods damn it, where is it_! You thought foolishly as you tried to ignore the cold sweat that drenched you skin. _Why is it not showing itself? Were in the right spot, aren’t we?_

“Easy….easy, everyone,” Ignis muttered under his breath, and the electrical aura emanating from his body was almost too much for you to bear.

Somewhere about seven hundred feet away, something hurtled into a loch of water. Something elephantine.

You tightly gripped your blade as an awful truth greeted you.

 _Gods…it’s…it’s_ hunting _us…the creature is stalking us out!!!_

_Hiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssssssssss._

It was Lauis who swore this time as everybody steadied themselves in a defensive back-to-alignment.

“E-Easy now, everyone!” Marcus stammered while he brought the scope of his rifle up to his eyes and moved the gun in a panoramic motion. “Steady…steady… Keep calm…”

“Don’t leave my side,” Ignis growled fearsomely, and angling your head you could see the sheen of sweat droplets trickling down his temple. “I will not leave your side. I’ve got your back. I’ve-”

But as Ignis’s voice ominously trailed off you stared ahead at the pool to your left, the surface now rippling at a frantic pace. Surely it was not a trick of the eye in the dark, was it? It couldn’t be, nor could the Astrals fake the rolling rumble of the earth beneath your feet as you gaped in discontent as loose pebbles cavorted and jumped upon the soil.

Something. It’s getting closer. Closer.

“Steady…steady…” Marcus’s voice tremored somewhere off to the right.

The bubbling of the cesspool stopped.

“Ready….ready…..!”

Ignis suddenly bellowed your name, because before you knew it, a deafening, gurgling scream chorused around the cavern and like geyser a massive beast shot out of the murky depth of the pool. Icy, foul water sprayed you in the process as you watched with upmost horror foot after foot of scaly flesh emerge from the depths and coil itself onto the flat gritty ground of what you prayed would not be your grave.

_Astrals…gods...what…what is that?_

Surely your deductions had been correct, for the beast that presented itself to you now certainly looked like one of the brethren of the Migardsormr species. With quick analyzation of its size, you could deduct that the expanse of its body spread over a good hundred feet across the cavern floor as it began to writhe and hiss and bare its fangs and advance in your direction. But thanks to the magical flames cast forth by your glaive companions as you quickly rolled to the side to avoid the lashing of its scaly tale tail, with the sporadic flickering of the flashlight on your garb, you gasped with dismay as you took note of its long flowing mane of golden hair that bedecked its pearlescent, scaly, and equally gilded hood of its neck, the same you saw shed alongside the massive skins found in the tunnels and caverns. You could hardly pry your eyes away from the manner in which the soiled water dripped off its fur like water to a duck’s back, and as you watched Marcus, Fredrich, and Elijah scamper away to potential higher ground to get a better vantage point and shoot at the creature, your skin crawled at the manner its purple tongue lashed out and saliva dripped from its massive fangs.

Poisonous fangs, most likely.

Your mouth parched and your legs completely glued themselves to the spot as the serpent cast its blood-red slatted eyes and venomous glance at you, and as the creature reared its bulbous head once again and lunged forward with the precipitous speed of a Coeurl, you quickly found yourself skidding into the ground as a pair of strong arms wrapped around you and a heavy-heated voice grunted in your ear from behind. You winced painfully as your body slid into the ground, and with terror you watched as the glaives immediately began their assault on the serpent and the hunters began to take their shots, the gunfire and frantic calls echoing within the confines of the cavern.

“Y/N, are you alright?” The voice of Ignis rasped from behind you as he pulled you to your feet, and in the trauma of the moment you hardly had been able to process that Ignis had tackled you protectively to the ground to save you from death. Almost unable to speak you nodded furiously at him as you clumsily picked up your katana and turned your attention back to the battle which was now ensuing.

“Gods damn it, what the hell is this thing!” Screeched Elijah as he aimed with this laser sight and shot at the beast. “Our bullets are hardly doing a damn thing to scathe it!”

And confidently Elijah was right, for as the serpent shrieked and hissed riotously as each bullet bounced painfully off its scaly body, you could see that despite any damage the beast was enduring, it hardly seemed to be phased by what it suffered.

“I don’t think this is the time now to be worry about that!” Fredrich yelled back as he leapt from his ledge to avoid the lashing of the beast’s tail. He cursed as he landed awkwardly on the ground and began to scamper away to reload his rifle.

Markus quickly covered his companions as he shot a succession of bullets from his machine rifle at the snake, and yet once again, the bullets either rebounded off its hardened carapace or lodged themselves between the scales. All the while as you and Ignis cautiously charged after the foe at hand, Laius and Crixus continued to warp around the creature’s head to distract it from you and your companions at ground level, and yet even their efforts seemed to be for naught.

 _What the hell is going on with this thing_? You thought with dread as Crixus screamed in derailment while the snake appeared to dodge his every attack. _I have never seen a Midgardsormr act in such a manner before in my hunting career. Something isn’t right. Something isn’t right at all!_

This was more than obvious as you found yourself knocked off your feet and staring up at the flowing mane of this creature that looked like a mythical being out of a book of fairytales. It wasn’t merely the assumption of this newfound and discovered mutation of this fabled beast that surprised you but how impossibly _fast_ it was and its pure and utter level of aggression and hatred unlike anything you had seen since you last put various scourge-infested carnivorous animals out of their misery.

 _Something isn’t right at all!_ You screamed in your head as Ignis leapt into the air with the mighty force of his thighs and brought down the weight of his polearm into what would have been the spine of the snake had it not dodged the royal advisor’s attack in time. The tactician uncharacteristically cursed out loud as he avoided the snake between the beams of light that cast themselves down into the nadirs of the cavern, and there was something utterly ghostly about the way Ignis’s clip light flickered hauntingly in the darkness as he gathered his composure. All the while the fire from the glaive’s magic continued to crackle and spark as the balls of flame lingered in the air, and for what felt like minutes on end the snake continued its savage assault while ignoring such mysticism that surrounded it. _Maybe there’s a nest down here? Is it guarding its young out of pure maternal instinct? Is it just defending its chamber for self-defense? Or-_

But as you stared up with wide eyes at the snake, suddenly your conversation in the truck this morning with Ignis came into full fruition in your mind once again, and with a startling realization you knew exactly what was going on.

Something was making the creature act this way.

_Astrals, oh god. No! I didn’t want our theory to be true! But how is that possible? What-_

The light. The light in this very cavern. Was that your answer?

 _No_ ….

But before you could call out to your companions, an incensed growl from somewhere above your head in the fire-ridden cavern pierced the air.

“Our blades are only pissing the damn thing off!” Lauis hollered as he warped to safety after almost missing the jaws of the beast by mere feet. “We’re only going to dull our swords and daggers if we keep this up! Are we even doing damage to it?”

“Do not lose sight of the fight!” Ignis bellowed as he once again attempted his high jump but missed once more due the phenomenal speed of the serpent. He growled with circumvention and leapt out of the way just as the serpent smashed its face into the ground to attack, and with wide-eyes he snapped his head in your direction to make sure you were safe. “S-Stay focused everyone! We cannot back down for an instant, not matter the costs!”

The snake roared as another series of bullets cascaded along its throat and breast, and between the beams of light you watched as Ignis kicked his daggers at the location as if hoping to weaken the spot. Much to your dismay, the snake once again hardly seemed phased by the metal and gunpowder lodged within its scales, and with a scream you watched with horror as Ignis just barely avoided its fangs as it snapped at the tactician.

Suddenly, it was as though time decelerated at a horribly languid pace as you but all failed to find your place within this fight, and as you once again by mere feet dodged the swinging of the feline-like snake’s tail and you rolled behind a large rock to hide, you could but all feel helpless to how you could help assist your comrades.

 _I can’t accept this with myself_ , you thought fearsomely as you watched Laius and Crixus warp around the Midgardsormr’s head. _I’ve been through too many fights to give up now_. _Why are we struggling so much with this one of all times? What is making this thing act so horribly enraged and fast? There must be an answer within this cavern. There is no way that Ignis and I imagined that light. That has to be it, right?_

You gasped, and now, it was as though time had entirely stopped. Within seconds it was as though your mind instantly flashed back to every single fight you ever experienced in the duration of your life, but it was with particular interest the cases you have been dealing with since the light returned. _Think, Y/N, think_ … _The Malbadooms…the Coeurls…the Wyverns and Behemoth…all acting so irrationally outside their natural behaviors. This is it. They had to have been affected too, just like this mutated Midgardsormr. We gotta stop this thing now so we can see if we were right! But how are we doing to distract the damn thing so we can find out?_

You were jolted from your thoughts as Ignis’s crisp voice reverberated across the cavern walls, and without even realizing you had moved you found yourself at his side and assisting him in dodging attacks as if guided by instinct. “Magic!” The strategist yelled. “This will be the only way! Discover the true weakness to magical ailments and be done with the monstrosity!”

“What the hell is a Midgardsormr even weak to?” Called Lauis from afar, and for a second he worked his hands to reignite the air with the flames that had been slowly dying out.

“I don’t even know if this god-damn thing IS Midgardsormr!” Fredrich yelled in response, followed by a procession of curses. “I’ve fought a shit ton of them in my experiences and never had I had one hell of a fight like this before! They usually hate bullets but that’s not doin’ shit!” He cussed once again as the brigade of bullets ceased to exist from his rifle, and to your quick assumption, he had surely run out of ammunition.

Markus and Elijah swiftly ran to his side to safeguard their friend, and with another flash of light Crixus warped to distract the serpent to the best of his aptitude. “It’s moving way too fast for us to regroup and switch to our heavy fire power!” Markus cried at the top of his lungs. “Ignis, orders! What are we doing?!”

It was as though yours and Ignis’s mind were linked together as one, for as the snake reared its head high and howled in the most inhumane of ways and shifted between the rays of light, you gasped in shock to see that its breast was trickling with a blueish blood.

Blood from its own wound that festered with each bullet and slash of blade.

_It’s weakened! All this fighting hasn’t been for nothing! We can do this! We’ve got this!_

Like clockwork, Ignis uttered your exact thoughts. “The beast is losing métier!! Let us make use of the supposed species true impotence and dose it with ice. If we act swiftly we can catch the beast off guard and strike its chest to slow it down and unleash our full onslaught…”

But that same tickling feeling that had pestered you since the early morning greeted you once again, your instincts giving you further suggestion to Ignis’s plan. For as the snake now rolled and coiled in pain while attempting to crush you and your cohorts at ground level, your eyes fell to the very pool of water in which it had emerged.

_The water! We can lead it into there and strike it with ice! If we are lucky we can slow it down so it can’t move and then we can strike!_

“I-Ignis!” You yelled, and the sudden shrillness of your voice caused the Midgardsormr to snap its head in your direct direction and bear its fangs. “I need you all to trust me! We need to take advantage of the snake’s injury while we can! I’m going to lead it to the pool and I’ll signal for you guys when to use your magic!”

“W-What, are you serious, Y/N?” Fredrich shrieked as he scampered in the direction of his bags on the ground. “That’s suicide! That thing is too fast for you!”

“Are you trying to dig your own grave?” Elijah yelled as he managed to start loading whatever heavy artillery he had packed with him. “You get knocked into that pool and you’re dead!”

“Just trust me! This isn’t my first hunt after all!” You roared back, and before you knew it you began to dart towards the water’s shore as fast as you could.

You could bearly hear Ignis’s sudden despairing cry of protest as adrenaline-filled blood surged through your head, and with loud bullet shots resounding in your ears you heard the creature shriek as it began to slither at high velocity towards you. The cavern reverberated with screaming and you could hardly make out the voices of your companions as you bolted for your life, and with the clip light on your attire flickering madly as your boots slammed into the pebbly soil, every droplet of sweat cascaded down your temples as you prayed you could get close enough to the pool.

_Just a little closer…come one, Y/N, you can get there!_

“Y/N! Run!!!!”

“Y/N!!!!!!”

A flash of light filled the vicinity and you assumed it was the glaives who attempted to deter the attention of the snake, but it was to no avail. It was though the lashing tongue of the beast was licking at your heels, the coldness of its massive frame lurking behind you inch by inch as you approached the pool.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

This was it.

“Y/N!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Ignis, now!” You screamed, you throat so hoarse you could hardly articulate words.

Six how you managed to move in the nick of time you had no idea, for just as you bellowed your command you managed to roll to the left and out of the way of the snapping Midgardsormr’s jaw’s, its fangs mere inches from your leg as you harshly tumbled onto the soil. Your head slammed into the earth as you came to a rolling halt, but it was somehow with miraculous forte and concentration that you managed to lift your head to see the magic in process.

Ice. Ice everywhere, and as if they cavern wasn’t frigid enough to begin with, you now found yourself shivering irrepressibly as frost and ice crystals burst forth everywhere from the ground on up to the stalagmites. With hazy eyes you watched as the Midgardsormr miraculously was frozen into place as your plan was executed just as you hoped, the lower extremities of its body submerged into the depths while the upper half writhed and wriggled in response to being encased in ice. The beast could not move regardless of how hard it tried, and as your eyes attempted to focus within the umbral cave, you could see that it was not just only the work of Ignis that had cemented the beast in place but also of Crixus and Laius who continuously volleyed waves of ice to keep the beast secure. The creature’s submergence in the water did little to wash away the sickly-colored blood that dripped from its chest, and with another few frantic shouts you turned your head as best as you could towards the direction of your hunter companions who stood upon a ledge with their artillery ready in hand.

_That’s a big gun…Astrals…that’s a…._

Secured in Elijah’s hands was a grenade launcher, and if you didn’t get your ass in gear and get out of the way, you yourself would surely be decimated in the heat of the oncoming blast.

But as you shifted on your palms and tried to mobilize, each second once again languidly passing by, you realized you could hardly move due to the stabbing pain that pulsated from your skull down to your limbs.

_I must get out of here! I can’t let this operation be thwarted because of me!_

As always, as if hearing your mental cry, in a swift motion Ignis darted towards your direction and scooped you up within his arms without losing a stride, and all in one simultaneous motion he landed with you behind a boulder for cover as the ‘plunk’ of the grenade from Elijah’s gun reverberated across the shadowy cavern.

BOOM.

A hideous and calamitous scream echoed in your ears, and shutting your eyes tightly and burying your face in Ignis’s chest you could hardly withstand the mental image of the carnage of what just ensued. How many times you’ve laid waste to a creature’s life and yet you could never become accustomed to the role of harbinger of death; for now, as you gripped tightly onto Ignis’s shirt and sunk your teeth into your lower lip, with a nauseatingly wet splattering sound filling your ears you heard remnants of the beast’s flesh bespatter about the gravel. Slowly opening your eyes and angling your head as best as you could, you could see within the darkness the smoke from the explosion slowly start dissipate, and for but a moment all was silent with the cavern, save for the random drips of water from the ceiling and the scuffle of falling pebbles. You shivered, the iciness of the air piercing into the depths of your bones and flesh as your feebly grasped all that just happened.

There was a pealing in your ears as you realized you had been sitting on Ignis’s lap, and with enlarged eyes you suddenly turned your head to look at him deeply in the face. His emerald orbs were wide with terror as he grasped gently at your face, and noticing the dirt and blood that caked his sculpted cheekbones, you began to fear he had suffered any harm during the fight.

But before you could open your mouth to speak, he frantically pressed his lips to yours and rested his forehead against yours to steady himself. “A-Astrals, dearest…a-are you alright,” he said hoarsely as his mouth left yours, his words tearing up through his throat harshly as he pressed your frame to his chest.

Your heart clenched painfully within your chest, for once again as always, despite of his own current state he never failed to make sure that you were safe. “I-I’m alright Ignis. I’m ok. And you? Are you ok?” You croaked as you clutched onto him. You paused, shifting yourself slightly on his lap as you began to inspect your surroundings. “Is it…is it over? Did we…did we kill it?”

Ignis nipped at his lower lip then sighed with relief in hearing you could speak coherently, and with careful motions he held onto you tightly as he slowly lifted you to your feet and held onto your shoulders to ensure you were stabilized.

“I-I’m alright,” he began, yet something in his tone seemed to tell you otherwise, “although we can surely the same did not befall the beast.” The strategist’s nostrils flared slightly as his lips pulled downward into a scowl, and as you inhaled deeply while you examined his face, your stomach lurched nauseatingly. How you failed to take notice of the stench that permeated the air at this moment, you did not know, but perhaps it was the adrenaline kick of a near death experience that suddenly allowed you to take note of the rancid smell of yours and your lover’s sweat-drenched bodies and the pungent aroma of gunpowder and burned flesh. Inhaling as best as you could without seeking the urge to vomit, you took a step away from Ignis and walked around the boulder to see the scene before you, and biting at your lip to help bear the order, it was all you could do to not throw up on the spot.

“Y-You two alright?” Fredrich asked as he saw you emerge from your hiding space, and he and the hunters hastily made their way down from the ledge towards your direction. However, as they approached you found it impossible to turn your eyes away from the sight of what remained of the corpse of the beast. Swallowing harshly, you could only just stand there as Fredrich joined you at your side, looked at the mangled corpse, and then placed a hand on your shoulder. “Damn, Y/N, I’ve seen some pretty insane shit in my years of hunting, but I have never seen anyone act so boldly like you just did on the fly of their pants.”

“Talk about impressive,” Markus continued as he too fully joined you at your side, and biting your lip once again you turned back to look at Ignis to see him glowering once again. Studying his face intently, you slowly felt your heart sink in your chest, for as you watched with a heated gaze his eyes almost alight afire, you suddenly knew this expression all too well.

It was a countenance of the upmost concern, but it was laced with a tinge of utter displeasure.

 _Oh gods…Ignis…I’m so sorry_ , you cried to yourself as your eyes suddenly pleaded with him, and with a sense of shame you realized just how utterly reckless your action truly was. Ignis had always respected and honored you for your capability to make sound and cogent decisions, but within the heat of this battle the weight of your unprompted choice was most certainly not of that kind. What if you hadn’t been fast enough? What if the Midgardsormr got a hold of you before you could get out of the way? In all, you put yourself in a danger that could have jeopardized your life and the entire operation, and considering after everything you and Ignis had been through in the past, what would have truly happened if things took a turn for the worst? You swallowed hard again, feeling all the color drain from your face as the strategist gazed at you with regard, and opening his mouth to speak you suddenly felt terrified over what he was about to say. However, the man stopped himself and merely sighed, and within a few wide strides he came to your side and pulled you tightly into his arms.

 _I-Ignis_ …you murmured in your head, and looking up into his eyes you could see that his mien had softened, the sparkle in his eyes that you always loved so much now shimmering there once more. With just that look alone you knew that he had forgiven you.

At least for now, until you two had a moment alone.

“Astrals, what a bloody mess,” Laius suddenly remarked, and it was the voice of the glaive that abruptly pulled you from your anxious thoughts. Following his voice, your head turned towards the direction of the pool and once again your stomach lurched as you took note of mess he spoke of. Chunks of charred flesh, scale, and fur were disseminated everywhere in piles and once more the stench of death, sweat, and gunpowder permeated your nostrils. Each of your companions (even in the dimness) looked far the worse for wear, each man drenched in sweat and his clothes encrusted with dirt, but it was the sight of the demolished Midgardsormr that was the worst of all. With the ice fabricated by Ignis and the glaives slowly starting to melt after the onslaught of the skirmish, you shivered nonetheless as you inspected more closely the carnage and refrained from vomiting at the sight of what was left of the beast. About where the beast had sustained its injuries its body has been completely severed from the impact of the grenade, its lower extremities submerged somewhere within the depths of the pool while its upper half lay lifelessly along the shores, its blueish blood pooling everywhere and its glorious fur matted with its own blood. Even in the shadows of these walls, the flames fashioned by the glaives still dancing in the air to provide light, you could take note of the beautiful shimmer of its pearlescent scales and the gold glisten of that once beautiful fur.

Gulping, you stopped dead in your tracks and knelt down to place your hand upon its corpse, the words of Gladio suddenly popping into your head. “ _Even to this day it still kills us having to do this type of work_ ,” the Shield had said to you what seemed like ages ago after you helped rid Wiz’s Chocobo Resort from the terrors of the Behemoth, and recalling that Ignis on several occasions mentioned the same aversion to butchering such majestic creatures, it was at this moment as you ran your fingers over the dead beast’s scales that this sentiment was felt more strongly than ever.

 _Why does it always have to come to this,_ you thought remorsefully as the men joined you at your side and solemnly began to inspect the lifeless animal. _I can’t say that I’m not happy to be safe and know that everyone back at Hammerhead is finally out of harm’s way. Gosh, I’m more than relieved to know my friends are safe, but this? Why do we always have to resort to such solutions?_

“We don’t even know what this thing really was,” Markus said out of nowhere as if reading your thoughts, and much to your surprise when you looked up to look at him you could see that his eyes were strained with guilt. “We assume this thing was a Midgardsormr species but we truly don’t know for sure. We didn’t get a chance to study the damn thing or even learn about its habitat and how it lives. We could have killed the only of its kind. I’ve been a hunter for how many years now, but Astrals damn it, I never seem to be ok with this either when we have to end a life like this.”

Your heart tightened in your chest at such words, and as you took note of the way the dog tag around his neck glinted in the fire light, you were overwhelmed with a sudden urgency to sob at the plight that these hunters and you have coped with all these years.

“The best we can do now is salvage what we can and have its corpse to be studied by Dr. Yaegre,” Fredrich said repentantly as he wiped the grime off his face. “It’s going to be a huge pain in the ass getting our teams to come in and retrieve the body to bring it back to Hunters HQ, but what choice do we have? Sania can study the DNA to see if this thing was genetically mutated because we sure as hell have never seen anything like this creature ever. We still have no idea what the hell caused this thing to act the way it did that made us resort to killing it so gruesomely. Shit, how many Midgardsormr have I dealt with and I had never seen something act like that…”

Your eyes widened at his words as you almost choked on the stagnant air of the cavern.

Why it was acting this way.

_Oh Astrals…the light! We must find that light! What if that’s our answer?_

Hastily you stood upon two feet and whipped yourself around towards the direction of the center of the cavern where you had recalled seeing that light, and without a word you began to dash towards wherever your instinct was instructing you to go. “Y/N!” Ignis and the others called with a sudden surprise as your heavy footsteps pounded into the gravel and you ran off without warning or notion, and once again, there was that _something_ deep within your mind lead you towards the center of this hollow that moments before could have been your grave.

 _What is this feeling?_ Your mind screamed to yourself, a sudden anticipation weighing heavily upon your chest and making it a trial to breath as your very nerves were being tugged by some invisible force. _What is this sign? Luna…Lady Lunafreya! Have_ you _been the one that’s been speaking to me all day long? Are you trying to tell me what this is all about? What is it that Ignis and I saw?_

How did you even know where to step? Where to climb? How to avoid the precarious ledges and deep tarns as you ran towards the object of all your hopeful answers as your blood blazed in your veins? With Ignis and your companions agitatedly calling agitatedly your name, their panicked voices echoing like spirits as they trailed after you, it was with a final step as you rounded a great wall of stone that you stopped dead in your tracks and gasped.

_What…what is that?_

You shivered as if incased in ice, the light on your jacket flickering sporadically as you stood before the object at hand. It had to have been no taller than the size of a Tonberry, its sleek cylindrical surface dusted over as if it had been harbored in the depths of this cavern for centuries. No thicker than a cannister of air, a sleek antenna stood erect, its coppery metal dulled by the dust and dirt, and as your eyes scanned over the metal surface you could see all sorts of wires and buttons of many shapes and sizes upon its surface. At quick glance you could make out the remnants of what would be a control panel that was sealed underneath via screws and a lid. Kneeling upon your sodden and soiled knees as your eyes focused as best as they could in the dark with what little aid the glaive fire gave you, you almost reached out to touch the object but quickly retracted your hand, knowing best to not touch what it was that you stared at. As you shivered once more and the sweat upon your flesh because to dry and left you cold, you could not recall having ever seen anything like this object at hand in your entire life.

_No…what the hell is this thing and what is it doing all the way down here?_

With a sudden luminosity a solitary light upon its exterior flashed red like bright blood.

You gasped. _This can’t be…no way…Ignis and I weren’t seeing things after all! We did see a light! It was this thing! It was this! But what is-_

“Gods, damn it to hell, Y/N,” Markus growled harshly as you heard him and the others approached from behind with heavy footsteps, and coughing loudly at his own exertion you could hear just how bushed he truly was. “Why the hell do you keep running off like this today? You tryin’ to get yourself killed or something?”

The hunter’s tone made you flinch, and biting your lip you became overwhelmed with an immense sense of extreme guilt. How were you to truly elucidate the strange eeriness that you compelled you this whole day without sounding like a mad woman, and so to hastily explain yourself, you blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I-I’m so sorry guys, but I can’t explain it right now. I had a gut feeling on what I was looking for and it just so happens that I found the light that I was talking about and-“

“Bloody hell…”

Stopping your words mid-sentence, you slowly turned around to gaze at the man who just spoke, and it was the expression of Ignis Scientia that caught you off guard more than you could ever expect.

_…Ignis?_

How many times could you praise the strategist’s upmost superior ability to remain tranquil in all situations of despair and trifle? After all this time of knowing the man had you known Ignis to be adept at veiling his fears and sporting the poker face of assurance and valor when in the face of danger, and it was only in the company of those he felt safest or in the intimate moments he shared with you that he ever truly let his guard down and let his feelings be known.

But now? Something in him changed, for now the royal advisor was standing with his feet planted firmly into the ground as if to help steady himself, and behind the cloudiness of his dusty and dirty visors did you see that his eyes were wide with an unknown revulsion and his lips were parted as if at a loss for words.

 _Is he…scared_? Knitting your brows together you slowly brought yourself to one knee and addressed him. “Ignis, are you ok?” You asked shakily, and for a second the man didn’t even seem to hear you before his eyes darted to your face.

The rest of your entourage was unresponsive to your words as they too now approached the apparatus and stared at it with upmost muddle and perplexity.

“You can’t write this shit,” Elijah said gruffly as he knelt to look at the thing. “First a monster and now a machine? What exactly is this damn thing?”

“And even more importantly, just how the hell did this thing get all the way down here?” Crixus remarked with a scowled.

“Sir?” Laius asked as he turned to Ignis, and realizing that he was being spoken to, Ignis blinked gawkily and turned his attention to the glaive. “What do you suppose this thing is?”

Ignis appeared rather flustered as if attempting to gather his words. “I…I do not know,” the tactician began as he took a step closer to the object at hand, and even past all the dirt on his face you could see a slight hint of red in his cheeks as if he was embarrassed that he didn’t quite have an answer. “I am most at a loss, just as yourselves, but…” And he paused, the advisor that you had fallen in love with finally regaining his composure for but a moment, “but, if I were to presume the origin of this article, I would have to regrettably say so upon first glance that it appears as though we are dealing with Niflheim technology.”

Fredrich let out a characteristic expletive while the others could only stare in alarm. Your gaze drilled right into his face, and yet, with a painful twisting of your heart Ignis had barely paid you a glance in return as his eyes remained glued to the metallic cylinder.

“Ignis, you can’t be serious,” Markus said as he slouched his shoulders. “But the Nifs…they’re gone! I know we’ve been tryin’ to clear up their mess, but still! You really can’t mean that, can you?”

“I most regrettably do,” Ignis replied as he pushed his visors up upon the bridge of his nose, and the way the fire light flickered in his glass’s reflection caused your spine to quiver most uncomfortably. “And if I were to be correct with my assumption,” and he paused again as if the words he were about to utter caused him the most terrible pain of all,” if I am to be correct about my conjecture, I would presume then that the real clean-up process of the ridding Lucis from the Niflheim bedlam has only just begun once more....”

Silence pervaded the subterrane. Once again, the light flickered bright red on the apparatus. Your stomach lurched as if your belly was being squeezed by the fist of the Archean himself, and finally after several moments of painful and pregnant reticence, Ignis’s eyes fell to yours and he spoke once more.

“We must be careful with handling whatever it is that is now within our possession. We shall run a thorough inspection of the thing before we bring it to the surface, as we truly do not know what this gadget’s intended purpose truly is. We cannot run the risk of it being damaged for the sake of research, let alone the thing setting off and causing harm to us as we carry it back to ground level. Exercise due caution, and let us see this day finally rid itself and be ended…”

But all the while as Ignis spoke it was all you could do to barricade the onslaught of tears that threatened to spill forth from your eyes. What was it about this current persona of Ignis Scientia that left you trembling to the very core? What was it about the tone of his voice that felt like it was pulling you further into the depths of this sodden earth and your mind to lose all sense of sanity? For all the while he uttered his instructions to you and your comrades, he gazed upon you with all the suffering in the world in his eyes and his fists clenched tightly as though seeking to find revenge upon a man who had personally wronged the woman he loved.

_Ignis?_

No. You kept your mouth shut. Now was not the time to pry. Now was not the time to lower the tactician’s gate. There was a job to see through, and hopefully soon enough those gates would be dropped to give you passage into his private mental ordeal.

But first, what mattered most of all was getting to higher ground.

*************************

Oxygen. Starlight. The painful inhalation of crisp night air that filled your lungs as you emerged from those tunnels was all too savored as what almost officially ended one of the most excruciatingly exhausting days of your entire life. One day in itself seamed to weigh upon the heart like a whole year of the world of darkness, and with your lungs bearing the weight of fresh air as your van made its way back to Hammerhead with the precious cargo in hand and the bright moonlight sky that blanketed the heavens above you, you could only pray with what shred of optimism you had left in you that your friends back at the plaza had faired much more positively than you had.

Cellular reception had been all for naught while you searched for the perpetrator in the tunnels, and so upon reaching the surface yours and Ignis’s phones had been bombarded with frantic messages from your dearest friends. Keeping the replies brief until you got back to the safety of Hammerhead, Ignis answered his king with the quick status update via a text (which such brief correspondence on the advisor’s part surprised you), indicating that more intel would be given once he and your company had arrived back to Hammerhead. But surprisingly and somewhat uncharacteristically of the king you had known to be rather brief on the phone in the past, apparently for Noctis a few short messages would not suffice for the King of Lucis. Noctis was quick to call his dear advisor almost the moment Ignis hit “send”, and from the earpiece on Ignis’s cellphone you could make out just how utterly frenetic the King was over finally now hearing back from his companion.

“Just…Just get back here safely. ASAP,” Noctis almost commanded as though out of breath. “W-We’ll be waiting for you.” What he meant by waiting for you, you were not exactly sure, but observing how much time had passed since you woke this morning, you too could not wait to get back to Insomnia to be with your friends and receive the respite you needed so badly.

Perhaps a shower and some sleep would be nice too.

On the hunters’ end, Markus, Elijah, and Fredrich made immediate contact with Dave and the hunters back at Hammerhead once cell reception was possible, and before you knew it, the huntsmen arrived at the tunnel more promptly than you would have ever anticipated to partake in the cleanup part of your day’s endeavor. Dave and the hunters who certainly had more than their own fair share of responsibilities today with helping Cindy and Holly somehow managed to look as animated as ever and ready to retrieve what they could from the Midgardsormr corpse. Seeing how it was so utterly late this time of the evening and knowing maneuvering around the tunnels would be a challenge in itself with the lack of available lighting, you couldn’t even begin to express your admiration for these hunters’ dedication to their job.

“You just leave this up to us, y’all hear now,” Dave said as he patted his men on the backs. “We’ve got the coordinates to the specimen’s remains, so we won’t have a problem finding it what so ever. I’ve got another team of boy’s comin’ out from the Prairier Outpost as we speak to help us bring back the creature to Meldacio. I’m achin’ to see what this thing looks like with my own eyes and we can’t waste anymore time. Sania Yaegre is going to be more than anxious in wanting to autopsy this creature herself.”

Why the mention of Dr. Yaegre’s name made you shiver so harshly you didn’t know, but with the thought of the fearsome reptile’s fanged jaws lunging at you while you fought to defend your life now popping into your mind once again, you too prayed that Sania and her team would get to the bottom of discovering just what this deadly creature actually was.

 _Hopefully, just hopefully_ , you thought to yourself as the chilly night air blew through your soiled and tangled hair as you sat in the back of the van, _our hard work and bodily sacrifices from today will not have gone to waste. I just hope we’ll get our answers sooner than later…_

You inhaled deeply as a sense of relief washed over you, the Hammerhead plaza appearing in the not-so-far distance. Whether it was the sight of knowing you were not too far removed from the safety of numbers or the fact that the plaza was illuminated unlike it had been this morning that brought you more joy, you were not sure, but needless to say the tension that had been perched upon your shoulders and had been digging its talons into your flesh now finally seemed to flutter away. Your heart clenched with the enthusiasm of knowing you’d soon know how the EXINERIS ladies faired today while you were gone, and by the far away glance from your seat in the vehicle you could assume that they had endured better than hoped in restoring Hammerhead to its former prestige.

However, it was as the van rolled over several dusty dunes and caused you to slightly shift in your seat, you once again became aware of the large hand that was situated on your lap and squeezing your tiny palm. With a blush, you turned your gaze away from Hammerhead to see that Ignis was gazing upon you fondly in the warmest of ways, and Astrals you would have sworn that any second he was about to pass out from exhaustion by the way his usually bright eyes drooped with lethargy. With your heart twisting in your chest at such a sight, feeling pity that he was dragged on such a wild goose chase today when he could have remained in Insomnia to attend to his usual affairs, you smiled softly at him and squeezed his hand gently in return.

But for a moment, your heart stopped, for even though the tactician smiled and affectionately brushed away a dirty and matted lock of hair from your face, there was something about his smile that did not meet his eyes, as though he held deep within his heart his guilt over something that he could not confess. Just the thought made your mouth go dry, and with your lips suddenly feeling rather chapped, you licked the skin to moisten the flesh so you could better prepare your words. _Ignis, gods, what is wrong? I know that we’ve had one hell of a horrible day, but you’re not acting like your usual self. Please. Don’t hide from me. Tell me what’s wrong!_

“I-Ignis I-“

“Alright, kiddos! We’re finally back! Gods, that was one shit day, wasn’t it?”

The voice of Fredrich caught you off guard, and having not even realized it, you were in fact now pulled up to the backside of the Hammerhead plaza. Blinking several times, you watched from the back seat as Elijah turned off the ignition of the vehicle and began to make his way out of the car with his companions.

“Hell, and it looks like we’re at least comin’ back to some good news here!” Markus added as he jumped out of the van, and with the glaives casting you and Ignis a glance and a nod, they too exited the truck.

Markus surely was right as you took in the sight of Hammerhead, and reluctantly letting go of Ignis’s hand you too now scramble out of the vehicle as you surveyed what had been mended since you departed this morning. Immediately you noticed that the fence that had been squashed had been completely repaired and the shattered crates and knocked over barrels had been cleared away. Making your way through the gated part of the fence that had gone left unscathed, you took note that the wiring to the power generators that had been shredded and were sparking were completely replaced, and the power generator that had been the source of energy for Takka’s restaurant was also exchanged by a newer model of machinery. Any signs of the mutilation that had been caused by the reptilian beast were for naught, and feeling a heavy weight lift off your shoulders, you felt as though you could breathe a little bit better in knowing that something constructively was accomplished on your companion’s part. You sighed, and with your heart starting to race you gazed at Ignis to see that he too appeared to be somewhat relieved. But watching the rest of your comrades run ahead away you hastily followed them to see what else had all been done.

And more importantly, to make sure that your friends were ok.

_Cindy…Holly…_

Coming around the corner, you skidded to a halt, another encumbrance lifting from your shoulders as you observed the industrious clamor that ensued at the Hammerhead square. Looking to your right you saw that Taka’s restaurant remained in the dark for unknown reasons, but at least the main parking area congruent to the eatery was cleared of scattered glass and metal. With a sob of relief escaping your mouth, you saw that the jeep that had been overturned was placed upright and was now ready for some heavy repairs, and it made your spine shiver painfully to think you now knew just what exactly had caused it to turn over. Directly ahead towards the road, you saw that the light pole with the Hammerhead logo was somewhat refurbished; the pole now stood completely upright and the metal infrastructure’s denting was now gone. Squinting you noticing that the lights to the actual fixture itself had all been replaced and glowing luminously once more to aid travelers on their way. Unfortunately, the famous hammerhead shark had not be affixed, but this was likely due to needing a smith who could fasten the metal safely so it would not fall from its fixture. The court now only faintly smelled of the noxious gasoline, and much to your respite all the gas pumps that you had worked so hard to install and were demolished were once again reinstalled.

There was work to be done, but thank the Astrals progress had been made.

Now that you made your way towards the general store and past the patrons and construction workers who gawked at you and your companions after your lengthy absence, and it was with a gasp that you spotted towards the garage your companions you had been so concerned about.

And others you had not expected.

Holly, Cindy, and the EXINERIS girls were hunched over what you assumed from your distance to be another power generator that would replace one of the marred apparatuses on the property. Also standing with them (much to your surprise, although it shouldn’t have been) and bent over with a wrench was Cid Sophiar, the elderly man still ever hard at work in his fragile age, and you could only begin to imagine the thoughts that ran through the man’s head upon first seeing the state of his family’s business in utter shambles.

But with broadened eyes, you spotted parked a familiar vehicle that you had known all too well from your many adventures as its passenger across Lucis, it black shimmery paint gleaming under the moonlight, and there standing next to everyone else hard at work were the men who had been its drivers.

_Gladio…Prompto…Noctis!_

You were breathless once more. You should not have been surprised to see the royal entourage standing there among civilians and yet you were, the King and his Crownsguard dressed in standard everyday attire that was covered in dirt and grease. You quickly surmised they had been assisting Holly, Cindy, Cid, and the girls, and while you were not sure for how long, needless to say you were all the more indebted to the fact that your king and his guard valued his people so much to partake in such blue collar work like they used to do in their youth when their long journey once began. As you and your company now approached your friends, with the sound of your filthy boots pounding into the pavement did each of your compatriots snap their heads towards your direction. But before Ignis, you, or anyone within your party could even utter a word, it was Noctis who dropped a wrench in his hands and rushed forwards to greet his brother in arms.

And embrace Ignis tightly as though he hadn’t seen him in years. Like ten long aching years.

“Gods damn it, Specs!” Noctis growled rather harshly as he pulled the taller man against him in a brotherly embrace. “Gods damn it, you kept us waiting long enough!”

There was a tension in the King’s tone that you couldn’t quite pinpoint, but stopping dead in your tracks, you watched as Gladio and Prompto rushed forward and joined the two in a cluster of tangled arms. You bit your lip, and from the corner of your eye you looked to Cindy, Cid, and Holly who were also lost in this sudden spectacle.

“M-My apologies, Your Majesty,” Ignis choked in an oddly formal manner as though he had offended his king. “I had only wished to have made contact with you sooner so that Y/N, myself, and the others could have given you word of what we found and-“

“Damn it Specs, don’t call me that!” Noctis let out harshly, and with the boys pulling away from the tactician your eyes expanded to see their strained countenances, Noctis’s in particular streaked with dirty tears. “Do you have any idea how much you worried us today? How afraid we were when we didn’t hear from you? I hated it. I hated every second of it. I’ve never gone this long without receiving a status update from you like that. And seeing you in the state that you are in now? You look like death turned over. You had us all scared shitless and…” But Noctis paused, and seeming to realize that perhaps this barrage of words was not the most suitable to be throwing at his friend who was enervated and weary beyond belief, he looked at his comrade painfully and sighed. “I’m just…I’m…we’re glad to have you back.”

Gladio anxiously looked to Prompto now and spoke next, the Shield seeming to have a better composure of the situation than his liege. “You know that we weren’t content with staying back in Insomnia when we knew you guys were likely to go through hell,” Gladio said as he looked around to your party. “After we finished with the council meeting today and looked further into the files on the airship, we knew we couldn’t just wait around while you, Y/N, and everyone else did all the dirty work. Cor was more than receptive to us heading on out here the moment we could, given the severity of the situation. He knows how much Cindy and everyone else has done for us all these years…it was the least we could do to help how we could.”

You knew exactly what those meetings entailed, but before you could open your mouth to question if any new news arose, Prompto interjected. “Yeah, I know what you were about to ask, Y/N,” the gunman said. “We are still looking into that as well. We were able to encrypt some of the files and found blueprints to some architectural designs, but like in all the other cases, there is still stuff hidden underneath all that encrypted data…so yeah, we have our work cut out for us there, just like we do here…”

You inhaled sharply. _Six, why does our plate seem to keep getting fuller, no matter how much we try to empty it? Why does this all seem to be never-ending?_

Noctis took a moment to look at your party, his silent gaze falling upon the glaives before turning back to you and Ignis. “But that’s not what is really important right now,” the king said as he motioned towards the direction of where you and your troupe had arrived. “Dave received your call and told us what happened down in the cave before he and his team headed out. It sounds like you went through absolute hell down there, and by the looks of it, it certainly shows.” Noctis came over to you and placed his hand upon your shoulder with a heavy sigh leaving his lips as he scanned your soiled, bloody, and worn frame up and down. “Y/N, everyone, I am so sorry you had to go through this, especially you, Y/N. I know that this is not really your job. Your main duty is to work for EXIRNIS and yet here you are, somehow getting mixed up in all of this as always. This isn’t what I signed you up for when I asked you to be a member of the guard. I’m…I’m sorry. And I don’t think I can keep allowing you to go through this hell. I see it in your eyes right now. You nor anyone else deserves this, and I am going to try to set this right so none of this nonsense happens anymore. But…” and Noctis swallowed harshly, “I know it wasn’t just the snake that you found down there, Iggy. Something on your face right now is telling me so much more. What exactly did you find?”

Everyone was silent, and casting a side glance at Cindy, Holly, and Cid who quickly resumed work on the generator to distract themselves from the tension in the tête-à-tête, Ignis looked to Laius and Crixus who had remained reverently silent during this whole conversation. With a nod from Ignis, the duo quickly darted off to where you assumed was the van, and with you watching the Adam’s apple in Ignis’s throat shift awkwardly up and down, the tactician finally addressed his king.

“I…I do not know how best to put this, Noct,” he began. “For how many months, for how many years have we been attempting to sterilize the remnants of the atrocities that the empire has left behind, and yet to no avail we are constantly barraged with more waste to remove.” Ignis paused to give you a glance, and without shame in such a tense moment the advisor grasped your hand and gave it a squeeze. “But it is with the most regrets that today upon our sojourn to Hammerhead did Y/N and I share somewhat of an epiphany, one in which we believe that there is more than meets the eye with our curious case of bestial onslaughts across the Lucian continent. And… it was after our battle today with the beast that we discovered something most suspicious that I cannot help but believe has connections to the concerns we have been beleaguered with since the light has returned.”

Despite the commotion as technicians, cleanup crew members, and the EXINERIS ladies continued their efforts to restore Hammerhead to its original condition, the muteness among your company was almost deafening. You were sweating bullets underneath the suddenly and overly heavy hunter garb you donned, and with a chilly draught of wind gusting through the plains and causing you to shiver, it was with paced footsteps that you heard from behind you did you find your apprehension increase tenfold. Merely looking at Noctis’s, Gladio’s, and Prompto’s expressions, you knew that Crixus and Laius had returned but not empty handed, the glaives passing between you and Ignis and carefully setting down the mystery apparatus before your friends. No one said a word as the glaives backed away to allow their King and court to take a step forward near your discovery, and casting a glimpse to Ignis you could see the strain building inside of him as each second passed, the veins in his temples throbbing underneath his visor.

Noctis took one step forward. “What…what the hell is that?” He growled. You had never known the man to be savage in tone, but yet, as the moonlight cast an eerie sheen upon the metallic object, the red light upon the device blinking once and causing Prompto and Gladio’s eyes to broaden with discomfort, the king slowly kneeled down to get a closer look.

_Noctis…oh gods, Astrals…_

Surprise wasn’t the right word. The mien of Noctis Lucis Caelum was far beyond that. His brows were knit together in pure agitation, and his usually softer features were strained, his jaw taut like a sinew of flesh ready to snap and his teeth gritted and on the verge of shattering. His fist was clenched at his side while the other hand reached out to touch the top of the device, and just by fingering the metal did the king hiss once again in absolute disgust.

“I…I do not know,” Ignis admitted, every syllable of his words drowned in rout as though he should have answers. “I have yet to discern what this truly could be, but if I were to surmise, perhaps it is just one more facet of the Empire’s dealings that now lay present before us.”

Silence.

“Shit,” Gladio murmured, his own fist flexing at his side.

“No, i-it can’t be,” Prompto said defeatedly as though he suffered a severe loss. “But how…how…”

“I do not know,” Ignis said again more firmly, not even looking at his friends, and just by standing at his side you could feel the rigidity in his stance. “I do not know, Noct, but I am resolute to find that out. I will get to the bottom of this, just like with everything else. The moment we return to Insomnia tonight, I shall meet with Prompto’s team to begin vivisecting the implement to determine its purpose and-“

“No.”

_Huh?_

It was Noctis who uttered the solitary word as he raised himself onto two feet. “No. No, you’re not.”

Ignis who now was more than caught off guard at this blinked stupidly. “B-But Noctis, I’m not understanding. Why are you saying-“

“I’m saying no Specs because you’ve done too much already today,” the king said as calmly as possible through his turbulence. “I am not allowing you to spend another minute tonight worrying about this. You’ve done too much already. You’ve put yourself through too much today, more than I should keep asking of you and so I am telling you to put down the reigns for once and allow yourself a moment to breathe and recover.”

You could not believe what you were hearing, nor could Ignis. The tactician who was always well with words was left dumbstruck, and blinking again several times he raised his hands in question.

“B-But Noct-“

“NO, DAMN IT,” Noctis barked firmly with a snarl, and now even Holly, Cindy, Cid, and the girls’ attention was drawn in your direction. “Astrals damn it, Ignis, just listen to ME for once! I can’t let you keep putting yourself through constant hell like this. I made a promise that I was going to stop doing this to you and I’ve already broken that promise. You already do so damn much for me and the empire and everyone else in it and all I am asking you is for once to listen to me as YOUR king. Go. Home. Go home and rest. Go home with Y/N and treat each other right tonight. Be there for each other. Allow yourselves to get a damn grip on everything and just get some rest. And that’s an _order_.”

The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with your katana. But as you stood there quivering under the moonlit sky with the accursed mystery apparatus flashing its red light once more, you knew the words of Noctis Lucis Caelum were not uttered with spite. For now, as your gaze fell upon the king, there were tears of desperation in his eyes, tears of knowing that, once again in his life, he knew with certainty he could never afford to risk losing his dear friend ever again…

**************************************

Sleep immediately hit you hard the second you rested your head on the head rest of the passenger’s seat in your truck. You did not even recall the moment Ignis with wheel in hand exited the Hammerhead piazza nor could you recollect passing by the Ostium Gorge or crossing over the bridge to the Crown City. You had no idea how your lover was even able to keep steady hands upon the wheel as he drove the two of you to safety back in Insomnia, Ignis equally far the worse for way as you after an excruciatingly laborious day of endeavors; however, certainly the king’s advisor had gotten use to many restless nights driving on the open highways across Lucis as he and his companions embarked on their quest to fight the Empire’s plight all those years ago. With Ignis’s warm gloved hand squeezing yours softly as you drifted off to slumber, you soon found yourself whisked away into a world of muddied dreams that you could not explain, your head filled with visages of beasts you could not identify and resonances of metallic clanking and shrieking and grinding of stone upon stone.

But the strangest occurrence of all that met you in your sleep as you wandered through an endless labyrinth of obscurity was a hazy figure, its glowing visage undiscernible in the pitch black.

As you slowly approached the form it must have heard your footsteps, and ever so slowly it appeared to turn around to acknowledge you. “Hey, how’s it going?” Its sudden voice asked you playfully, causing you to stop dead in your tracks.

“U-Um, excuse me?” You replied anxiously, and suddenly you realized how foolish it was for you to speak to anything you could not identify.

Then again, by now you surely had thrown all caution to the wind when it came to your dreams.

“I asked you how’s it going!” The figure repeated, and tilting your head to the side you distinguished that the voice speaking to you was distinctly female.

And yet her voice remained enigmatic as ever, just as her face.

“I-I’m fine,” you answered awkwardly, your skin crawling as you took another step closer to the form, but with each cautious step forward her frame became more and more indistinguishable. “But I’m sorry…do I…know you?”

The figure titled its head again yet said nothing.

 _I don’t like this at all_ , you thought fretfully as the shadows around you began to consume you. _I don’t know where I am and who the hell this is and I have no idea if I can trust them. This…isn’t Ardyn fooling me again, is it?_

But no, this silhouette did not give off the foreboding presence like the Chancellor had, and with her feminine and rough around-the-edges voice now chuckling heartily in a sultry manner, your spine shivered disturbingly at the overly poised timbre of her voice.

“Oh c-mon now. What are you saying that for? I just know how much you’ve missed me.”

_Missed you?_

“I’m sorry, but I still don’t know who you are. Can you tell me?”

“Oh stop playing with me like that. You remember the good ol’ times, right?”

_N-No, I don’t, I-_

“I just know how much you’ve missed me…”

_But wait, you just said that! Who the hell are-_

“Darling…Darling…”

_Darling?_

“Darling. Awake, my dearest. We are home.”

And with the palliating intonation of Ignis Scientia gracing your ear, you jolted awake with a gasp and now sat staring wide-eyed ahead through the windshield, comprehending that your truck was now parked out on the street outside of your apartment.

“S-Shit, Iggy! You scared me!” You stammered breathlessly as you instinctually gripped tightly at his gloved hand, your heart racing a million miles a minute as you processed your location.

The tactician chuckled softly as he squeezed your hand in return, but him turning to look at you now, your heart ached profoundly at the sight of seeing such utter exhaustion upon his muddy face. “My apologies in frightening you, my love,” he remarked quietly as he leaned over the console of the truck to kiss your forehead. “Did I…did I awake you from a dream?”

 _He knows me so damn well_ , you thought as you wiped the crust away from the corner of your eyes, and finally finding yourself conscious you sighed deeply. “Uh, nothing too out of the ordinary,” you answered between fragmented yawns. “Creepy daemons and beasts. Spooky smoke figures, you know, the usual…”

But for a moment Ignis’s eyes glazed over cold as if you had relayed to him the foulest news imaginable, and finding the color drain from your face, you feebly laughed. “I’m k-kidding, Ignis. It was nothing bad. Just strange is all. But can you blame me after the day that we just had. I think it was just my fatigue triggering the dreams is all…”

Ignis gazed acutely at your face for a moment before emitting a deep sigh. “No. No, I cannot indeed blame you one bit,” he said hoarsely, the words constricted in his throat as he let go of your hand for a minute to unbuckle his seat belt, “and I shall perhaps join you in the strangeness of such dreams when my own head hits the pillow for respite tonight. A most tiring endeavor of a day indeed we did face…”

Ignis’s voice trailed off in the gloom of the night, and sitting in the passenger’s seat you suddenly squirmed anxiously over the silence that began to suffuse the interior of the vehicle. It was almost impossible to not sense the overbearing tenseness that was radiating from Ignis’s form, and swallowing harshly once again you couldn’t help but observe that something was entirely off about his behavior.

Finally you cleared your throat, anxiously tucking a strand of dirty hair behind your ear as you opened your mouth to speak. “Well, why don’t we do something then about putting this day to rest by getting some of our own, yes? And I don’t think that is going to be best executed with us sitting in our fatigues in the car.”

Ignis gaped at you gauchely for a second as if you were speaking the language of the Six, but blinking behind his visors he finally came to his senses. “W-Why yes, my dear. That is a most affable decision…”

And so unbuckling your own seatbelt, you and the tactician exited the vehicle on rather unsteady feet, the fatigue you both wore like badges of honor more than palpable as you as one headed towards the front door of your apartment. Fumbling with the keys in hand, you managed to open the front door, the exodus through the doorframe like entering the gilded gateways to the Heavens. With Ignis shutting the door behind you two you suddenly felt the weight that had been lingering on your shoulders since your untimely awakening this morning now finally dissipating into thin air. You jumped as you suddenly felt Ignis’s hands upon your shoulders, his gloved fingers working their way from your shoulders to your sleeves, and blushing at the sudden intimate touch you realized he was helping you remove your filthy jacket from your arms. With a shiver of your spine you turned around to watch Ignis fold the dirty garment and sit it near the doorway, and for a second you couldn’t help but smile at the way in which he appeared to mentally fight tooth and nail with himself in knowing that perhaps a load of dirty laundry could wait to see another day.

_Oh Ignis…_

Before he could reach for his own sleeves you hastily placed your hands on his forearms. “H-Here, let me help you,” you stuttered, swallowing harshly as you became overly aware of the way he observed you while began to undress him. Choosing not to stop at just his jacket, you gently grasped at his hands and worked the leather of his gloves off his long fingers. Blushing deeply, even in your expenditure, you became breathless over the sleepy smile on his mien while you placed the glove upon the accumulating pile of soiled garments and began to remove its partner.

And yet, behind those striking emerald eyes you loved from day one, that smile did not grace those eyes.

“I-I figured maybe we don’t want to track all our gunk around the house, ya know?” You said shakily as you removed your own gloves and looked down at your hands. “And quite frankly, I don’t know about you, but the one thing I am looking forward to the most is a shower. The hottest longest shower that I have ever taken in my life and-“

But you had not even finished your sentence as you suddenly found Ignis kneeling upon one knee in front of you as he began to unlace your boots, his fingers working deftly over the leather and laces of your shoes with the most graceful of precision, despite his own fatigue. You placed your hands upon his shoulders as he removed one boot and proceeded with the other, and as he placed your boots to the side to be scrubbed and he stood back up, you returned the favor on his own footwear, your own hands of course not cooperating with you as you wished as you untied his boots.

The whole scenario of removing the garments soiled with today’s drudgery, one by one, was most peculiarly intimate, and despite how utterly disagreeable and repulsve to the eye you both appeared, both of your hair matted messes and your bodies caked in all things vile, you still could not help but find yourself breathless at the sight of your beloved. Now standing in the entryway to your apartment in nothing but your underwear, you could not control the anxious and rolling knots in your stomach over the way Ignis’s spent and aching muscles flexed and twitched under his bruised and battered skin, the scaring on his body glistening with a sheen in the lamp-lit hallway. He was a magnificent sight to behold, this warrior who fought with valor by your side to ensure your safety, and there was something rather much arousing about the way the grit and grime clung to his frame as proof of that. Suddenly feeling rather self-conscious about the way he was staring at you, you shifted nervously on your feet, both of you now gazing at one another in a reverent silence and hardly breathing and not speaking.

You were trembling. Astrals, how you could not shake off the ominous feeling that something was not quite right within the mind of Ignis Scientia.

You bit your lip, not even knowing what to say, but before you could even articulate a thought Ignis took a massive step forward and engulfed you in his arms, pressing your battered frame against his chest. You gasped with surprise, an overbearing heat washing over you as his one hand gripped gently at your back, the other’s digits combing through your matted and snarled tresses of hair You could care less about the way you both reeked of dirt and blood and standing water, the stench of your own sweat becoming more apparent as you gripped onto one another more tightly, and feeling the infamous electric touch of Ignis surge through you, perhaps for just a moment your fears about his hidden angst had momentarily been allayed.

“Let you wash up and rinse away all that ails you, my dearest,” Ignis finally uttered gently as he pressed his mouth to the top of your head. “That hot shower will be most agreeable in making you feel right again.”

Quirking an eyebrow, you pulled back slightly from him and placed your hands on his dirty chest, starting up at him and studying his face for any indication of what could be bothering him. “B-But what about you?” You began. “Surely you, Mr. Neat and Clean and Tidy, isn’t going to be ok with sleeping with mud and snake blood all over you all night, right?”

The advisor chuckled softly and shook his head. “But of course I don’t find that agreeable,” he answered with a small smile on his face. “I only meant to say that as to you getting a head start on me. I wanted to correspond Noctis to inform him that we have indeed arrived back safely.”

You gave Ignis the most disciplinary look. “You sure that is the only reason you are calling him?” You began, twisting your mouth into a knowing and reprimanding smile. “I thought he told you not to worry about anymore business tonight.”

Ignis’s eyes broadened as though caught red-handed, and with the man flushing slightly in his own guilt, he let out a sigh. “Alright, perhaps you have caught me there. I did want to provide His Majesty with a few other particulars on what we did not get to discuss with him earlier-“

“Ignis…”

“B-But I will be brief and succinct, my love. I assure you,” Ignis said hurriedly in defense. “It would allow my weary mind to rest further if I could at least inform him briefly of what is on my mind.”

Your heart clenched painfully in your chest, and part of you became envious, wishing more than anything that he would be equally frank with you on his thoughts. “Promise you won’t be more than five minutes?” You said cheekily, managing to bring a smile to your face to hide your anxieties.

The strategist left out a defeated laugh. “I promise you, my love. I will be there with you momentarily.”

Squinting your eyes in repudiation for just a moment, you turned on your heels without another word and clumsily darted away up the stairs to the bathroom. Finding yourself trembling with an inexplicable notion as you shut the door behind you and removed your dirty panties and bra, you hopped into the shower where you began to fumble with the knobs in the stall. Gasping loudly at the expected yet scorching barrage of water that began to cascade down your spine, you bit your lip and straightened yourself within the shower, allowing the volcanic beads of water to trickle down your back and wash away the filthy remnants of today’s bout. Sighing loudly you began to soak in the illustrious heat of the steamy water, and clutching your hands to your breast, you rested your head against the tiles as your eyes slowly fluttered shut.

Silence, save for the torrential stream from the shower head, impregnated the bathroom as you lost yourself in the violent assault of thoughts from the day battering your mind. The taste of the dust from the Weaverwilds. The dampness and chill of those endless tunnels. The monstrous Midgardsormr from hell and the cryptic flash of that device that sent shivers down your spine. Blood and mud and sweat and every tear that had trickled down your cheeks were washed away into the drain beneath you as you trembled in a sense of dismay. Despite the fact that death had once again stared you in the face like it always did during all these years, you lived to see another day.

But such vivid and adverse thoughts couldn’t come close to comparing to the greatest burden that was currently on your mind.

_Ignis…_

You bit your lip harshly once again, shutting your eyes tightly to hold back the tears that threatened to burst forth from your tear ducts. The strain in his eyes. The harshness of his tone and the tension within the manner he carried himself. This was surely not the first time you had seen him stressed, and yet, this was something so entirely unknown to you, something so out of the ordinary that you couldn’t quite place.

Nothing felt worse to you than to see that smile not meeting his eyes.

_Ignis…Ignis…what is wrong? What is it that you are not telling me? What-_

But it was with a gasp that you realized perhaps you knew the answer. The decision you had made earlier in your fight against the serpent. Your rash choice to risk your life and distract the beast so you and your companions could catch it off guard. The way Ignis shouted your name as the cavern burst into an explosion of ice and heavy artillery and how you came ever so close to kissing death on its lips. Just one false move. Just one improperly miscalculated motion and you could have been a goner.

You covered your mouth, your eyes wide as you watch blood be washed away from your matted hair.

 _Is Ignis…_ mad _at me?_

The lack of luster in his emerald orbs. The tension in his jaw and muscles and the way his fists flexed and clenched at his side all the while since your expedition had come to an end. Could it really be the strategist had been upset with you? Had you done something so utterly stupid to not only jeopardize your friend’s lives but also your own? But even worst though of all, if something _had_ indeed happened to you, Ignis would have had to live the rest of his life, knowing he had done nothing to stop you from greeting death.

You were on the verge of tears now. At any moment the dam was about to burst forth as you quivered over such atrocious thoughts. _Ignis, oh gods, I am so sorry! I am so sorry that I’ve upset you. I never meant to make you worry like this. Please, forgive me. Please, just let me-_

But it was with a sudden new heat that now engulfed you from behind and pressed your body against its own that made you gasp softly and your eyes snap, for now Ignis’s arms wrapped around your tiny torso and he rested his head on top of your own. Within an instant your weary frame melted against his flesh, his touches exquisite and loving as his hands massaged your belly and his nose nuzzled into your wet hair. “I-Ignis,” you whispered as your eye lids fluttered shut, and with another kiss to the top of your head you felt Ignis brush your hair to the side to give you a gentle peck at the base of your neck.

“My apologies in having startled you, my love,” he uttered softly as he seized you tightly. “I hope I did not keep you waiting for too long…”

You felt you were blushing, and nuzzling yourself against his frame you suddenly found it almost impossible to articulate your words. “No, no not at all, Iggy,” you replied gently as you placed your hands over his own. “N-Not long at all. Did you…did you take care of everything you needed to with Noctis?” You asked, gulping harshly as you hoped to avoid the mention of your guilty musings.

“Y-Yes. Yes I did, my sweet,” the tactician replied, and removing his hands from around your torso you jumped with a start as his palms began to work their way down your back with a sudsy washcloth to scrub away your sweat. “Noctis surely was most displeased to hear the deliverance of such details of our discourse today, but needless to say, I feel that he now seems to be a little bit more relieved after knowing that we had faired better than we looked in appearance. However,” and Ignis paused, the cloth in his hands trailing down to your lower spine, “I must inform you that we have perhaps indeed landed ourselves in a bit of… ‘probation’ of sorts…”

You attempted your best to not squirm to his delicate touches as he bathed you, and blushing deeply, you slowly turned around to face him, the sudden sight of his wet locks matted on his head making your stomach revolve in delightful knots. “Probation? W-Whatever do you mean by that?” You asked him. Flushing immensely at the way he looked at you, you grabbed your own cloth from within the shower stall, lathered it up, and proceeded to wash the tactician’s marred chest.

Ignis sighed gently to your touch as you maneuvered the cloth over his pectorals, and allowing his head to fall back slightly, he managed to gather his words. “Per His Majesty’s request, you and I have landed ourselves within a job along thesecretarial lines for the reminder of the week,” Ignis answered with a rather frustrated chuckle. “What that shall entail specifically, I am not yet aware, but Noct is rather adamant about you and I keeping our activity level to the absolute bear minimum.” Ignis paused, and although his smile once again did not meet his eyes, there was something rather boyish about the way his lips curled at their corners. “Oh how these times have changed,” he said blissfully as if suddenly lost in thought. “And to think I would have never imagined that it was my liege who was in fact taking care of me and my safety…”

You smiled and nipped your lip as you brushed Ignis’s hips with the cloth, and finding yourself staring down at the shower floor and past the softness of his shaft and the tension twitching in his thighs, you couldn’t help but feel guilty that it was indeed you who landed yourselves in punishment.

“W-Well maybe that is best for both of us,” you murmured quietly as your hands danced over his lower belly, you shielding your face from his heated stare as you washed the dips and hills of his abdominals. “M-Maybe this is best for us. We’ve both been pushing ourselves too hard lately after all, and well, m-maybe this is a good way for us to ground ourselves and recharge, don’t you think?”

Ignis was silent for a moment, all that was heard the splattering of water upon two somnolent bodies, and with the tactician sighting, the only word he could manage to utter was “indeed.”

Trepidation consumed you once more, the once peaceful stasis of your mind going haywire again as you had wished more than anything in the world to dissect the mind of Ignis Scientia. Trembling, you were at a loss for what to do as the reticence within these shower walls began to fester, and it was all you could do to hold back the searing tears that threated to burst forth from your eyes.

But it was with Ignis’s next touch that pacified the weary thoughts that plagued your heart. With a soft breath Ignis wrapped his arms around your body, one arm wrapping around your lower back while his free hand stroked your tangled and soaked hair and worked their digits through the tresses to comb them out. He kissed your head and face affectionately as he pampered you, you almost too exhausted to stand on your own, but knowing that it was he who deserved more than anyone to have such affections returned, you began your own ministrations once again as you helped cleanse each other of the final remnants of your toils.

You could have remained within those shower walls for eternity, Ignis’s soft kisses and caresses paying you heed more than you could ever deserve, but noticing that the downpour of tepid water was becoming too cold for your comfort, with reluctance your loving and ritual cleansing had come to its end.

A creak of the faucet caused you to startle, and with a smile Ignis reached out around the shower curtain to grab the two towels that were hanging on their hooks. In the most paternal of ways he patted your body down to dry you off, the towel ruffling your hair in the most playful of manners to dry your saturated locks. Even in your exhaustion you couldn’t help but giggle, and reaching up and doing the same to him, in this moment, despite the lingering anxiety in the back of your mind, there was nothing more endearing than the way his sandy blond locks were tousled about his head. Carefully stepping out of the shower, Ignis proceeded to lead you over to the sink and set you down where he like always after you shared your showers together began to comb your hair, and while you could not help but notice the edgy strangeness in the gesticulations of the comb as he worked the tool through your locks, you gulped in hopes to ignore such an observation as he detangled the mess on your head. Slicking back his own hair and giving you soft a peck upon the top of the head, the tactician exited the bathroom without a word, and feeling your heart sink at the coldness of his departure, you quickly threw on your bathrobe, tugged it close to your frame, and headed after him down the hallway towards your bedroom with careful footsteps.

You slowly peered your head inside your bedroom to see Ignis standing on the opposite side of the room, his hand and head leaning on the window frame as he stared out into the lit sidewalks outside. The lamp light of your room, its usual radiance that had always cast its placating warmth upon yours and Ignis’s bodies while you made love by lamp light was not present in this moment, the luminosity from its shade an almost unwelcoming glow as you stood quietly staring at your lover. Shivering, you hugged your bathrobe more closely to your frame, and even from your twenty paces away you could feel an almost hostile electrical energy surging from the tactician’s almost petrified frame. The pregnant silence was too much to bear, and nipping your lip you watched the manner in which his chest rose and fell with staggered breaths as though he was suffocating in an unspoken misery. Your heart clenched at the sight of him standing there so lost in thought, and with another tremor of your spine you took note of the bruises marking his scarred back, those patches of black and blue most surely acquiesced during the fray with the Midgarmsormr. Upon his wrist however was the leather cuff you gifted him, and the sight of it helped ground you for a second as you clutched at the pendant that dangled at your own throat. With a shift of his towel-wrapped hips, the tactician let out a deep sigh and continued to survey the lonely city streets outside.

 _Ignis…Ignis …_ you sobbed deep inside your heart _. What is it that you are not telling me?_ _What is wrong?_ _Please, just tell me, no matter how much it could hurt me in the end_. You had come to know this man better than anyone else in your entire life, and knowing that there was no way in which you would be able to rest your head tonight going on any longer with this consternation tugging at of your heart, you took one of the deepest breaths of your life and stepped into the bedroom.

“I-Ignis, is everything ok?” You asked him softly with a quaver in your voice.

Ignis startled slightly, and turning around to gaze at you he stared back at you with those lovely orbs emanating alarm and fatigue. “Darling,” he mumbled quietly as a gentle smile spread over his lips. “Why yes. I am more than fine. J-Just lost in thought….and you, dearest?”

Swallowing, you narrowed your eyes slightly at the obvious avoidance of the issue at hand. Taking a step further into the room and shutting the door behind you, you crossed your arms over your chest. “I’m fine…” You answered with carefully articulated words. “But it’s you that I am worried about right now, mister.”

The tactician’s nostrils flared at your address of him, but in his own curiosity he raised his eyebrow at your prying comment. “Worried? About me? Y/N, I can assure you that all is well. We surely had the most taxing of days one could imagine and perhaps my weariness has finally caught the best of me and-“

“Ignis, that’s not what I’m talking about…”

Ignis halted his words as he slowly and fully turned to face you, his countenance flabbergasted at the suddenness of your statement. Your heart fully slammed in your chest as he took a step closer to you, his expression strained, and somewhere deep within his gaze it was as though he had been caught telling the deepest of lies. Biting your lower lip, you too took a step as the advisor finally opened his mouth. “Darling,” he said slowly, his syllables tremoring as he spoke, “what is it that you are speaking of”

You wanted to sob. Part of you wanted to bolt from this room, fearing the absolute worst deep within your heart, but knowing you could no longer bare to withstand your lack of the answers you ever so desired, you trudged forward, facing your deep-seeded fears head on. “Ignis, I…I am worried about you,” you began, not meeting his gaze in fear of losing your train of thought. “I am always worried about you. Each and every day, not a single day goes by where I don’t think about you your well-being. You’re always on my mind. I’m always thinking about what you are thinking any given moment and if you are happy and smiling or your frustrated or aggravated at work. I hope you know that.” You paused, biting your lip as you looked up to see that Ignis was staring at you with a shimmer in his eyes and a tightness in his chest, and so before you could waver in your words you continued. “I’ll never stop feeling this way about you, and right now is one of those moments. Ignis, I love you so much that it hurts, and if there is one thing for certain, I can’t stand the thought of knowing you could be upset. And quite frankly, right now I can’t help but feel that you are not telling me something...”

You paused once again, this time taking another wary step forward as the tactician could only gawk at you with parted lips, and once more his eyes flickered with a pain you could not quite identify. You continued. “This morning on our way to Hammerhead, I know we both shared that ‘ah-ha’ moment of sorts like we were catching onto something with this whole power mystery. Like we were one step closer to getting the answer. And then we got to Hammerhead and I saw just how angry you were over seeing what happened to Cindy’s and Takka’s, my heart broke for you. I know how you had so many memories of Hammerhead on your journey. It was killing me to see you in such distress. And yet, you let your anger pass, knowing that the mission lied ahead and it was our goal to see it through before we could let our emotions get the best of us. But,” and you hesitated once more, choking on your words and your body trembling as you attempted to keep it together, “when we were down in that cave and we ran into that snake, I watched you fight with the fierceness that I had always admired you for since that first day we worked together at the mines. But no, that wasn’t just it. That wasn’t the only reason why I was so worried for you.” You looked at him pleadingly, once again clutching at the necklace around your throat. “It was the moment we found the source of the light. The moment we found that device. Ignis, I had never seen you so upset before like that. I’ve come to know you so well after all this time. I’ve learned to read every single expression of yours and I’ve lovingly adored your every gesture and word when it came to expressing what was on your mind. But then? At that moment, I was at a loss. I couldn’t tell what you were thinking. I didn’t know what you were feeling. I was so scared that I had done something in those caves to upset you and when I ran off to find that device I could just see it in your eyes a fire that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. And when we got back to Hammerhead, that ferocity never left you. I could see it all over your face.” You finally took a deep breath and a final step forward, and suddenly a barrage of your past conversations with Ignis came into fruition. “Ignis, please. Remember all the times I’ve expressed my fears to you? All the times I’ve told you how scared I was of my dreams and how you’d react to them if you knew what was in my mind? Every doubt I’ve had about myself and how every time you told me that I had nothing to fear if I told you? How I promised you I would always be open with you?” You saying such caused the tactician’s eyes to widen as you gasped for air. “I’m asking you now to trust me too and do the same for me. I’m here for you. I always will be. I just want to know. What is wrong? Why were you so upset?”

And so the Coeurl was out of the bag as the strategist’s shoulders slowly slumped as if realizing he could no longer harbor the veiled feelings that beleaguered his heart. And yet, as Ignis stood unsteadily upon his feet and ogled you, something within his stance changed; he no longer appeared as though traversing an icy bridge that was ready to crack at any moment, and while there was still a tenseness in the twitching of his biceps and abdominals, there was a new light in his eyes that had not been there hours ago. He was utterly speechless all the while, and with him attempting to take breath in the stillness of this night he ran his hand through his hair as if to help him gather his thoughts, the weight of your words striking his heart to the core.

“Darling…I…” He choked, feeling suddenly overwhelmed by the weight of your questionnaire. “Astrals…I…I…” And he hesitated, his face now entirely flushed crimson in the most flustered of ways. “You…you truly wish to know?”

Shame. His tone was laced with absolute shame, and feeling one more chink in your façade being chipped away at, you swallowed hard and nodded.

“Yes Ignis. More than anything in the world. Please. Tell me.”

Ignis sighed, and motioning you towards the end of the bed, he encouraged you to sit down as he sat on the edge of the bed with the creak of the mattress. Planting his feet firmly into the floor, he cast his gaze down at the carpet, and with heavy breath he began his confession.

“Y/N, I do hope you know that I too never wish to conceal anything from you ever, but it appears as though that in my moment of weakness, I have failed to uphold my side of that promise,” Ignis began slowly as he lifted his head for a moment to cast you an apologetic glance. “I would never mean to frighten you with that which wears heavy upon my heart, but, seeing it within myself to not cause you further worry today after seeing what had befallen our dearest companions at Hammerhead, it was all I could do to keep my wits about you to help you remain as stalwart as ever like the warrior I know you to be.” He paused, the faintest hint of a smile curling up at the corner of his lips, and even still, his burden weighed heavy upon his soul. “The sight of Hammerhead travesty caused me to waver more than I had anticipated. The Six only knows what myself and the others as well as countless other Lucian patrons would have done all these years without the kind extension of Cindy’s and Cid’s services, as without her aid Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, and myself would have never been able to progress forth on our quest to see the Empire abolished. Even Takka had ever been so kind to provide us nourishment for those long nights upon the road where I found myself too weary to provide sustenance to my companions. It was all I could do to hold fast to my sanity as I realized that there was a more than slightest of chances that I could have lost another near and dear to my circle. How could I ever live with myself if I knew a citizen of Lucis lost his or her life without me there to protect them...”

Your heart pounded in your breast as you listened to him, the strain of his words causing your heart to clench in the most painful of manners. Squirming your toes into the carpet, you clasped your hands together to ground yourself as you processed all he said. Ignis looked to you and took note of your anxious state, running his hand through his hair in a manner most uncharacteristic of himself before continuing. “But you are right. There was so much more to this. The physical proof of this potential loss was more than my mind could fathom, and once we engaged in combat with our foe, it was as if hidden fears of mine surfaced their dreadful heads. How little did I come to realize that of all which I knew of the lands of Lucis. For a decade I had scoured the continent in search of the answers in which I sought to save our king, learnt every ancient text I could find and pillaged and plundered every tomb and left no stone unturned as I searched for a way to rid the world of the scourge. And yet, here beneath this surface, for gods only knows how long did this beast live its monstrous life. This beast that imperiled the lives of my companions who fought so valiantly at my side. This damned creature that caused the love of my life to risk her own for the safety of mine.” You flinched at this, a sob threatening to leave your lips at his concession of his fear over almost losing you, but before you could even utter a pathetic apology he continued on. “Seeing you risk your life for mine and everyone else’s made me utterly aware of just how little I truly did know about this mad world and the chaos we are trying to uncoil. You know I have always prided myself in my precision of analysis and dissection of information, and yet, there I was, wielding my daggers and not knowing a bloody thing about what it was that reared its head at me. Astrals, how utterly ashamed of myself was I for failing to provide the answers that I always had prided myself in knowing. But that’s not what broke me as a man the most.”

Ignis paused again, him turning to you fully and grasping your hand, and as he gripped at your palm with his trembling digits, once again was that spark in his touch that you had come to know and love so much. “It was so much more than that, my love. The apparatus. That bloody apparatus. It was proof. It was proof of how much of a damned fool I have been. It was my physical proof that I had failed you, Y/N, and Astrals what I would give right now for you to forgive me for my mistakes.”

Your heart stopped dead in your chest, the hue draining from your cheeks as you tried to make meaning of his words. If there was ever a word to describe Ignis Scientia, a failure was farther from the truth. “You…failed me?” You stammered, your mouth dry like the dust of the Weaverwilds themselves. “I-Ignis, what do you mean you ‘failed me’?”

Ignis gritted his teeth as he cast his gaze down to your hand and held it even tighter. “I failed, Y/N. Your fears. The very fears in which you spoke of. How many times, Y/N, have I told you all would be alright? How many times did I tell you that all would be well and that we had nothing to fear if we held fast to our principles and stood by each other’s sides? How many times had I assured you that His Majesty’s belief in you and the good divine fortune of the late Lady Lunafreya would never steer you down the wrong path, and yet the moment I laid my eyes upon that cursed mechanism, I felt I had broken every promise to you I ever made.”

_No…no…Ignis, why are you saying this about yourself? That is the farthest thing from the truth!_

“Iggy, no. Don’t say that!” You pleaded, gripping both of his hands to ground him. “You’ve never failed me ever! I don’t understand why you think you would have failed me and-“

“Y-Your dreams, Y/N!” He interjected, biting at his lower lip. “The cyphers from your dreams. How they plagued you for so long and your paranoia that they would lead us all to ruin! You were so frightened of them! And seeing that contraption, how was I now to justify the courage you were to uphold? There, hidden beneath our noses, hidden beneath the lands I thought I knew so well! How am I supposed to keep that hope alive within you now?”

_Hope….hope…._

“I-Ignis, I’m not losing hope!” You interpolated as your fingertips dug into his palms. “I believe that it’s all going to be ok. I believe in you and us and everyone’s strength and even if I’m afraid of what it all means in what we found today, I’m not going to ever back down! It’s ok! It’s all going to be fine! We will see this through together!”

“B-But darling…darling,” Ignis gritted through a solitary tear that coursed down his cheek, and now the man was at his threshold, Ignis Scientia cracking like that icy stronghold you had watched fragment upon that very night he confessed his love for you for the first time, “how can I forgive myself for knowing that I could have done more to placate your trepidation? How I could have taken your fears more to heart than I did? And to think, that after all this time, how I dragged you into a life of bedlam, your life once more peaceful and blither before you were enlisted as a member of the Crownsguard. How I had inadvertently brought this extra burden upon you, as if you already hadn’t enough upon your plate. Astrals, I never wanted to cause you burden, and now realizing that your fears may truly be reality makes me a broken man. If only I had-“

That was your breaking point. No. You were not going to listen to this any longer. You _could_ not listen any longer. Never would you allow this man to accept fault for anything that was not his blame. For sins and crimes he did not commit. Never would you allow Ignis to fault himself for something ever again. But even more so, to think he blamed himself for the life you came to know, a life of peril and obligation but a life you had nevertheless come to love.

A life you would never change in a millennia. A life you would spend an eternity at his side.

And so, removing your hands from his own, you did the only thing your mind, body, and soul would allow you to, and with a heavy inhalation, you clutched onto the face of Ignis Scientia and crashed your lips onto his own.

A harsh gasp escaped Ignis’s lips and his eyes snapped opened as your mouths collided, and within seconds you were kissing him ravenously like you had never kissed him before. The tactician who had always been so deft with the gesticulations of his lips appeared as though he had never kissed a woman in his life, and with fumbling hands he struggled to find a grasp upon your shoulders as you managed to push him onto the flat of his back on the mattress. A sharp moan escaped his throat as you nipped harshly at his lower lip, but finding yourself lost in a sea of paroxysm of emotion, you could hardly control the manner in which you eagerly moved your lips over his as you clutched onto his face and showered him with all the love he deserved.

“Don’t. You. Dare,” you articulated starkly between your ravaging kisses, and with each frantic motion of your lips Ignis could hardly keep up as he kissed you back. “Don’t. You. Ever. Blame. Yourself. For. Any. Of. This.”

Ignis groaned raucously as you devoured his mouth, and moving your face away from his for just a moment as you now straddled his waist, you could not feel any more enamored by the way his damp hair was a complete and utter mess on the top of his crown and his eyes were wide like a baby Chickatrice’s. His sculpted cheeks were flushed a deep cerise, and in the lamp light of the room you could not help but admire the way in which the scars that ornamented his arms, chest, and stomach gleamed with a ruddy crimson that left you breathless.

Your admiring and distracted stare of Ignis as he lay helplessly beneath him gave him an opening to speak. “But Y/N,” he begged as you placed your hands upon his chest. “Y-You aren’t hearing me out! The encumbrance of all that I just said! D-Did you not hear me say that-“

You silenced him once more with your mouth as you leaned down and rested upon him and clutched desperately onto his face, you tongue dipping onto his mouth and causing him to choke with surprise. How utterly wonderful he tasted as your tongue wrestled against his, and grinding against him you pushed in deeper into the mattress. “I-I heard you cloud and clear, Iggy,” you breathed, your tongue grazing along the seam of his mouth, “and I need you to hear _me_ this time! When will you stop putting all of this upon yourself? When will you accept the fact that you are doing everything you can not just for ME but for everyone? You are only one man, Ignis, and you can only do so much.”

“B-But darling-“

“No ‘buts’, Ignis!” You quipped as you nipped his lower lip, and with a snarl on his part it was as though the stubborn icy barriers around his brain were slowly starting to thaw and he began to accept defeat. Even more so, Ignis finally appeared to gain control over the use of his hands and now latched harshly onto your hips with his trembling fingers, and almost out of instinct he pressed you roughly onto his groin that was now fully equipped with a massively hard erection underneath his towel. “A-Astrals, damn it, Iggy!” You whined as you clutched onto him tightly. “When are you going to accept the fact you are human and I will never ever allow you to take the blame for what is happening in this damn world right now?” You biting his lower lip again, the tactician growled viciously as he helplessly writhed beneath you. “I will always be forever grateful for how much you love me and how concerned you are for my wellbeing, but I too have a sense of responsibility in how I handle my own fears and burdens and take part in all of this. You are not allowed to be the reason for my short comings, nor anyone else’s.”

“But Y/N, please hear me-“

“I hear you loud and clear, love,” you justified as you removed your hands from his face to yank at the bathrobe that was wrapped tightly around your quivering body. “And I want you to hear me very clearly right now or so help me Six.” Ripping the robe off your body, your heart fluttered madly in your breast, all sense of you lost to a torrent of high-strung sentiment. Ignis moaned and whimpered at the sudden sight of your flushed skin and exposed breasts, and giving him the most resolute look in your life you lifted yourself from his hips momentarily to tug at the towel that blanketed his erection. “I love you, Ignis Scientia,” you declared huskily as you trailed your fingers down his stomach and tightly wrapped your hand around his girth, “and you already do more for me than you could ever imagine. From this moment on, I need you to always remember that you never need to be afraid for me ever again.”

Ignis was thunderstruck and trembling like an earthquake as you hovered over his hips and lined up his hardened length to the folds of your entrance. No usual foreplay or preparation was needed; in the heat of your words and the desperation of his pleas and manifestation of his apprehensions, it was his attempt to pacify you and express his guilt that made you undeniably aroused. Nothing was more kindling in the depths of your core than to hear this man who once again thought of everyone else but himself express his upmost need to keep you safe and protect you from the atrocities of the world. With the sweetest and most reverent of smiles spreading to the corner of your lips, by Shiva’s grace were you going to remind him just how much you appreciated every little damn thing that he brought into this world.

And so inhaling deeply and locking your eyes into his, you pushed forth, sinking down inch by sinfully delightful inch and sheathed himself inside of you to the deepest part of your core.

Ignis was already breathless as you began to move over him, your dainty hands touching every single inch of those glossy scars on his broad chest that you treasured so much as you raised and lowered yourself to the hilt of his length. Your walls clenched snugly around his girth and your eyes fluttered and rolled back into your head as the sudden need to pour every inch of yourself into your motions overpowered you. Grinding slowly and swirling your bud against the base of his shaft, you moaned deeply as Ignis’s hands awkwardly latched on your waist, his fingertips digging deeply into your flesh as though not knowing what to do with his hands.

Your eyes flickered open to see him gawking up at you with parted lips and hazy, lust-ridden eyes, and smiling at him softly you began to quicken your pace, just ever so slightly.

“I love you, Ignis. I love you so much and I always will,” you whined through the rising and falling of your hips, and with your words ensnaring in your throat for a moment you almost forgot how to speak as Ignis finally managed to gain control of his body and thrust upwards into you to meet your motions. “W-We are going to solve all of this together. I-I’m not l-letting you carry this burden alone. We’re a team and we are going to see t-this through…”

Ignis whimpered at such a sentiment, but before he could open his mouth to reply, you once again accelerated your pace, your hips moving more forcefully and fervently over him as you clutched onto his shoulders and dug your nails into his skin. You groaned and grunted as with each passing second Ignis’s shaft only seem to harden further and stretch your walls to capacity, but trying to keep steady strides yourself so this moment would last for as long as possible, it was all you could do to keep your wits about you as your rode your lover like a wild beast in a frenzy.

But perhaps Ignis had other plans, maybe, just maybe, for now the tactician who had always preferred to take the lead and set the pace himself finally came back to all senses and grabbed ahold of you in the most obsessive and covetous of manners. His long arms reached up to ensnare your waist, and pulling you downwards onto his chest you soon found your cheek buried into the dip of breast bone as he began to pound into you from beneath at the most precise and calculated of paces. You screamed at the sudden change of angle, the friction of his shaft sliding into you providing you just the right amount of stimulation on your bud, and with your toes curling as you latched your hands upon his shoulders, you began to sob with utter euphoria at the sound of wet flesh smacking against your folds.

“I-Ignis!” You wept as you angled your face to stare into his eyes, and feeling your heart clench deeply within your breast and your walls tauten around his girth that assaulted you with the most precise thrusts, you could not have been any more in love with the way his eyes melted into yours, those beautiful emerald eyes shinning with tears of love as he filled you to completion. With such a sight empowering you further, you buried your face into his chest and grazed your teeth over his nipple and nipped at the toned flesh of his muscle, causing the strategist to gasp and sputter in his motions. Once again gaining the upper hand in this battle of writhing bodies, you elevated yourself up and down his member, your own cries of ecstasy resonating around the bed chamber and sending you into a frenzy, and with every moan and utter of your name from Ignis’s lips you continued to ride him faster to a point of no return.

You were ecstatic. Gods, you could hardly breathe now as the resonances of Ignis’s desperate and enamored whines chorused into your ears, and with each passing moment, your bodies both sheened in sweat and fumbling hands grasping at each other, you could all but fail to remember just what exactly drove you into this love making session in the first place.

Another cry left your lips as you tossed your head back towards the celling, Ignis’s hands grasping at your swaying breasts as you rode him out, and Six you could only wonder just how much longer you could hold on.

“Oh darling, _yes_. Gods, how much I love you…”

And that was all you needed to bring you one step closer to the brink of your unraveling, and as you your nails clawed down Ignis’s chest and stomach it was with a sputtering of his own movements that you realized he too could no longer hold out.

Five. Four. Three.

“D-Darling, I-I can’t hold on any longer…”

_Pull me down with you my love._

“Then c-come for me, Ignis…”

Two.

“D-Darling…”

One.

Ignis’s hips jolted upwards as a mangled and garbled moan tore up through his throat, and with his hands gripping at you and pulling you down towards his chest, Ignis’s teeth sunk into your shoulder as his shaft began to spurt hot seed deep into the depths of your heat. Simultaneously you reached your own climax, your exclamations of cosmic rapture crashing over you and drowning you as your buried your face into Ignis’s chest to stifle your cries. With each stalwart thrust of his hips as he emptied himself into you, your spine burned with utter pleasure over the way he raked his nails down your bruised back and over your buttocks as he gripped at your behind and held you into place as he filled you to completion. With your walls clamping and twitching around his grith, your head spun and vision clouded as your orgasm tore through every fiber and nerve of your body. Wth one last pulsation of the tightness of your passage and with one last drop of Ignis’s seed squirting into you, your climaxes subsided and you fell onto Ignis’s chest fully, pure and utter exhaustion overcoming you within the blink of an eye.

You were panting, shaking, and trembling and at a loss for poetries as you slowly came to your senses and listened intently to the hammering of Ignis’s heart within his chest and the raggedness of his breathing. As if suddenly reminding yourself of the trials and tribulations you faced on this longest day, your eyes fluttered shut in a state of unadulterated exhaustion, all tension and worry finally leaving your weary frame and allowing you to melt as one onto Ignis’s body. However, it was with a sudden jolt that you found yourself startled as Ignis placed his hand upon your head and began to play with your damp and messy locks. You angled your head to look at him, his eyes misty but all the more endearing, and with those emerald orbs shimmering with the most unexplainable expression that you could imagine, once more you felt a groundswell of panic overcome you.

_I-Ignis, is he…upset with me? Ignis, what-_

But before you could open your mouth to speak, Ignis lifted your head with his thumb on your chin and planted the deepest and chaste of kisses upon your lips. Breathing in deeply and finding you startled at such a gesture after the most heated of moments, it was with Ignis angling his face and taking a moment to study you, your face in his hand, that he finally allowed himself to smile.

A beautiful smile that met his eyes.

“Y/N, thank you,” Ignis said hoarsely, his words barely audible in the quiet of the night as he planted another soft kiss upon your lips and pressed his forehead to yours. “As always, thank you for grounding me. Thank you for reminding me of who I am. And thank you for forgiving me. Astrals, never let me disappoint you ever like that again…”

You gasped once more, not just at the tenderness and fondness in his avowal but by the manner in which he grasped at your hips with all the possession in the world and flipped you over onto your back. With a cry of surprise you found your legs now upright in the air as Ignis carefully seized your ankles and situated himself upon both knees, his member that was once softened just seconds ago now already rigid like stone once more and ready to penetrate your core. His gaze bore into yours, his eyes ridden with lust but more importantly the esteem and veneration in which he worshipped you, and pressing his shaft to your tender folds, he parted his lips with a sigh and pressed into your heat to meld with you as one once again.

“I will never disappoint you again,” he groaned through gentle thrusts as he sent you grabbing at the bed sheets and biting down upon your lower lip to stifle your cries. “I will be the man you need me to be. I will always keep fighting for you, from this day on, as long as you have me by your side…I love you, Y/N…”

And by the Astral’s grace as he made love to you during the duration of the night to atone for his sins of past and present and what he prayed would never be the future, you accepted his forgiveness time and time again , knowing that whatever revelation faced you at tomorrow’s horizon, you’d be ready to embrace it not just side by side by but as one together, hand in hand.

***********************

Perhaps your probation was not the worst of “punishments” you could have been dealt via the king’s orders. After the extent of yesterday’s chaos in the caves which had left you more broken and bruised than you had initially led on to believe (and last night’s bedroom pursuits certainly did not in the least assist in the recovery process), you found yourself more than grateful to be currently situated comfortably behind a desk in Ignis’s office in the citadel. With Holly and Noctis wanting you and Ignis to make the most of your recuperation day and not exert yourselves physically more than you had to, you and Ignis were assigned to examining and running several reports on the stock pile of EXINERIS’s recourses available for the empire’s use in the continued restoration effort.

With a slight twinge in your spine and a crack of your wrists and fingers, you took a deep breath as your eyes scanned a list of figures that seemed to go on and on for pages.

“What seems to be the status of your findings?” Ignis cut in softly from the opposite side of the desk as he examined his laptop for his own figures. He was grinning softly, his persona the polar opposite of what it was just a mere twelve hours ago, and despite the twitching of the vein in his temple over having to examine interminable pages of his own figures, you could tell that he was at ease within himself in the moment. However, as your lips curled up into a wry smile, you did not envy him in the least at his current project; while the aid had been granted to Accordo in their own restoration efforts of Altissia and that Lucis’s side of the deal was one and done (for now), there was still the billing and inventorying on Lucis’s part to be done. Costs of resources such as mythril, brick and mortar, cement, marble, and the likes had to be dissected, and with wide eyes you did not realize just how much energy was needed to run an LC-X model, despite their new fuel efficiency.

Shaking your head as you lifted your papers to take a closer look and compare them to the screen on the desktop, you sighed softly and beamed at Ignis. “I would have to say pretty damn good if you ask me,” you declared enthusiastically as you handed him what you had highlighted. “Not that I had my doubts, but after several weeks of seeing the input of mythril production from our new refinery machines at the plant, I still would have never believed how much more mythril we would be able to stockpile in our warehouses.” You exhaled, scratching your head as you inspected Ignis’s face slightly bruised face while he looked over your materials. “Although I still have to say though that I wish we could do a little bit more when it came to speeding up the actual process of producing the LC-X’s. With each passing day I still never fail to realize just how damn much we really have to clean up in the city.”

Ignis adjusted his visors on the bridge of his nose and gave you a knowing look, and with his own tender smile he sat down your report and reached across the desk to grasp gently at your hand. “In due time, my dearest. In due time,” he murmured softly, and for but a moment you both were silent as if remined by the weight of your dialog from last night. “Insomnia wasn’t built in a day, and of course most surely it shall not be restored as quickly as we would like.”

You laughed mildly, the reality of his words helping set you straight. “I know, Ignis. I know. Still, as you know, I think it’s hard for both of us to not feel a little bit helpless over the whole situation.”

Ignis clutched at your hand more tightly. “I understand, my dear. But we shall be fine. Let us pray for the Astral’s grace to remind us of our strength. Now, let us continue with these reports for Noctis and Holly and-“

Before Ignis could finish his statement the shrillness of his ringtone of his cellphone echoed around the office. With Ignis raising his eyebrow you watched as he picked up his cellular with questioning eyes, and swiping right on the phone he answered the call.

“Y-Yes Marshall,” Ignis began, the mention of Cor Leonis suddenly causing your heart to start. You could barely hear what the Immortal was saying on the other line, but carefully interpreting Ignis’s expression, you could tell that Cor’s message was more than vague and perhaps a bit brief. “Y-yes, Marshall, Y/N and I shall be there right away. Yes, indeed.” With a blink if an eye the call ended before it even began, and Ignis slowly put his phone back in his pocket.

“What was that all about?” You inquired inquisitively as you watched Ignis hastily stand up from the desk. By the way Ignis was moving so abruptly you would have swore that Cor had delivered the foulest of news, and feeling a sudden wave of panic overcome you, you began to wrack your brain and thought that perhaps, maybe just perhaps there was some new found intel on your mystery discovery from yesterday.

“The Marshall awaits us for an audience,” Ignis stammered as he looked to you, “and he has informed me that we have a visitor, yet he would not tell me who since they just moments ago arrived.”

You raised your eyebrow to this as you too hastily now stood up from the desk and joined Ignis by his side. “A visitor? Well who could that be? Why wouldn’t Cor tell you that?”

“I do not know, my love,” Ignis faltered as he took you by the hand and squeezed it, “but I say it best that we both be off immediately and find that answer out for ourselves. Shall we?”

You nodded to him, and within moments you were out the door and headed to the deliberation room to meet your anticipated guest. However, with each step through the winding marble halls of the Citadel you could not help but take note of the edgy dynamism that was emanating from Ignis’s body, his strides filled with purpose and the veins in his temples twitching once more as you attempted to keep pace with him. With your boots of your Crownsguard attire clacking stridently on the tile floors and with the swish of Ignis’s Kingsglaive coat at your side, you began to observe the passersby in the hallways and reception areas as your rounded the corners towards your destination.

Voice after voice began to draw your attention.

“Are you serious? Here? Right in the Citadel this moment?” One woman said incredulously as you and Ignis whisked right past her.

“Yep. In the flesh. She hasn’t set foot in these halls since the royal ball.” Her female companion replied with an anticipation in her voice.

“Seriously?” Her friend quickly asked, and you struggled to hear the tail-end of her remark. “But I thought I last heard from the Glaives that she was in Tenebrae! What is she doing here now so out of the blue…”

 _Who…who on earth are they talking about_? You mused as your boots padded heavily down the halls, and feeling your heart race within your chest you felt all the more foolish that your brain failed to decipher exactly who this mystery guest was.

But by the buzzing all around you and even the curious talk of the Glaives who acknowledged you as you walked, it was with one last corner that you reached the deliberation room and headed towards the door.

You cast a look at Ignis, and with expansive eyes you noticed that he was sweating, that nervous aura of his returning to him once more as knowing who it was who stood behind those doors.

Clack. Clack. Clack of your boots.

Ignis reached for the door handle. He pulled.

Three. Two. One.

The door screeched open. You and Ignis stepped forth.

And the moment you cast your eyes into the spacious room, you quickly glanced around at everyone you saw. There stood Cor in the center in front of his desk, the king himself standing right at his side and looking directly at your face with a curiosity and amusement over your own bewildered expression. To the right of them was Gladio, Prompto, and Libertus, their expressions almost unreadable as they assessed your entrance, but as your eyes fell upon the final three strange figures you did not know, it was with a quick assessment that perhaps, just perhaps they were not the strangers to you that you thought they were.

There stood two men in long coats and peculiar hats unlike any you had ever seen typically worn within the Crown City, and immediately you had surmised that these men had come from a very far away land to escort their third companion. That companion currently had her back turned in the direction of the king, her long and flowing silver hair elaborately braided and cascading down her back, and her petite frame was adorned in the blackest of red and burgundy leather garments. You stopped dead in your tracks, assessing the woman who wore high-heeled boots, and with a prickle of your skin and a burning of your spine it was now that you realized that this woman, while you had never met her in person before, was very much far from a stranger to Lucis.

And far from a stranger to Ignis as well, who stood there gaping in his own bewilderment as if someone had pulled the cruelest of pranks upon him. You brain failed to comprehend his perplexity as his gloved hands flexed at his sides and his chest rose and fell, and now, as if the woman had finally sensed you and your partner enter, she slowly turned around, her glorious green eyes flashing and her feminine lips curving up into a mischievous smile.

Placing her hands upon her hips, she cocked her head to the side, her eyes falling directly upon Ignis.

“Hey, how’s it going?” She asked smoothly as she brushed a silver tress of hair away from her attractive face. “Did you miss me?”

With Ignis standing directly by your side, it was as if he truly was at a loss for words, a loss you could not comprehend.

One word. It was only one word and one name he could utter.

“Aranea?”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Senses](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14585010) by [MissYunie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissYunie/pseuds/MissYunie)




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